Estonia

After a really long day traveling from Riga to Tallinn we had a little bit of free time to explore on our way to dinner.  Tallinn has more of its medieval fortifications intact than any other city in Europe and it is enchanting, like something out of a fairy tale!  The next morning we visited the Song Festival Grounds.

A Song Festival began in Estonia in 1869 when it was a part of the Russian empire as a way to keep folk traditions alive.  A festival has been held every five years ever since.  In 1988 people gathered at the Song Festival Grounds to sing forbidden patriotic hymns.  This became known as the Singing Revolution which eventually led to the overthrow of Soviet rule.  Many concerts are held here today; Madonna performed in 2009.

Then we took a walking tour of the Old Town.  Here are some of the highlights.

Toompea Castle is an ancient stronghold that has existed since the 9th century.  It has been controlled by Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Russia.  Today it houses the Estonian Parliament.

In the 18th century Catherine the Great had a Baroque palace added to the castle complex.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

St. Mary's Church (L) and St. Nicholas' Church (R)

Town Square.  We had a cheap thrill while standing in the middle of the square because a squadron of NATO F-16s flew overhead.  They were quite low and extremely loud.  Given the tensions in the area, I was a bit disconcerted.  Our guide told us that there were usually two NATO planes patrolling the airspace but that number has increased significantly since the Ukrainian crisis.

Gothic Town Hall building

Estonia was a part of the Hanseatic League, a guild of German, Scandinavian, and Baltic countries who joined together for trade during the Middle Ages.  There are many guild buildings throughout the Old Town.

Lithuania

Latvia

Latvia

In the middle of a long drive from Vilnius to Riga, my group stopped to visit Rundale Palace, a Baroque masterpiece built as a summer lodge for the Duke of Courland in 1736.

We walked and walked to what seemed like the middle of nowhere and then came upon a large gate.  When we walked through the gate, this was our view!  I immediately thought: Versailles!

When the Duke of Courland came into disgrace, Catherine the Great gave the palace to the brother of her lover.  The German army occupied it during WWI and used it as a hospital (think Downton Abbey) and then it was used as a school for many years.  It became a museum in 1972.

The inside of the palace was spectacular!  Every room had beautiful chandeliers, parquet floors, fireplaces with Delft tiles, and incredible frescoes on the ceiling!  It may have even rivaled Versailles.

Once we arrived in Riga we were able to see the beautiful buildings in the Art Nouveau District.

Riga is one of the largest centers for Art Nouveau with over 800 buildings.  Many of them were designed by the Latvian architect Mikhail Eisenstein.

The Freedom Monument commemorates those killed in the Latvian War for Independence (1918-1920).  All of the sculptures around the statue represent Latvian history and culture.  There is a guard of honor with four soldiers at the monument and there is a changing of the guard ceremony every hour.

My favorite part of the day was wandering through the Old Town.  Here are some highlights.

Town Square

Cat House (L) and the Town Musicians of Bremen (R)

Small Guild

St. Peter's Church (L) and inside (R)

Town Hall (L) House of the Blackheads (R)

Stock Exchange

Riga Cathedral (L) and one of the "Three Brothers" (R)

St. James Cathedral (L) and inside (R)

Parliament Building

Swedish Gate (L) and the Powder Tower (R)

The next day we took a day trip to Gauja National Park to see several castles.  Our first stop was the Sigulda Castle ruins and the New Castle.

The new Sigulda Castle was built after WWI for the wealthy Kropotkin family.  Now it houses the offices of the town council.

The medieval castle was built by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a group of German monks who eventually became the Teutonic Order, in 1207.

Turaida Castle is on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda Castle.  It was built in 1214 by the Archbishop of Riga.

Lithuania