Sunday, May 30, 2010

ON TO RIGA

Friday 28th May 2010

The bus left pretty much on time at 7:30am. This meant that I had had an earlier
wake up. Actually I woke about 5:10am which was 25 minutes ahead of what I had
set it for.


The guest house staff had kindly left my breakfast the previous evening so I did
not leave on an empty stomach. It was a 15 to 20 minute walk and light rain was
falling. However I did get to the bus station 30 minutes early as I like to
watch the process of connecting with your transport. Generally the bus pulls in
only a few minutes before departure so you need to be sure which of the 24
loading points it will use and be ready. Most people on the bus were there just
as early, only three male youths, looking like they had had a hard night, turned
up right on departure time.

The bus was not full and I had a double seat all the way. The seats are a little
narrow for my width but there is plenty of leg room. This was a Euroline bus.

Nothing really special about the trip save the few towns we called into. It was
interesting to see a few places which are really off the tourist map.

Going through one we passed what I assumed to be a school. Out on the front lawn
standing on a riser ready to be photographed, were group of older young people.
The males were neatly attired in suits while the young women were in flash
dresses often with bouquets. Others were standing around watching. My
assumption was that this was the graduating class and that as this was the last
Friday in May, perhaps the school year was ending. Of course I don't know but I
just made the assumption as the bus drove past.

I spied another stork standing on its nest on top of a pole. That's two for the
trip so far. Exciting ah? Apparently storks are considered special and bringers
of

We pulled into what looked a bit like a petrol station forecourt but it turned
out to be the border and a single armed policeman did a passport check.
Then it was off again.

Coming into central Riga there was a tall TV tower on a tripod base and then I
spied another of those distinctive Soviet palaces of culture – not as large
as the Warsaw one though. Then I spotted bridges which I recognized from maps
and satellite investigation before leaving NZ So I knew that the bus station
was close and it was.

The hostel was close by. You just headed into the market area and passing
through it looked for their street. Of course I went right through the market
and had to back track as the building is actually in the area covered by the
market stalls. This evening with the stalls cleared away, it looks more like a
road.

The hostel is one floor up and not the most appealing I have been to on this
trip so far. Posh Back Packers is anything but posh. It is old and somewhat run
down though the room was clean as were the sheets. The common room is small and
the shelf which is the 'kitchen' has no running water. You have to go into the
bathroom which leads off the common room to get water and to wash cups in the
wash hand basin. I do not think that Robyn will like that feature. Only tea is
available.

The staff all speak Russian as do most of the guests. However the receptionist
does also have English skills. You have to go downstairs and into the adjoining
cafe for breakfast - if you can get them to understand she said. TV in the
common room seems set to Russian channels.

WiFi which the web page said works in your room does not in our double room. I
did connect in the common room though which may not be the best place for
skyping. Perhaps we could use the desk along the hall way.

After setting in I headed off to wander around the market, both the outside and
the inside. There are six or more aircraft hanger ( actually they were zeppelin
hangers Robyn tells me) type buildings to house the covered market, although
each one I went into seemed to have pretty much the same type of stalls as the
others. I bought a small pizza type hot product for lunch. The melted cheese I
decided was more like hot mayonnaise. I also had a couple of small rugby ball
shaped items. They were like Maori fry bread but with a filling. One had
cabbage the other seemed to be cottage3 cheese and pineapple.
After this I headed into the Old Town, which is more or less just across the
road from the market.
So the hostel location is fine.

I visited the Museum of Photography which was interesting. Did you know that the
tiny spy camera, the Minox was invented and built in Riga? So they had a good
display cabinet on this. They had samples of the early photographic processes
including tintypes. Several lovely old big plate studio cameras were on show
– the type before they had shutters. There was a small display on stereoscope
cameras and viewers, displays of some Russian cameras and enlargers. Sample
boxes of photographic materials manufactured in Latvia before the war. There
were lots of sample photographs by local photographers working in the 192's and
30's The style of posing was a give away.

They also had a studio set up using an original 1886 painted scene background. I
got the ticket seller to pose in front of for me. All the other ladies were too
shy.
Around the walls they had a series of still life shots of loafs of bread. Then
next to each there was a microscope shot of the bread's structure.
Up stairs there was an exhibition of panoramas all taken around a garden.
Interesting, but all that appealing to me.

Next I hunted out the Museum of Film which was not at the address I had been
given but around the corner. I did not know the the great Russian film maker,
Sergei Einestein was born in Riga in 1898 and lived here for most of his first
15 years of life. The museum had set up an interesting series of displays on
his early life and some on his films. Samples were screening on monitors. One
display showed his sketches and story lines for little plays he set up in his
toy theater. Interesting as Ingmar Bergman was doing the same thing around
about the same period. He features that in the film Fanny and Alexander. I
thought that the museum was quite a find even though it was small.

There was a further room given over to the work in the 1950's of a Latvian
director. He only made about five movies because of the budget restrictions in
post war Soviet countries.
There is currently a court case to decide ownership of these films between the
State and the film studio where they were made.

A young Latvian woman showed me around on and of. Having lived in London she had
good English speaking skills.

I ended up buying three dvd's one was from Estonia, the other two are Latvian.

Tea was a piece of pork done in honey mustard with potatoes done in butter and
dill. The Latvians certainly know how to cook pork.

Then off to the Cathedral for an hour long organ recital. I did not have a
programme but enjoyed listening whatever the tunes were. The might pipe organ
did sound good – great in fact.

The city was obviously warming up for Friday night. Bands playing, lots of
people sitting out eating and drinking. But I decided to go back to the hostel.

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