YOUR NEXT DESTINATION

YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Text by Agnese Civle
Photos by Kirils Kirasirovs, Kaspars Lielgalvis,
Valdis Jansons AND AGNESE ZELTINA
Untamed
Riga
38 / AIRBALTIC.COM
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
Riga’s creative quarters
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has already taken the
Anothertravelguide brochure
about Riga, but don’t worry, all
the information is also available at
ANOTHERTRAVELGUIDE.COM in
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With eight centuries of history reflected in its
incessantly shifting cityscape, Riga is a city that could
entice anyone seeking an urban environment where
a palpable storied past is carried forward on the
waves of the present. Latvia’s capital boasts an intense
contemporary arts scene and a tangible, inventive
creativity with deep multinational roots. In 2014, Riga
will become a European Capital of Culture. The only
real metropolis in the Baltic States, it’s already a prime
destination, marked as ‘must visit’ on the discerning
tourist’s cultural map.
Riga is not only the city where the groundbreaking
film director Sergei Eisenstein spent his childhood (and
where his father was an amazing architect, the Gaudí of
the North). It’s not only a place to follow in the footsteps
of the great German composer Wagner (the prelude
to his 200th birthday celebration can already be heard
in Riga). It is not only the home of the most innovative
opera house in the Baltics and the New Riga Theatre, a
stage that has received acclaim far beyond the country’s
borders. Riga is also a city that sparkles with an energy
that makes the everyday seem extraordinary. Once the
recent economic crisis caused its veneer of ostentatious
glamour to crumble, Riga rose like a phoenix from the
ashes. Creative impulses have a wild pulse. This is the
time to rediscover a city in the throes of change and see
what’s sprouting up.
The Spīķeri cultural epicentre
One of the areas where you can explore this
phenomenon is Spīķeri – a place that’s already
established itself as a magnet. It’s only a few minutes’
walk from the railway station, the bus terminal and the
Central Market. During the 14th century, ships were
loaded and unloaded here at buildings known as HanfAmbaren in German – hemp warehouses. Later they
were adapted for use by the Central Market. Eventually,
58 brick structures were erected, of which only 13
remain. The red brick buildings are perfect examples of
a formal style of 19th-century eclecticism in industrial
architecture.
Some of the warehouses have now been renovated,
and one houses the cutting-edge galley kim? – the name
is an acronym for kas ir māksla? or “what is art?” The gallery
regularly hosts exhibitions by local and international
artists, lectures, films and performances. The atmosphere
is that of an anthill swarming with fresh ideas; the exhibits
and events wildly different each month.
BALTIC OUTLOOK / JULY 2012 / 39
YOUR NEXT DESTINATION
The Export Café in Andrejsala
The Kalnciems Quarter
(Kalnciema kvartāls)
Restoration of Kalnciema Quarter
meant long hunts in archives to
determine it’s spirit
Right next door is the Kitchen restaurant, practically a continuation
of the show. While kim? stimulates your aesthetic sensibilities,
Kitchen does the same for your taste buds. Sergai Yaramishyan, the
chef, used to cook at RawGarden, the pioneer of fresh dining in
Riga. Kitchen’s distinctly modern menu is a bouquet of tastes from
around the world, but it nonetheless serves strictly seasonal food
that’s perfectly fresh and, whenever possible, local. It should be
noted that many of the ingredients come from the nearby Night
Market, as well as the Central Market. It’s a lively, popular place and
everything is prepared right before your eyes. The interior has an
elegant simplicity peppered with rather humorous details – the
wine list, for example, is presented as a label on a bottle.
The Innocent Café
One of the most colourful inhabitants of the Spīķeri quarter is
doubtless Dirty Deal. Whether it’s avant-garde jazz or experimental
dance music, you’ll find it performed here. Dirty Deal Audio,
meanwhile, produces ism, glitch, down-up tempo, ambient,
experimental hip-hop, triphop and other electronic music
albums. Dirty Deal Teatro, on the other hand, is devoted to
experimental theatre.
The heart of Spīķeri, however, is its concert hall. Latvijas koncerti
shares the space with Sinfonietta Riga and the Latvian Radio
Choir, one of the world’s finest chamber choirs. The musicians
work here without surcease, rehearsing throughout the building,
from the basement to the roof. When passing, you’ll feel engulfed
and overwhelmed by the music. The concert hall itself is a
contemporary space that doesn’t conceal the age of the structure.
It has a fabulous aura and plays host to music of all kinds, in all
styles, as well as film screenings and events for children. There are
jazz nights and fascinating instrumental experiments, too.
On your way to Spīķeri, you should definitely stop at a small bistro
bearing the exceedingly unexceptional name Desa un Co – Sausage
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The ZoFa Shoes store
The former grounds of the VEF electronics factory provide an apocalyptic backdrop for art
photographs and films. The Private Detective (Privātdetektīvs) fashion line by MAREUNROLS
& Co. It’s opposite the Central Market’s fish pavilion. The functional,
minimalist environment is somehow appropriate to the simple but
abundant fare, whether that’s hot soup on a cool day or a weekend
brunch featuring grilled sausages and freshly baked croissants.
It’s likely that you’ll leave Desa un Co with a big bag – this is the
only place in Riga where you can find a selection of superb venison
and boar in various incarnations, all from Zemitāni. It’s a farm run by
Guntis Belēvičs, a well-known entrepreneur and Latvia’s premier art
collector, who does everything with true passion. Word has it that
in addition to amassing an incredible collection of art, Belēvičs is
determined to raise the world’s tastiest deer.
The untamed charm of Kalnciems
To see a different Riga, go to the Kalnciems Quarter. It began as a
project by Mārtiņš and Kārlis Dambergs, brothers who worked to
restore a group of historic wooden structures. By now it has turned
into a kind of creative country all its own, with its specific pace
and rhythms of life. Wooden architecture in Riga is under UNESCO
protection and unique in urban Europe, and each of the Kalnciems
structures is unique within that uniqueness. Every building has a
story to tell. Restoration meant long hunts in archives to determine
the spirit of each structure, and the brothers were able to
preserve the aura of the buildings even as they installed the latest
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technologies, like heated floors. The area is
home to design studios and shops, and on
Saturdays there are themed markets. In the
summer there’s an open-air stage for local
musicians, and outdoor film screenings.
The Kalnciems Quarter is quite lively. In
the courtyard and surrounding area are
spaces the Dambergs dub “the komunalka”
courtyard” (komunalkas were the notorious
Soviet-era shared apartments) and “the
The republic of Peace Street
A couple of years ago, unexpectedly and
spontaneously, and in the darkest depths
of the economic crisis, Miera iela – Peace
Street – suddenly made its mark on Riga’s
creative map. The dreary, dusty storefronts
along the street were shuttered, and those
who had been silenced in the fat years, as
the bubble is known in Latvia, expressed
themselves in the lean years by making
The Totaldobže Art Centre (Totaldobže
mākslas centrs) at the former VEF
electronics factory often hosts
performances by contemporary artists
of various disciplines
Residents have always had a soft spot for this
quarter because of the aroma of chocolate
emanating from the Laima chocolate factory
ladies’ garden” – the trees and shrubbery
planted by women living here long ago
are still growing there. There’s the sense of
a typical garden in Pārdaugava, the part of
Riga that lies on the left bank of the Daugava
River and has an inimitable atmosphere
of its own. Trees and flowers blossom in
haphazard places. The Soviet-era Ladas that
defiantly bask in the courtyard are another
of the Dambergs brothers’ passions – why
tool around Riga in a late model car if you
have wheels that are already historic?
One of the most intriguing stops for
those who prefer two wheels is Run Rabbit
Bicycle. You’ll find used and renewed
bikes in the blue house in the Kalnciems
Quarter... and if you’re seeking to rent a bike
or buy cycling accessories, Gandrs is the
best spot in town.
their dreams a reality – opening little shops
and cafés. That’s why everything here has
personality. First came the vintage clothing
stores and the Black Beak – Melnais knābis –
a hair salon like no other. Then everything
else sprang up like mushrooms after a
rain. Riga residents have always had a soft
spot for this quarter because of the aroma
of chocolate emanating from the Laima
chocolate factory, a scent many associate
with their childhood.
Nowadays the aroma is also that
of Mierā, a café offering marzipan and
raspberry cake, not to mention cheesecake,
all freshly baked. Then there’s the ambience
of Taka, which offers fresh vegetarian
meals and poetry. The Dad café serves up
hot open-faced sandwiches and stuffed
pancakes. One has an eclectic interior with
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Birojnīca in the Bergs’
Bazaar (Berga Bazārs)
The Garage
“democratic wine bar”
The ZeStore
vintage shop
Not only is Riga pleasantly compact –
Latvia is a “good things come in small
packages” kind of country
appealingly textured walls, the other the
charm of Provence. The third has a crazy
cocktail of colours and black ceilings. All
three serve music and art.
The Illuseum teashop is a place to escape
hectic urban life – it’s a temple for tea and
reading. Nothing within is as it seems –
parts of the interior are only visible with
3D glasses.
The offerings in the shops are also
unusual, starting with things like a 1970s
chair redressed in fabric from Brazilian
coffee sacks at ZeStore and ending with the
strange and alluring forms glass can take at
Buteljons, where old glass is given new life.
At 20. gadsimts – the Twentieth Century –
there are authentic art deco mirrors from
France, mirrors made in Riga in 1956, table
lamps from the 1970s and other retro
treasures. Mājas svētība is a popular address,
too – an exchange spot for houseplants.
People whose plants have gotten too
big for their apartments can find smaller
ones, and the other way around. You never
know what you’ll find here, whether it’s
a grandmother’s amaryllis or something
nameless and exotic. You can also get
wonderful Kafka coffee and admire the
cosy café corner’s design, with its stylish
concrete bar, designed and made by the
proprietors, and the stunning jewel-orchid
painted on the wall.
There are occasional street festivals
when Peace Street can get pleasantly
boisterous. Vintage wares are blended with
film screenings, music, eco-design, creative
craziness, intriguing performances and the
pervasive aroma of chocolate.
The VEF culture factory
Only a 35-minute walk from the city
centre – or a quarter of an hour by bicycle,
streetcar or car – there’s an industrial district
that had fallen silent. In interwar Latvia
and in the Soviet era, this was the location
of the famous VEF electronics factory.
Telephones and radios sold throughout
the USSR and beyond were born here, as
was the well-known Minox camera. Now –
since the summer of 2010 – this is the
Totaldobže Arts Centre. There are residencies
for artists, vast spaces for exhibits, evening
lectures, and a rush or remarkable creativity.
With over 1000 square metres of space,
Totaldobže has a host of ateliers, including
those of Blankblank, Ilze Vanaga, Nils Vilnis,
Sabīne Vekmane, Anda Lāce, Daiga Krūze
and Kristaps Zariņš. The summer café is
attractively strange, located on the factory
roof and featuring poetry slams on summer
nights. They’ve already achieved cult
status. The arts centre retains its industrial
atmosphere – there’s still small-scale
manufacturing here, with some former VEF
The Riija design and
lifestyle store
Written by true insiders, Another Travel
Guide Riga is a key guide to the Latvian
capital. Now available in four languages English, Russian, German and Japanese
employees now employed in far smaller enterprises. Artists make
use of some of the original features of the factory, like the massive
freight elevator. In perfect working order, it allows the artists to
realize their dreams on a grand scale.
Run Rabbit Run Bicycle and Dutchbike are across the street –
these are bicycle workshops with verve.
A delightful day trip for the culture tourist
Not only is Riga pleasantly compact – Latvia is a “good things come
in small packages” kind of country. Ten or twenty minutes will take
you to a totally different neighbourhood in the capital and an
hour or two – to a completely different Latvia. You can even work
in some time travel. For five years now, from the middle of July
until the middle of August, all roads lead to Cēsis. The arts festival
there is already a bright spot on a good cultural map of Europe. It
offers a unique synthesis of music, visual art, theatre and film. It’s
outgrown the local and regional to become a major event that
attracts people from all three Baltic States and the Nordic countries.
The picturesque medieval town is set in one of the most romantic
country settings Latvia has to offer, and artists find it inspires them
to new heights. This year’s festival will open on July 27 – the theme
is Experiment and Excellence. It will not only reflect contemporary
experimentation in the arts, but also bold discoveries in the past.
What was once the avant-garde is now part of the cultural canon.
The main exhibit is in the 19th-century brewery. Some of Latvia’s
most famous artists will participate, as they do every year – they
include Kristaps Ģelzis, Harijs Brants, Inta Ruka, Atis Ieviņš, Andris
Eglītis, Krišs Salmanis and Orbīta, a multimedia group. Sinfonietta
Riga, the chamber group that plays to worldwide acclaim, will
perform. Justė Janulytė, a Lithuanian composer living in Italy, has
composed a new work especially for the festival. Open-air film
screenings are also part of the developing festival traditions –
this year Valentīna Freimane, a well-known film scholar, has put
together a remarkable programme of Italian films.
Cēsis, a small Hanseatic city that might have emerged from a
romantic painting, is only an hour’s drive from Riga. Only a hop,
skip and a jump away, the town – like the sea and white sands
lined with pines – is so close to the Baltic metropolis that it
sometimes seems to be a part of the capital itself.
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If you only have four
or five hours to spend
in Riga
Start with the Old Town in the city centre.
Definitely visit the pride of Riga – the Art Museum
Riga Bourse, opened in 2011 (Doma laukums 6,
www.lnmm.lv/lv/amm). It’s located in a grandiose,
19th- century building, designed in the style of a
Venetian renaissance palazzo, and which once
housed the city’s stock-exchange. The museum
boasts the largest foreign art collection in Latvia,
encompassing various time periods and countries,
from 5 BC until the beginning of the 20th century.
One of the museum’s latest additions is the
11-metre-long installation Gondola, created
specially for the museum by the renowned
Russian artist, Dmitri Gutov.
Then take a ride up to the top of St. Peter’s
Church (Skārņu iela 19). Rising high above
all of the other church spires in the city, the
121-metre-high church tower is the most
iconic characteristic of Riga’s skyline. The lift
can take you up 72 metres. Mark our words –
the panoramic view from up there is simply
breathtaking!
And again, right there in Old Town and just
a few-minutes’ walk from St. Peter’s, is PUTTI
(Mārstaļu iela 16; www.putti.lv), the only art gallery
in Riga to represent such a wide selection of
Latvia’s most talented jewellery artists.
Head on deeper into the city centre by way of
the Latvian National Opera (Aspazijas bulvāris 3,
www.opera.lv). The high quality of the opera’s
productions (including its innovative stage design)
has been noted abroad, and has helped the
opera to draw brilliant guest conductors and
soloists to Riga. A large proportion of the opera’s
audience is made up of young people, which is
not a usual occurrence in most other European
countries. Next time you’re in Riga, be sure to
take in one of the Opera’s performances. Right
next to the opera building is Riga’s most colourful
combination of a book-store and design/
concept-shop – Lukabuka.
Continue on through the Vērmanes Dārzs
(Vērmanes Garden), one of Riga’s oldest public
Going through Riga –
by boat
Going through Riga – by boat! And you’re the one
at the oars. There aren’t many cities in Europe
where you can experience something like that.
The people behind the idea of this unique
method of transportation through Riga have
formed the organization Lūzumpunkts (Breaking
Point), and their mission is “growth through
experience”. If the meteorological forecast
favours boating and you’re in the mood, just head
to Rīgas Laivas (Riga’s Boats), whose team will
show you how to use the equipment, after which
The Bergs’ Bazaar
(Berga Bazārs)
parks, to Tērbatas iela. At number 6/8 you’ll
find the Latvian design and life-style shop
RIIJA (www.riija.lv). The essence of Latvian
contemporary design, all in one spot! A great
place to get authentic souvenirs that are useful
in any home. By the way, here you can also get
Another Travel Guide Riga, the popular alternative
guide to the city now available in four languages –
English, Russian, German and Japanese.
If you still have an hour to spare, try and
visit the nearby Berga Bazārs (Bergs’ Bazaar,
www.bergabazars.lv). It is a city within a city, or
even a small world unto itself. Its inner life, hidden
from the grand boulevards that surround it, pulses
along narrow lanes closed to traffic. Unique
boutiques, arcades, galleries and a splendid small
hotel can all be found in this secluded, labyrinth
enclave. The Garage wine bar (Elizabetes iela
83/85) is a wonderful spot for a light lunch or
dinner; indeed, there once were real garages
here. The industrially elegant, slightly robust and
seemingly time-worn interior provides a pleasant,
homey, light and unpretentious atmosphere. Fine
wine and light appetizers form the bulk of the
menu, at affordable prices.
you can go off on your own adventurous tour of
the city’s waterways.
The starting point for all of the six different
routes offered is the Andrejosta Yachting Club
(Andrejostas Jahtu klubs), where, for example,
you can go on a Circle of Riga tour in a safe,
two-person kayak. Passing under all 16 bridges on
the Riga Canal, you’ll slide past the metropolitan
hustle and bustle and get great views of the city’s
centuries-old architecture. Set your own pace, or
just let the current take you along.
On the Dinner route, you’ll head from the
Andrejosta Yachting Club straight across the
Daugava River to the bank-side restaurant Ostas
skati (Views of the Harbour).
And then there’s the tour Around the Islands,
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which will bring you back to the time of the
classic 1974 Latvian film An Apple in the River.
The film tells the tale of a microcosm right in the
middle of Riga and the Daugava River – Zaķusala
(Rabbit Island) – where one can still feel the
breath of a century gone by. At the centre of
the film is the encroachment of industrialization
onto an environment caught in the middle of a
growing metropolis. You can still see it now – on
either side is the urban rattle and hum of Riga,
but here – the untouched and lush greenery of
Zaķusala and Lucavsala.
It just happens that the main character in the
film lives on the island of Zaķusala, but takes a
ferry to his job at the shipyard, which is another
stop on one of the tours offered by Rīgas Laivas.
The trip to the Riga Shipyard (established in
1913) in Riga’s district of Vecmīlgrāvis is the most
challenging and interesting of the six routes,
and takes you right into the middle of the city’s
largest industrial area. Beginning with the Riga
Canal, followed by the verdant banks of the vast
Daugava River and a quick pass-by of the Tallink
“floating hotel”, you’ll come to the territory of the
shipyard. You’ll feel like you’re on a movie set as
your kayak floats underneath the humongous
hulls of dry-docked ships – natural gas tankers,
passenger ships, oil and chemical tankers and
fishing vessels; be sure to get a good look at their
monstrous propellers.
As you leave the shipyard, you’ll enter Lake
Ķīšezers, where the urban industrial environment
gives way to the expanse of clear blue waters and
your last stop – at Cabo Café, for a well-deserved
beer or meal.
www.luzumpunkts.lv
If you’re in Riga for a week
Overnight lodgings – a trip within a trip
About an hour’s drive from Riga, and 4 km from
the town of Kandava, you’ll find the Rūmene
Manor (District of Kandava, www.rumene.lv),
an ideal destination when you want to do the
impossible – turn back the wheels of time. Even
if it’s only for just a couple of days, experience
the feeling that there is no reason to hurry and
that after breakfast, you can read a book or take a
leisurely morning walk along the park pond under
the canopy of great, old oak trees.
If you have a hankering for civilization, then
take a bike ride to one of the strongholds of
the land once known as Vanema – Kandava –
first mentioned in writing in the year 1230. The
restoration of historic Rūmene Manor is one of
the most illustrious projects completed in the last
few years by the famous Latvian architect Zaiga
Gaile. It belongs to a family that co-owns the
Berga Bazārs (Bergs’ Bazaar), serving as both the
family’s holiday home and a luxury resort open
to the public. As such, it offers the services of the
Hotel Bergs – one of Riga’s best-known hotels
and a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of
the World – but within the walls of an authentic
manor.
The road to Rūmene winds through an alley
of ancient oaks and alongside a pond. From the
top of the hill, the view of the Neo-gothic manor
house, with its majestic stairs leading practically
down to the water’s edge, is simply breathtaking.
However, the manor’s greatest charm is to be
found in its ideal suitability for the rhythms and
viewpoints of 21st century life – an aura of wellaged patina envelops the interiors, but without
any hint of musty old-timeyness. As befits a
manor house, guests are served meals created by
Kaspars Jansons, head chef of the Hotel Bergs.
The Kuk i Manor, just 20 kilometres away
(District of Tukums, Jaunsātu parish,
www.kuksumuiza.lv), is of a different character.
When you step across the threshold here, you
feel as is you’ve entered the domain of a slightly
bohemian, but wholly obsessed artist or collector.
Antique furniture, a bookcase heaving under the
weight of its contents, innumerable nick-knacks
and reliquaries create an atmosphere of a manor
house in which, over the years, daily life has never
once ceased. Although it gets close to bordering
on gaudy kitsch at times, the manor is imbued
with fantastic homeyness and warmth – even in
the way the owner, a well-known Latvian hotelier
and culinary master, serves his guests dinner. The
Kuk i Manor is his life’s love, renovated by his own
hands and with a history that reaches all the way
back to 1530.
If you’re yearning for a touch of history, but
with a decidedly more contemporary approach,
then the Annas Hotel (District of Amata, Zaube
county, Annas,
www.annashotel.lv), which opened just a
couple of years ago, is a great spot to visit. This
smallish hotel is just an hour’s drive from Riga,
on the site where the first manor house in the
area was erected, sometime in the 18th century.
The house was essentially destroyed during past
war campaigns and has now been completely
rebuilt. One of the greatest things about the place
is its old park, with numerous walking trails in the
summer and a Nordic skiing track in the winter.
The Annas Hotel is also a spa and restaurant,
with summer dining on the terrace. Ensconced
by the ancient trees, you feel as if you’re in an
enchanted forest from a fairy tale. The Annas
Manor also occupies an important page in the
history of Latvia – in 1793, the great writer and
scholar of Latvian life, Garlībs Merķelis, arrived. It
is said that here, under the shade of the estate’s
trees, he wrote his legendary work, The Latvians.
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Insider’s view
A surprise-filled
day in Riga
The Latvian installation and video artist
Krišs Salmanis (b. 1977) has had several solo
shows in Latvia and Germany and has taken part
in more than 60 group shows throughout the
world. Salmanis’ exhibition The Lost Ones (2009)
earned him a spot as a finalist for the prestigious
Latvian art award, the Purvītis Prize, at the start
of 2011. In the autumn of the same year, he was
among three finalists for the international Henkel
Art.Award. His works can be found in museum
collections in Latvia and Estonia, and are included
in the Central and Eastern European video-art
archive Transitland.
I am a Rigan. I’m always mixing up street and
architects’ names. The city’s history is something
I newly discover every time I start to study it.
However, I do know where kim? is, and I also
know the fastest way to get to the Contemporary
Art Centre of Latvia, the Alma Gallery, and the
art centre at VEF. I rarely look around at the city
during my daily comings and goings. However,
Riga can surprise even those who are used to it.
The real Latvian Folksong Cabinet
Currently, it’s still on view to the public, at the
Latvian Academy of Sciences. It’s best to call
the Latvian Folklore Archive on the 15th floor
(67228632) in advance, but sometimes you can
get lucky by just showing up unannounced. Right
next to the cabinet is a wooden box for French
cigarette wrapping-papers. The “father” of the
folksongs, Krišjānis Barons, was a heavy smoker
and used the boxes for storing his catalogue of
folksongs. The little pieces of paper he used were
made to fit the boxes. Later, the cabinet was
custom-made to accommodate the slips of paper.
The Jugendstil/Art Nouveau Museum
It’s in a flat, where the architect Konstantīns
Pēkšēns used to live at the beginning of the 20th
century. He’s one of the few architects whose
name I remember and I think I’d recognize
his style. Once, before the year 2001 made
it fashionable, I was very interested in Arab
calligraphy. That’s when I found out that 100 years
earlier, this architect held a similar interest, which is
why his buildings often feature Moorish art motifs.
I don’t recall seeing anything Middle-Eastern at this
museum on Alberta iela, but it does have a bunch
of other sources of inspiration for those interested
in setting up elegant, bourgeois flats.
The retro streetcar
It isn’t driven by the man with the black beard
and beret of my childhood anymore, but the
experience is amazing nevertheless. If you miss
getting off to see the wonderful establishments
of Miera iela (bars and cake places, shops
Krišs Salmanis
selling fashionably aged and simply fashionable
things, night life at the Piens club and great
burger places in the neighbourhood of the
Valmiermuižas shop), then just keep going – past
the Tabakas fabrika, where a new, creative district
is taking shape, past the Great Cemetery (wherein
our previously-mentioned “father of folksongs”
lies buried), and across the Brasa Bridge. Get off
of the streetcar here, because cemeteries are
important, and there are many of them in this
part of the city. You will have already read about
the Brāļu kapi (Brethren Cemetery), and the
Mežu kapi (Forest Cemetery) is also too great of
a subject for such a short piece as this, which is
just meant to while away your time. But behind
these cemeteries, on the left side of Varoņu iela,
is something that I noticed just recently – the
7 meter-high, granite Victory Column, now
overgrown with weeds and grass. It was erected
by merchants to honour the Russian tsar’s victory
over Napoleon, but now the almost-hundredyear-old great, big slab is just waiting for better
days or to serve a different function. I think Riga
could use some more swings.
The skate-park by Vairoga and Gaujas streets
My latest find. It looks like instead of burning
down the old sheds, the boys of the Čiekurkalns
district like to take them apart and put them
together into new, moving combinations.
Buying the ex-president’s socks at Čiekurkalna
Market
“All loyal citizens of this country will definitely
want to purchase the same socks that, until
recently, now-ex-President Valdis Zatlers wore!
Buy your socks here – from Mrs. Dusja! Cheap
and prestigious!” A logical conclusion to a long
walk. And right next door you have groceries,
scrap metal and colourful characters galore.
Dear visitor to Riga,
If possible, head on this and other walks together
with a native. At first, your excitement about the
sights might make him wonder, but after a while,
he’ll start to believe you. And when you part, with
a pride long not felt, he just may think to himself:
“I am a Rigan.”
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