Day 7 the Castle and the Picnic

We took a drive to the countryside to Turaida Castle overlooking the Gauja river. Originally built for Bishop Albert, it passed into different hands as the wars occurred over the years: the Poles, the Swedes, the Germans, etc. it was destroyed by fire in 1776, and reconstruction was not started until the 20th century. Now there is a large round tower that I climbed, and some other buildings. Nearby is the grave of "Rose of Turaida", a girl who was killed by a jealous lover in 1620. This legend provides a stopping place for newly weds to lay some flowers.
Returning to Riga, we stopped at Sylvija's house for a picnic from the food we bought yesterday at the market. It was a festive lunch, and included a cooking demonstration by Katrina, Sylvija's daughter. She "cooked" cold Borscht from marinated beets, kefir, dill and cucumbers. It was delicious.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Museum of the Occupation. Light, it wasn't. As we have been learning, the Baltics have been overrun by multiple conquerors over the centuries, but the 20th was the worst. The Russians took over in 1939 when Hitler made a pact with them, only to be double crossed by the Germans later in 1941. The Germans killed 40,000 Jews in November and December 1941. They remained until 1944 when Churchill and Roosevelt acceded to Stalin's demands at Yalta. Russia considered the Baltics to be Soviet Socialist Republics, and wanted them returned. So much for "all people having free determination of their future". After the return of the Russians, all intelligencia, politicians, and moneyed people, whether bankers or farmers were re populated to Siberia. In the void, they brought in Poles, Ukrainians, and other Russian speakers to replace them. There was significant overcrowding, with each person allotted 9 square meters(about 100 square feet). Thus a typical small apartment of 600 square feet might have 6 people. There was surprisingly little about the resistance and the partisans, other than to say they were wiped out by 1955. There was also not much about Glasnost and the march back to independence in 1991.
We left to the museum for some retail therapy. Ann found some amber at a reasonable price, so she was happy. We got to the restaurant early for some beer before the rest of the crowd arrived. For the foodies, it wasn't much. Fried fish or pork with creme brûlée for desert. Eh.
Riga has been a fun city. It is more cosmopolitan than Vilnius, and seems to have more going on. The people seem busier and more westernized. Not sure that is actually good, but it is what it is.
Tomorrow to Tallinn in Estonia.


Stephen J. Rockower, MD
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