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**saralou** · #**1351** 25 Aug 2015

We started with a visit to the Central market, which is housed in what were previously 5 German Zeppelin hangars. Here we enjoyed some local delicacies.

latvia lithuania 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1352** 26 Aug 2015

From here we did a walking tour of the old city including some of the beautiful churches and art deco buildings. Here the men must remove their hats to go in to a church, but women need to put on a head covering. They have them to borrow so it is no issue.

riga 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1353** 26 Aug 2015

Funny we ran into this Swiss biker that we had met at the Helsinki camping. We also ran into him a few days later downtown. And today we saw him in Riga.

latvia lithuania 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1354** 26 Aug 2015

At the center of the Town Hall Square is a statue of Roland, the Patron saint of Riga. The most memorable building on the square is the House of Blackheads, rebuilt after WWII. It was once the headquarters for the Blackheads Society, a group of “unmarried” German merchants.

latvia lithuania 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1355** 26 Aug 2015

Riga’s Freedom Monument survived the Soviet rule because of a clever change in the symbolism of the robed woman holding three stars up. These stars originally signified Latvia’s three regions, but during Soviet times, the meaning was changed to prevent its demolition. The three stars were assigned to represent the three Baltic Republics, and the woman holding them represented Mother Russia.

riga 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1356** 26 Aug 2015

Riga’s Powder Tower, which once held gunpowder, is a relic of Riga’s medieval defensive systems. Today it is a part of the Military Museum.

latvia lithuania 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The Three Brothers buildings, located side by side on Maza Pils at numbers 17, 19, and 21, represent three architectural styles present in Old Town and are the oldest stone houses in existence in Riga. They were built in the 15th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

latvia lithuania 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1357** 26 Aug 2015

Riga Cathedral, or Rigas Doms, is a massive Lutheran church originally dating from the early 13th century. Riga Cathedral is impressive for being the largest medieval church in the Baltics, its two-meter-thick walls, and its enormous pipe organ. During Soviet times, it was used as a concert hall.

latvia lithuania 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

latvia lithuania 50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The Swedish Gate was built in the latter part of the 17th century. Most of Riga’s walls, gates, and defensive systems have long since been torn down, but the Swedish Gate remains.

latvia lithuania 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1358** 26 Aug 2015

We did a bit of a walk into the city on our side of the river, where there are several large parks and the area famous for the old wooden houses. These are in stark contrast to the Soviet area concrete buildings.

riga 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

riga 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1359** 27 Aug 2015

The drive to the ferry dock is only 168 km and since the ship boards at 10 pm we had the whole day. We got on the road at noon and headed southwest to Saldus and then to Vetsilpis for 288 km. On the way south there was again construction, but the lights were better coordinated. And guess who…we rode past the Swiss biker again. He actually caught up and pasted us at one point where we had to wait so long at the stoplight. From here we again rode on the secondary roads to Vetsilpis.

Screen Shot 2015-08-23 at 12.12.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1360** 27 Aug 2015

We checked in and then got in line where we met a boisterous group of Latvians headed to Norway. They had their cabin near ours and invited us in for some home- made Vodka (very good) and venison burgers. Then we settled in for the night and the 10 am arrival to Nynashamn Sweden.

stockholm1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.17.10 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1361** 30 Aug 2015

Arriving in Sweden we had a short 58 km to Stockholm, but we took the small road instead of the highway for most of the way.

Screen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.17.43 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1362** 30 Aug 2015

Stockholm may be one of Europe’s most beautifully situated cities. We took the metro the 20 minutes into town from the camping. We got of in the Old town or Gamla Stan and wandered around the very narrow cobbled streets. Other highlights were the changing of the guard at the royal palace, the waterfront, and the Vasa museum.

stockholm6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1363** 30 Aug 2015

The palace

stockholm16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**1364** 31 Aug 2015

The Vasa museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship itself is stunning and the displays are really interesting. They have done analysis of the wood to find out exactly what color the boat was and what was used to paint it. They have restored many of the sculptures. The king ordered this ship built his way, which is why it sank in a light breeze because it was top-heavy and very unstable. 60% of the price of the boat was for the excessive decoration.

stockholm52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

stockholm40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr