And you thought it was only in modern times that invented the toll booth for cars… In 1207 in Segulda, Latvia, when waterways were the highways, there were 3 toll castles on both banks of the Gauja river. In the summer, operas are staged at the Segulda Castle and there’s a hot air balloon festival here.
When Stalin was in power Soviet buildings were designed in a classical style. After his death all buildings were designed for function rather than esthetics.
In Riga and Segulda, Latvia, you may see padlocks attached to small bridges. These were placed here by lovers who lock them on and then throw the key into the river below to ensure their love is locked forever. This tradition actually started in Italy.
Estonia has 1,520 islands (in the Baltic Sea) while Latvia, so close by, has none.
The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum on the shore of Jugla Lake near Riga, Latvia is an outdoor exhibition of 16th-19th century farms, churches and a country inn (which also functioned as a community center for weddings, funerals, schools, etc.) offering a glimpse into life in the countryside. The plan was to establish a farm from the four regions, Kurzeme, Zemgale, Vidzeme and Latgale. In 1932 the museum was opened to the public and by 1939 there were 40 buildings erected. Today 118 buildings are on display.
Each June the Latvians held a country fair there where they would sing folk songs. These songs became part of what was called the Singing Revolution which eventually led to the independence of Latvia and the Baltic States. In fact, the first time the National flag was raised was in this museum.
It doesn’t get dark at night in the Baltics and this is great for tourists as you can walk around til late in the evening, see more, and feel safe.
There are musicians playing all around Old Town of Riga – saxophone, tuba, flute, accordion, cello, trumpets and even an organ grinder (he’s in the photo under the white tarp). It makes the strolling that much more enjoyable.
At the edge of Riga’s Old Town, there is a 1935 bronze statue designed by the famous Latvian architect Karlis Zale. Nicknamed Milda, she hold up 3 gold stars representing the 3 Latvian regions. this Freedom Monument was and is a symbol for wanting independence and is a podium for this idea.
The Latvians were afraid that the Soviets would demolish the monument, but instead they thought of it as depicting Mother Russia.
80% of Lithuania is Catholic and there are 30 active churches in Vilnius alone. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Vilnius was built by Jesuits in the 17th century in a white Baroque style. There are 2040 faces carved into the walls. It gets whitewashed every 5 years. Their chandelier was built in Holland and on its way when the boat sank. The chandelier you see there today is in the shape of a ship to remember that incident.
It has never been destroyed or closed – even thru the Communist times.
Walking into the Old Town through the Gates of Dawn, I was behind a teen boy who turned and crossed himself as he went through. We learned that he was looking at the Black Madonna
Forto Dvaras restaurant in the Old town of Vilnius still serves up home style dishes (and has an English menu). The local fast food, zeppelins, are big dumplings – meat stu
ffed into grated potato jackets served with sour cream, “cracklings” fried onions, butter, onion sauce or curds.
You can savor varieties of potato pancakes, perhaps with mushroom sauce or topped with bacon. Classic beef stroganoff or chicken Kiev are on the menu along with 9 salads. If you don’t care for any of those you can always enjoy peas with pork ears.
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