Category Latvia
Monday Morning Blues –
Riga is one of my favourite European cities, last visited in January 2020. Memories of it certainly banish my Monday morning blues.
Friday Photos – Art Nouveau in Riga, Latvia
Two years ago I paid my second visit to the Latvian capital. I love much about the city but perhaps the highlight is the marvelous art nouveau (jugendstil) architecture. There is a whole district crammed with beautiful buildings and bold sculptures. There is also an excellent jugendstil museum showing how an art nouveau building looks […]
Euro 2020 Rest Day 3 – Non Qualifiers – The Baltic States
Now we know all the quarter-finalists with Italy v Belgium the first one to be played Friday. Continuing my non-qualifiers with the Baltic States. Latvia Riga is one of my favourite cities in Europe. It has a lovely old town, a magnificent Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) District and a fine river (Daugava) with impressive bridges. I […]
2020 Over, 2021 Beckons (what I did and what I hope to do)
This is a far briefer post than I could have imagined 12-months ago. I had some grand plans……. In September I should have been fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition to travel on the Trans-Siberian railway from St Petersburg to Moscow and on to Mongolia & China. The booking has been shunted to 2021 but I will […]
Sunday Sunsets – The Vanšu Bridge in Riga, Latvia
On the first Sunday of every month I join a group on Twitter that post a picture of a sunset. This month’s photo comes from a trip I made this January to the Latvian capital of Riga. The city is split in two by the Daugava River and
The Bridges of Europe Part 5 – Eastern Europe
Having already written about bridges in Southern, Northern & Central Europe as well as the UK, it is now time for the East of the continent. My classification of Eastern Europe is pretty much behind the old Iron Curtain (minus Prague which I pinched for Central Europe), stretching as far as the Caucasus Mountains. Budapest, […]
Monday Morning Blues – Art Nouveau Lion, Riga, Latvia
This week’s MMB comes from my first and last decent length trip of 2020 when I did a Riga/Tallinn combination with Mrs Wilbur and our friend Chris. The Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) district of the Latvian capital may well be the best such district in Europe – unless you know better that is? Why not take […]
Sunday Photo – House of Blackheads, Riga
The odd looking House of Blackheads building is named after an African missionary named Mauritius who refused to execute pagan locals who themselves refused to convert to Christianity. He paid the ultimate price for this disloyalty to the ruling Germans and was later canonised for his suffering and martyrdom.
Sunday Photo – Art Nouveau Decor, Riga
Riga has probably the best collection of Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil) buildings of any city in Europe. Unless you know better?
Baltic Greats – Riga to Tallinn, Part 2
Making Tracks Having seen much of Riga’s special charm, we decided on a little side trip to the Baltic Coast. The Jaumeri area has long been popular with the city’s inhabitants due to its proximity to the capital, the white sands of its blue flag beaches and the pine fresh air that invigorates visitors. Riga […]
