Getting high in Riga

Rambles end, aware that you could take a lift to the 26th floor Skyline Bar of the Radisson I took the opportunity to visit to get some snaps of the city looking down.

The city is a real mix of old and new established by Bishop Albert in 1201, using it as a base to force Christianity on the indigenous people of the Baltics.
The city joined the Hanseatic League at the end of the century soon becoming a dominant trade centre, between East and West.

Up until the First World War, Riga was occupied and rule by the Poles, Lithuanians, Swedes then finally the Russians who swallowed it up into their empire

Latvia declared independence in 1918, with Riga the capital, then in 1940 the city was occupied by the Soviet Union.

Eventually regaining independence in 1991, the city developed into a vibrant cosmopolitan European capital,

The Nativity of Christ Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in not only Riga but the whole of the Baltic states. Built in the late 19th century, featuring prominent golden domes it was one of the most expensive buildings in Riga at the time of its construction. During the Soviet era, it was closed as a church and repurposed as a planetarium.

St. Alexander Nevsky Church is a unique example of an early 19th century wooden Orthodox church, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site

The Latvian Academy of Sciences building a notable example of the gorgeous brutalist Soviet architecture, often referred to as "Stalin's birthday cake, it stands 350ft tall.

Standing along side the Daugava River is the Riga TV Tower, built between 1979 and 1989, it is the tallest tower in the eu at 1,209 feet

The modern, glass-fronted building is the National Library of Latvia, also known as the "Castle of Light". The tall spire is that of St. Peter's Church and in the foreground the Riga Freedom Monument.

The Vanšu Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge one of five bridges that cross the Daugava River in the city. It is just under 700 yds in length, I know, I walked it as my hotel was just beyond the tree line.

All this snapping has made me hungry, six elements of chocolate

Zero elements of chocolate; bank balance 9 euros lighter

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