Roland, not to be confused with Saint Roland, was a nephew of Charlemagne.
He was a Frankish military leader and governor who died at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 – a famous rout for Charlemagne and inspiration for the ‘Song of Roland”. Continue reading “Roland – A Symbol of Justice”
Like all the surrounding buildings in Town Hall Square (Ratslaukums), the city’s 17th century neo-classical Town Hall was destroyed in World War II. The current very aesthetically agreeable Town Hall, built in 2003, is an amazingly true copy of the original (picture 2), right down to detail such as the coat of arms and statue of Themis – Greek goddess of divine law and order. Continue reading “Riga Town Hall”
Without doubt the colourful House of Blackheads, a Gothic building with a Dutch Renaissance façade, is the greatest crowd puller and most photographed building in Riga. Continue reading “House of Blackheads”
The Old City of Riga has a collection of small squares, each worthy a visit in its own right.
One of, if not, the oldest of these squares is the cobbled Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums). This has been the administrative/local government centre of the city since it was founded in 1201. Since then markets, festivals and all manner of events have occupied or taken place in this square. For those into it, this used to be the place to go for an afternoon’s merriment at a public execution or two. Continue reading “Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums)”
When viewing the Riga skyline you will notice that the tops of Riga’s oldest churches – Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s, St. John’s and St. Jacob’s host a rooster (in the form of a weather vane) and not a cross. This is an old tradition, especially popular in Riga and Latvia more generally. Continue reading “‘Cock-a-doodle-do’ or ‘The Tale of Seven Roosters’”
The thing that amazed me most about St Peter’s Church was how old the church looked. This was particularly true when I came around from the rear of the building and was confronted by the beautiful Baroque western façade of the church. I knew Riga had been founded in the early 1200s though I would have placed the church as Medieval – somewhere in the 1400s. Continue reading “St Peter’s Church”
We had wined and dined ourselves well on the overnight ferry from Stockholm to Riga so by noon and having checked into out hotel I was not especially hungry. Added to that, when I visit a new place the first thing I want to do is get out, find my bearings, and explore. Eating is a distant second priority. Andy’s priorities differed on the day we arrived into Riga so having something light was agreed upon. Double Coffee in front of St Peter’s Church fit the bill beautifully. Continue reading “Double Coffee Kungs: “Extensive Menu With Decent Coffee””
On arrival into Riga following our over night ferry trip of Stockholm the first thing we did was check into our hotel in the Old City.
The SamaraH Hotel Metropole turned out to be the best hotel we stayed in on our six week trip to Scandinavia and the Baltics in 2015. I say ‘turned out’ as that’s not how it started. Continue reading “SamaraH Hotel Metropole – Riga”
Throughout our tour in North Korea our guides went to great lengths to extol the virtues and wholesomeness of North Korea and its Leaders and took great pride in the fact that it and its people are pure, clean and devoid of negative outside influences. Our guide told us of how the State makes every effort to protect itself and its citizens from everything bad and wicked. This, of course or at least for the domestic audience, explains why North Korea isolates itself from the outside world rather than the outside world isolating itself from North Korea. Continue reading “International Friendship Exhibition”
Pohyon Buddhist temple, one of the few places of worship in North Korea open to foreign visitors, dates from 1042 and the Koryo dynasty. It was founded by a monk named Kwanghwak and is named after the saint that guards the morals of Buddha. The current incarnation of the temple mainly dates from post the Korean war (1951-53) when the temple complex was extensively damaged by US bombings with over half of the buildings completely destroyed. Continue reading “Pohyon Temple – Mt Myohyang”
The Rambling Wombat 