I have no doubts that the Freedom Monument in downtown Riga is the city's, if not the country's, most important political monument. Erected in 1935, it is the symbol of the Latvian's quest for freedom and fight for independence. Part of the inscription at its base is translated as follows: For the Fatherland and Freedom.

At its very top is the figure of a woman lifting three golden stars to the high heavens. The three stars are meant to symbolize the three regions of Latvia namely, Curland, Semigallia, and Vidzeme. The locals call the woman, MILDA.

Coming from San Francisco, I couldn't help compare it to the column we have in the middle of Union Square. There too, a statue of a woman caps the column.

I just loved this square in Riga. I loved it every time we passed by it. It looked very elegant and grand.

On one of the days we visited the square, we were lucky to witness the changing of the guards. Unlike the changing of the guards we saw in the palaces in London, Monte Carlo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Prague, the ceremony in Riga though was extremely low key. So low key, very few tourists go to the square to witness it as it happened.