Week 20 - February 7, 2018 - Continued

After leaving Lithuania, we flew to Riga, Latvia.  

 As we flew in to the Riga, Latvia, Airport, we immediately saw the pride of the Latvians in their "crown jewel," as they call him--the 20 year-old 7 ft. 3 inch NBA basketball star, playing for the New York Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis.

 Portzingis was playing professionally in Spain when he was only 15 years old!  He actually has two brothers that are both basketball players, as well, but they are only a mere 6 ft. 6 inches!  Hah!  

 It is actually fun to try some of the cuisine in new countries.  I only felt hungry for soup--pretty fancy tomato soup, I'd say!

 And George had a chicken salad that was topped with eggs--quail eggs, that is!  I couldn't do it--stealing eggs from little quails just didn't feel right!

 I thought it was interesting that these headlines were on the walls of the hotel--all events that happened to Americans, except the Titantic!

 Riga is the largest city in the Baltics.  It is a city of the very old--13th  Century--to a vibrant new city, as well.  We were mostly interested in the very old.

Statue of "Three Wisemen of Latvia."

The Nativity Cathedral of Riga built between 1876-1883.

I guess the reason I love Old Towns the best is because of all the artisan's designs and works that were so prevalent then.

Latvia's Freedom Monument - Back under the Soviet occupation, KGB agents would apprehend anyone who tried to come near it.  Now it is often surrounded by flowers and a symbol of an independent Latvia.

One of the most interesting places in Riga is the House of the Blackheads, which had its earliest beginnings 700 years ago.  It began as a place of gathering for unmarried German merchants and shipowners.  They were called "blackheads" because St. Mauritius--a 3rd century African soldier who refused to kill Christians--was their patron saint.  

We had the opportunity to tour the entire building, including the original part of the building in the basement.  All of the rest was bombed or destroyed by the Germans in World War II or by the Russians who came after.  It was reconstructed in the 1990s on the upper floors to what it was before.  

On the upper floors are some beautiful artifacts in the museum area.  George found the perfect cup for his Diet Coke!

He got really excited when he saw this size to drink out of--no way!

All over in the house are reminders of the Patron Saint for whom the building was named after--The House of the Blackheads 

I found my perfect "Grandma" table!

When you tour the House, you get to sign their guest book--we were in great company--this is the signatures of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth.  I highly doubt they'll put ours in a glass case, however.

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of Riga

I loved walking around the cloister--so many fascinating artifacts were there!

This was fascinating:  Carl Gustav Jochmann born in 1789, a distinguished author, philosopher, and critic of his time and who had lived in Riga for nine years practicing as a lawyer there, had a beloved friend who lived in Riga, who he had asked to be the executor of his estate.  It was his wish that his heart be placed in a plain porcelain vessel to be sent to his beloved friend.   

Here is that vessel with Jochmann's heart inside!

Even after seeing all of these beautiful churches, we were most thrilled to be able to meet in the new (only one year old) Mormon Church here in Latvia.

Before we leave Riga, I had to take a pic of the shower in our room.  Great room, great location, but this was weird!  In order to get in the shower, you had to literally go outside the bathroom to get inside the shower and then shut the door.  It was hysterical!

Another pic of Latvia's great Porzingis in the departure gates!

We were now off to Tallinn, Estonia--no food (not even peanuts) or even water on the plane without a huge price!  Water is 4.95 Euros!--That's $6.07 American!  No way!  George got his staples for the trip--a Coke Zero and a Snicker bar before we left!  Hah!

On to Tallinn, Estonia

I LOVE TALLINN!!!  This is the sweetest little Medieval town ever!  George and I had visited Tallinn when we came on a cruise about four years ago--except it was summertime then.  Tallinn Old Town is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

 Nepski Cathedral - This Russian designed cathedral was built between 1894 and 1900 when the country was part of the Russian Empire.  It is located on the top of Toompea Hill, and is known as the Upper Town area.

Because the cathedral was built during the USSR domination over them, many of the Estonians disliked this cathedral as a symbol of oppression.  The Estonian authorities scheduled the cathedral for demolition in 1924, but the decision was never implemented due to lack of funds and the building's massive construction.  The church was restored after Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

 Across from the Cathedral is the Toompea Castle, which now houses the Parliament of Estonia.

 This open area between Toompea and the lower town isn’t very big but home to what is said to be the birthplace of the Danish flag. One legend says that this was where a flag dropped from the sky during the battle that made the Danish king win the battle. This resulted to Denmark ruling for over a century.

You can look out over the whole city from here.  There were three large sculptures of monks here, which looked quite intimidating, but they are just hooded monks.

There are narrow passageways that connect upper to lower town.

 No matter where you looked, there were interesting pictures to be taken!  I was clicking them right and left!  This is pure joy!

 And the great thing is that it is still Christmas in Estonia!  They put up the decorations the middle of October and don't take them down until the middle of February!

 One evening we ate dinner at a little cafe just around the corner from the main square.  We were the only ones in there!

One day it was pretty wet and foggy, so we took the hop on-hop off bus, which took us around the entire area.  We saw the radio tower, the tallest structure in Estonia at 1,030 feet, where you can go up and see all over the area, plus eat at a nice restaurant.  Too bad it was such a foggy day, so that was out of the question today.

The icy waters where the cruise ships come in--winter or summer.  

An ice-cutter ship that makes sure the terminal is not frozen over.

Fortunately for us, we arrived in Tallinn about four years ago on a beautiful summer day with no problem about the ice!

Fat Margaret - Built between 1511 to 1530 - The origins of Fat Margaret's name are a mystery. Some theories insist it was named for one of its larger cannons, while others hint at a cook called Margaret who once worked here.

In any case, the tower has served a number of different functions throughout its history. It has been used a storehouse for gunpowder and weapons, and as a prison.

This is one of my most favorite places in Tallinn--the old pharmacy.  

 It is one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe, having always been in business in the same house since the early 15th century.

Some of the early remedies are on display:  Wood louse infusion, earth worms in oil, scorched hedgehogs, stallion hooves-- 

Parched bees and Mummy fragments!

I'll let you read these two remedies for yourself!  

Looking out to the Town Square through the pharmacy windows.

We finally got to walk up to Fat Margaret!  It was pretty slippery, but we made it!

Near Fat Margaret, is this structure which is called the "Broken Line."  You can see the concrete start, then a big space, and then end on the other side.  It was built as a memorial of the 852 Estonian lives lost in a passenger ferry catastrophe on 28 September 1994.

In the summer, St. Catherine's passage is more open-aired with all the 15th to 17th century shops and guilds that are along here on the right.

On the northern portion of the passage you can find what's left of St. Catherine’s Church (hence the passage name) and various large, ancient tombstones that used to line the inside of the sanctuary. 

A little street bazaar with Estonian women selling their handicrafts.

It was now time to return home after being gone for 17 days--days that we will never forget--especially the wonderful people we met who are working so hard in their volunteer positions in each of the countries we have visited.  You just instantly LOVE these people and places they are serving.  This map at the airport showed the areas we have visited--Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland (in December), and Sweden, we will visit in March.  

When we got to the airport in Tallinn, they warned us that we would be traveling back to Riga and then on to Moscow.  With Moscow having three days of unprecedented snow (more snow in that period than they had in the last 60 years!), they couldn't promise that we would be able to leave Riga.  But, this is the sight we saw at Riga--so many huge snow removers there working so fast.  We hope the same thing was happening in Moscow and that we would be able to get home!  Fortunately, we were able to take off and land safely--finally getting home near mid-night!  So glad to be home--our Russian home, that is!