Zuiderdam MegaVoyage 2018-2019, Riga, Latvia

We arrived in Riga early afternoon and checked into our hotel...Hotel Justus is in a great location in the heart of Old Town...Latvia’s capital, is on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. We put on our walking shoes and headed towards St. Peter’s Church via the Town Hall and Town Square which was the central square from the 13th to 19th century, and the Gothic style House of Blackheads. Once we found St. Peters Church, we went up to the panoramic platform for some great views of the red roofs of the Old Town and across the Daugava River. Following the river, we went to the Riga Castle, climbed and crossed the Shroud Bridge partway to get a better photograph of the Castle. From there we headed back towards Old Town passing the Swedish Gate and Jacobs Barracks to the Powder Tower...we stopped for dinner then went to the Freedom Monument, the symbol of Latvian independence and followed the Brivibas iela, the main street of Riga to the Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. On our return to our hotel we did some shopping and just experienced the aura of a medieval city as we walked down the narrow streets, where unique complexes of churches, businesses and residential houses are found. The following morning, we did a 2-hour walking tour of Old Town Riga. Lisa, our tour guide, did a great job of giving us the concise history of Latvia and a city tour of Riga’s highlights. We first walked to the Dome Square, then to the oldest buildings in Riga, known as the Three Brothers residential housing complex...from there we past the Swedish Gate, Powder Tower, and onto the Convent Yard of the Holy Spirit, the Three Brothers residential housing complex, St. George's Church, and St. Jacob's Cathedral and the Town Hall Square. Before returning to our hotel we stopped at the Medieval Wine Cellar. We returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage as we were leaving Riga for Sigulda, Latvia. We had a very enjoyable stay in Riga, it was especially significant as we all have a connection with Latvia, my Holland America Concierge, Katarina and Ann and Cathy’s cousins are from Riga and come to find out other friends we know also have family from Latvia. It is nice to see the positive recovery that has taken place in Latvia since the fall of the Soviet regime….  On to Tallinn and the Zuiderdam!