Wrapping it up in Riga

Our last stop on this whirlwind tour of Europe was Riga. Here's the quick link to pictures - story below:

Riga 2010 JPGS

Even though I had gotten a good preview on the way out, there was plenty to see with Stephanie. We got settled in at the hotel and were out and about by around 4pm, taking in the sites, like the wonderfully restored interior of the Russian orthodox church -

- the Swedish Gate (built by the Swedes to celebrate their conquest of the city) -

- and various other street scenes -

We found a little restaurant for dinner near the old city wall and had a great time trying new dishes like blood sausage.

We also sampled various local beverages like local beer, blueberry cider, and birch tree juice - which is not like birch beer, but is actually a sour, yet refreshing drink that comes straight from the tree. Our waiter told us they can produce 100 liters a day in spring when the juice is tapped.

After dinner we took a walk on the bridge to take in the views of the city over the river. It doesn't look it, but it was around 10pm when these pictures were taken.

Upon returning to the hotel, we took advantage of it being the tallest building in Riga and went up to the top floor for views of the city -

- and finished the evening by taking in the city as it lit up after sunset (this is around 11pm!)

On the last day of our trip, we decided to head a bit out of town to see the open-air ethnographic museum. We had trouble finding the place to catch the bus, so we decided to take a taxi.

As it turned out, the museum was more than a little out of town and it took all of our money to pay the cab driver. Then, there were no ATM's at the museum. Fortunately, we were able to buy our tickets with a credit card and we went on in, figuring we'd find a way back to town somehow.

The museum was not what it sound like. It's about 100 acres of forest where they have set up old wooden buildings from the 16th - 19th centuries as they might have looked back when they were in use. It was really neat to see these well preserved churches, homes, and windmills, among other buildings.

As part of the exhibit, they had some locals dressed in period costumes making local handicrafts. We found one lady who was making things to ward off evil.

We not only purchased one for a Christmas ornament, but she was willing to exchange dollars for the local currency so we finally had enough to take the bus back to the city.

We spent a good part of the afternoon touring the museum - Stephanie especially liked going into the houses, which were set up with period furniture.

The bus, seemingly like everything else in Europe, was not air-conditioned. So when we got back we quickly found some ice cream to help cool off. In our wanderings, we also saw three young men dressed as village women playing songs like "My Heart Will Go On" on the street corner.

Our last meal was at a restaurant that specializes in authentic medieval cuisine. It was down in a basement area that was used for town events dating back to the 13th century.

Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere was really cool (literally and figuratively, thankfully). And so we bid a fond farewell to Riga and arrived safe and sound in Dushanbe.

To see all the pictures:

Riga 2010 JPGS