Riga, Latvia

Dear Family and Friends,

Our next stop was Riga, Latvia.  We had the whole day to explore.  We started our adventure by taking this fun ride from the boat to the historic city center.

 Below is their freedom statue...erected in 1935 and their freedom did not last very long as we all know.

One thing I really wanted on this trip was some Pelmeni.  It is a dumpling filled with meat and served with sour cream.  It is very tasty and probably is considered peasant food.  I understand that pelmeni originated in Siberia.  The people were nomadic and they made the dumplings to carry with them.  Of course it was so cold that they stayed frozen.  When it was time to eat, they placed them in boiling water and cooked them.

Below is Chuck standing outside the restaurant.

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Here is a picture of my lunch.  yum, yum....

Again, we encountered beautiful cobble stone streets with colorfully painted buildings.

 Way to go!!!  Below is a bar on wheels.  It is powered by the patrons peddling.  They were singing and having a gay old time.  Notice the beer keg in the front.  How fun!!

Do you remember the story of "The Musicians of Bremen?"   This statue was presented to Riga as a gift from Germany.  It depicts the animals looking through the iron curtain.

Chuck and I loved this city and put it on our list as a come back to place.  We would like to spend much more time exploring it.

That is the beauty of a cruise.  You get a look at a lot of places and you have the opportunity to discover where you would like to return for a longer visit.

Beautiful plaza with many beautiful buildings.

 
Chuck went up into the church tower and took this photo of the city from above.  Notice our cruise ship on the river in the background.

 A last picture of the city as our boat was pulling away.

We gave this city an A++.  A definite come back to place.

Our next stop is Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Thank goodness for good internet cafes...it makes posting on the blog as we go possible.

Love,
Nancy