Riga Review

  Cathedral Square in the snow On the day after Christmas, Riga had its first snow of the winter. Since we haven't seen the city covered in snow yet, we went for a walk around Old Town. I wanted to share the beautiful night with you.  The picture below was taken out of our family room window.  Cathedral tower  Riga Castle from the park The scenery was amazing as we walked in the falling snow. It looked like a movie set.  Picturesque shops We were surprised how many people were out and about. Earlier in the day, the streets had been bare. I think people just wanted fresh air after being in lock down for so long.  Typical street scene It will be a night to be remembered for many years to come.   Icy tree branches Later in the evening, the snow turned more to freezing rain coating the trees. The icy trees sparkled in the street lights. It was magical to say the least - and rather wet to walk in. :)  A coffee shop in a small park Looking across the Daugava River

  House of the Black Heads  After our month-long visit to the States, we returned to Riga last week. I'd like to share some seasonal decorations with you. This is our first Christmas in Latvia, so I can't really compare the beauty of the Christmas lights to last year. I'm sure that Christmas in Riga is very toned down from the usual celebration.  We've seen several large decorated trees around Old Town as we've walked the small area. The trees are beautiful, but in between there aren't a lot of lights.  Dom Square  I know that there is usually a large Christmas market in Dom Square which is about two blocks from our house. The square is usually bursting with small huts where vendors are selling lots of goodies and mulled wine, plus the Christmas decorations that tourists like.  We did witness that last year when we were in Riga on January 8 to search for an apartment. This year it's completely bare except for the large tree in front of the Cathedral.  Downto