Reading between the lines, it seems that Sarah’s folks still aren’t convinced about Rīga (and the Baltics in general). She spoke to them on the phone today and told me afterwards that they sounded sceptical about her enthusiasm for the place, referring to our trip so far as “interesting”, in the same way that your boss might call your brilliant proposal “interesting”, before binning it the moment you leave the room.
I suspect that the country’s former status as an unwilling member state of the USSR has something to do with the misconception that this might be a drab and dreary place to spend time. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
Rīga is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Why?
If look up UNESCO’s advisory body evaluation, you’ll read on page 4 that, “as an assemblage of Art Nouveau/Jugendstil buildings… it is impossible to cite any city to compare with Riga”.
People tend to focus more on the recent past than on a location’s history through the centuries. The misconception therefore arises that former Soviet states must be an endless array of blots on the landscape, a mind-numbing freak show of utilitarian concrete edifices, erected to make a deliberately anti-artistic statement, emphasising function over form.
That notion actually can and does apply to areas of the world that the Soviets actually built, but Rīga has a hugely rich pre-Soviet history. Before it became the USSR’s third city (after Moscow and St. Petersburg), it had an illustrious past spanning hundreds of years. At one time, for example, it was the largest port under Swedish control, larger than Stockholm itself.
Many of the buildings here are hundreds of years old. After a long walk across the city today, I can confirm that the Art Nouveau architecture on display here is the finest of any city I’ve ever been to. I’m no expert, of course, but as UNESCO point out, whilst buildings of similar architectural stature can be found in Barcelona, Brussels, Glasgow, Helsinki, Moscow, Paris, and Prague, those are all individual structures. Rīga, in contrast, has whole streets adorned with stunning examples of the movement. Your camera never stops clicking as the gargoyles and beguiling sirens stare down at you from on high.
Architecture, though, is just one of Rīga’s many facets. We’ve also been lapping up the food, kafejnīcas and parks today.
On the subject of food, I must put in a mention for Šefpavārs Vilhelms (on Šķūņu iela) and its dirt-cheap pancakes. Three plates, loaded up with pancakes and condiments (jam, sour cream, etc.), plus a round of drinks, set us back only Ls 4.20. That’s just under €6!
The café culture here is obviously very appealing to us. A city where you can’t find a good spot to sit outside and people-watch whilst nursing a delicious cappuccino hasn’t earned its place on the map, as far as I’m concerned. Rīga scores well on this count.
And, whilst I’m very happy to live near the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, I’d be even happier if it its upkeep could compare with that of the parks in Rīga.
Fear not, I haven’t lost my perspective. I like this place a lot, but I’m not about to move here. I’d have to consider Stockholm or Istanbul before I could even contemplate Rīga, but this city certainly does press all of the right buttons and send the meter needles flicking.
Another day in the Latvian capital awaits us tomorrow, and that means at least two good things are in store for us: another day without driving and another sumptuous breakfast, courtesy of the lovely Hotel Centra.