More of Riga
From St. Jacob's Cathedral we checked out the blue colored church which turned out to be the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, also Catholic. Almost all churches we visited here in Riga did not charge admissiion to enter. This particular church though stood out in my mind since there was a tiny old Latvian lady who kept selling me rosaries and other religious artifacts. I was willing to buy another rosary even though I had just purchased one at St. Jacob's Catholic Cathedral a few minutes earlier. She quoted me rather high prices though which led me to just say, "No thank you." Sensing that I was not going to buy, she came out of the booth and asked me to donate to the church instead. There were other tourists in the church as well but they did not give her any money. I dropped a few coins in the box she pointed at. She left me alone shortly thereafter.
The Catholic Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
Inside the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
The pulpit inside the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
The main altar of the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
Inside the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
The organ Inside the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
Inside the Church of Our Mother of Sorrows
The site of the original National Library of Riga
Marc and I actually thought this building continued to be the main site of their National Library just like the plaque on its facade stated. It is just a branch now. The main one library is now modern looking and made totally out of glass. It is on the other side of the river Dgauba.
The Danish Embassy in Riga
There were many buildings under renovation in Old Town RIGA. The Castle was one of them. Whta was supposed to be a museum was currently closed. I was quite surprised to see it within the vicinity of Old Town. I honestly thought it was hard to reach.
The Riga Castle under renovation.
The castle is actually a museum now. However, we did not get to enter since it was under rehab. It was closed to the public. I must say, there was construction and rehabilitation of buildings in many parts of Riga, mostly in the Old Town. I just bet Riga will look even prettier in a few years.
Riga Castle
In front of Riga Castle
A Latvian Bank. Prior to our trip to the Baltics, I went to my bank in San Francisco to inform the bank personnel of my pending trips to several countries in this part of the world and that I was planning to use my ATM to withdraw cash. I was told that I could use my card everywhere except Latvia. That was one of the reasons why I got so scared coming here. Everything I read and what transpired in the bank made me think Riga must be a very unsafe place to visit.
A dragon flagpole on the facade of the Latvian Bank
The National Gallery of Latvia. After having visited so many museums in Tallinn, Estonia only to be disappointed with the art collection and exhibits, Marc and I became very picky about our museum visits since.
This was the the bust of a latvian artist, Emils Darzins in front of the National Gallery of Latvia.
Right behind the bust of Latvian artist, Emils Darzins
The bust of another Latvian artist, Zanis Griva
I ended up buying a beautiful book about Riga here in this gallery. I told myself I wasn't going to buy any more books about cities I visit since they ended up being stored in boxes and put away never tobe seen again. I couldn't resist buying one here though. It was only 10 Lats (US $18).
The National Theater of Riga
The Laima Clock in Freedom Square
During the Soviet Era, this clock used to remind the local citizens to report for work on time. These days, this is where young people agree to meet when dating.
Riga's Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Russian Orthodox)
Riga's Nativity of Christ Cathedral
Splendid Palace, a multi movie complex
Beautiful facade of The Radisson Blu Elizabeth Hotel
The Radisson Blu Elizabeth Hotel
The monument of Rainis, pseudonym of Janis Plieksans. He was a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician.
In front of the statue of Rainis
The statue of Rainis
A statue in front of the Latvian Academy of Art
The facade of the Latvian Academy of Art
Another view of the Latvian Academy of Art
The Three Little Brothers
The Three Little Brothers is the oldest residential complex in Riga. It was built in the late 15th century when it first established contacts with the Dutch merchants. This also explains why the buildings possess architectural elements of the renaissance of the Netherlands.
The Three Little Brothers
We came here many times to see if the crowds had left and if we could already get a better picture of the place. It was really funny to see these three buildings named the way they are. In Tallinn, I saw the Three Little Sisters, three equally old and historical buildings in the Old Town
Each house was originally built in a different period although they have long been combined. These three houses were restored from 1955 to 1957 by the architect, P. Saulisha.
The entrance of the middle building of the Three Little Brothers
In front of the middle building making up the Three Little Brothers
The town square