The Open-Air Museum, which covers an area of 87.66 hectares of a pine forest in Riga on the shores of Jugla Lake, is one of the oldest and largest open air museums in Europe. The museum houses 118 old buildings from all historical districts of Latvia – Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Latgale– built from the end of the 17th century up to the second half of the 1930s.
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| Latvian Ethnographic Museum |
Within the open air museum, there is a church at 10am every Sunday at the Usma Church.The interior of the church is decorated with paintings of angels playing musical instruments. Interesting!
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| Usma Church - Latvian Open air Ethnographic Museum |
It was a very pleasant walk for us through the open air museum given the fresh air and the abundance of greenery around us. However, the occasional wind and drizzle did send the temperature down by a fair bit. As winter was long, small little flowers were just beginning to bloom when we were there. Here's a picture of Jugla Lake together with some of the new blooms and leaves we saw.
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| Plants in open air museum |
After enjoying the nature, we were brought back to Riga city and checked into our "home" for the next 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel. Our hotel provides free shuttle to the Old Town which is across the Daugava river right in front of the hotel. The shuttle which stops at the House of BlackHead ends at 9pm. You can also take the bridge across the river, though we did not as it was freezing cold!
View of Riga old Town, such a beauty :). No wonder it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
View of Riga old Town, such a beauty :). No wonder it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| Riga Old Town |
The next morning we visited Rundale Palace, which is located in the south of Latvia. The Rundāle Palace ensamble, one of the most outstanding monuments of Baroque and Rococo architecture in Latvia. It was built between 1736 and 1740 as a summer residence for Ernst Johann Biron, Duke of Courland and a favourite of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The palace was designed by the Russian court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built under his supervision.
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| Rundale Palace |
Most of the interior decorations were created between 1765 and 1768 when a sculptor from Berlin Johann Michael Graff, and Italian painters from St. Petersburg Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi worked at the palace.
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| Rundale Palace |
Both the interior and exterior, including the garden, of the Rundale Palace reminded me of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, only that Schonbrunn Palace is much bigger and was very crowded at the time of our visit.
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| Rundale Palace |
At the reception counter of our lunch place, I found narcissus flower! They look so much like a daffodil with 6 petals all around and a little trumpet in the center. Maybe from the same family/species? I took many shots of the narcissus since there was plenty of time. Who knows when I may need to make a gumpaste narcissus? This picture will definitely be my guide:)
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| Narcissus |
After lunch, we went back to the city and was taken for a walking tour of the city of Riga. As we were walking towards the Freedom Monument, we came across a magnolia tree, my first time seeing a real magnolia :) Unfortunately the flowers have withered and I couldn't take any good shots of magnolia to add to my collection of flowers of the world. Even with withered magnolias, the magnolia tree is still such a beauty, isn't it?
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| Magnolia |
Next to the magnolia tree, we saw another beautiful flower, the rhododendrum. Aahhh...I am in love with spring :)
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| Rhododendrum |
The Freedom Monument is a memorial honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. The words “For the Fatherland and Freedom” is inscribed at the base of the Freedom Monument.
And next to the city canal there is also a love lock bridge like the one in Salzburg, Austria.
And next to the city canal there is also a love lock bridge like the one in Salzburg, Austria.
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| Freedom Monument and love lock bridge, Riga |
Riga is such a beautiful city:) There are so many more photos that I want to share. Will continue in the next post. Stay tuned!
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