what can you say about a city that gives its people this park?
Or that has the largest collection of Art Noveau buildings in the World? Sideways
And an Old Town that puts Disney to shame.
I am sure winters are awful. You don’t even cross the boulevards you go into underground tunnels probably to avoid ice and snow.
But . . . What a magnificent place. Parks, a clean river, a half an hour from the sea and forests. Very good and interesting food.
Many cities are beautiful. Vienna with its magnificent buildings but it’s like a gorgeous woman who doesn’t bother to create an interesting personality. Prague has a memorable old town but the glamor wears off at the edge. Dresden holds architectural treasures but it’s still rebuilding. Paris holds its charms until you reach La Defense (spelling?) and its disaffected immigrant youth. Riga holds its beauty throughout the city not just the old town. Even the derelict buildings have great bones and will come back to glory.
I finally met some young people who work and enjoy all of the free music all over the city. Like all Europeans they pay high taxes but dont seem to get as much like other EU countries–free medical, free university, subsidized artists.
I walked for 8 hours. ㅇ(do we wonder why my feet hurt?). It was pleasure in a city so artistic and clean.
First stop was the flea market which is mostly worker’s stuff but I enjoyed a similar market in Hungary in 89 so thought Iwould do the walk. It is A show place for creative displays.
I am not joking.
When I arrived the crabby, surly sellers quoted Stupid Gringa Prices for a few items. (Those are prices Mexicans charge gringos not each other).
When they weren’t over-pricing their merchandise they were re-decorating their stalls. TRUTH. They were painstakingly moving an extension cord to a different place on the stall or one pair of shoes from the left pile to the right pile. They were serious and ALL of them were committed to this effort to increase the attractiveness of their junk
Actually there were some great mid-century lamps that were all the rage in OUR mid-century.
OH yeah Twister works here too. Even though the sellers were dour at least one had a sense of humor.
FOllowing my fascination with all things plumbing.
Did you ever seen an electric kettle built into a ceramic coffee station including a hot plate for the cups?
What about a porcelain vanity included flawlessly with its sink–all one piece?
Nordic design
Tomorrow the KGB museum.
BTW The language is so difficult that I memorized Iela it was the street where my hotel is. Turns out IELA meàns STREET in Latvian. Good planning.
.
