Off at 0900 on our bus for a tour of the Old Town. Our first stop was in the Art Nouveau district. Most buildings date from the early 20th C, and have been recently restored. We toured one where the ground floor had been restored authentically and is being used as a museum showing the furnishings of the time. On next by foot to explore the highlights of the Old Town. Along with the obligatory churches and old buildings, we toured a fabric and traditional clothing store with a signed photo of Laura Bush from her visit there 20 years ago. Both locals and tourists were out enjoying some of the first spring weather in the area. The formal tour ended at 1230, with the option given to either remain in Old Town or to take the bus back to the hotel. We opted for the latter, mostly just to dump our audio headsets.
On to the Museum of the Occupation, temporarily housed in the former US Embassy. The Baltic Countries got sold off to the Soviets in the 1939 Ribbentrop / Molotov Treaty, then welcomed the Nazis as liberators in 1941. Talk about the frying pan to the fire! Then things really went downhill in 1945 when the Soviets took over again. After that lighthearted visit, we took a 45 minute boat ride on the canal (former town moat) and river. The Costa Pacifica was docked there. Looked very similar to the Costa Concordia that we saw last year from the air while leaving Rome, but this time the starboard side was facing sideways, not up. Stopped for a late lunch on the way back to the hotel at Lido, a cafeteria-style restaurant recommended by our guides. Did not disappoint. Brief nap before meeting Dalija for a walk to the Cathedral for a 7pm concert of sacred music. The Cathedral is renowned for its 6000+ pipe organ. A choral group provided accompaniment. I have to admit even I was impressed! We got back to hotel in time for a drink with a few of our fellow travelers, so forgive me if the blog is not totally coherent tonite.
Tomorrow's expedition is east of Riga on our bus to Gauja National Park. Continued warm (for us Colorado folk) weather is forecast, so we are very much looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.