Lonoxon

I had estimated yesterday that I would need at least 30 minutes of leisurely walk to the International Bus Station, so after another night of uneasy sleep, I left the apartment at 7.15am to be sure I would have enough time to catch the 8.30am bus to Riga. Very "kiasu" I know, but I hate rushing generally so would really rather take my time. For the uninitiated, long distance buses are the way to go in the Baltic countries. For some reason or the other, train schedules and network are very limited and coaches are much more reliable in this part of the world.

I reached the Bus Station close to 8am. There are a number of coach companies, but I had decided on Lux Express after reading good reviews on them online. They did live up to their reputation. Boarding was orderly, and there was a ticket system for your luggage so that no one picks up your luggage by mistake or otherwise.

There are several types of coaches and the 3 most common ones are Simple Express, Lux Express, and Lux Express Lounge. Simple Express is the most basic and cheapest - you get a seat, that's all. Lux Express coaches comes with free hot beverages and wifi, as well as comfy seats, in-bus entertainment system and power points. Very nearly like travelling in economy class on an airline I would say! Lux Express Lounge had free meals included.

I love the wifi and the free-flow hot beverages, and indulged myself in coffee and hot chocolate at some point during the 4.5 hour journey while listening to my iPod.

The coach arrived promptly at Riga Bus Station at 12.55pm. There was much confusion at first as I tried to get my bearings. According to Google directions, it takes only 6 minutes to walk to Hotel Centra. However, I found out later that to get to the Old Town from the bus station, I need to go through an underpass, which meant more dragging of luggage down and up flights of stairs! When I finally got through to the other side on the Old Town, I lost my bearings again and walked rather aimlessly to find a familiar street name. It was most difficult with a luggage on the cobbled-stones streets.

I was so glad when I finally arrived at the doorsteps of the Hotel half an hour later. Check-in was fast and the receptionist was very pleasant. To my dismay, a notice on the lift door read "Lift under maintenance. Sorry for inconvenience caused". My room was on the 5th floor. Does that mean ... ??? Thankfully the Receptionist said I could just leave the luggage with him and he will bring it up in a moment. Phew!

Still, I was nearly conked out when I reached the room. But what a room! It was an odd-shaped room, but it was spacious and the bathroom was roomy enough for a bathtub. Which was very welcoming for soaking tired feet! There was also air-conditioning where you can adjust the temperature which was a luxury given the hot and warm weather in the summer months. Most hotels in Europe do not have air-conditioning for some reason or the other.

After some freshening up, I past by St John's Church on my way to St. Peters Church, which was just a stone's throw away from the Hotel.

Parts of St. Peters church dates from the 13th century. The tower has a copper steeple, and was the tallest wooden construction in Europe when it was completed in the 17th century. Notably, the church has 3 identical door portals that were added in the 17th century. The present church was constructed over different periods of time and the architecture was a mixed of Gothic and late Baroque. Strangely, there was an Art Nouveau exhibition going on in the church at the time of my visit.

The most interesting bit about the church is that it had a Candlestick of 7 branches.

At one side of the church is a sculpture commemorating the Musicians of Bremen. Interesting, the sculpture consisted of a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster standing on top of each other. It was based on a fairy tale by Brothers Gimm.

From here, I made my way to the Tourist Information, which was close by. To my surprise, I found out that it was located in the House of the Blackheads - a guild for unmarried merchants in Riga since the 14th century. I was simply mesmerized when I first saw the buildings! I have never seen anything like this before! Art Nouveau was all over it, and it looked simply dazzling in the sun! I had a field time snapping away on my Canon DSLR and just couldn't get enough of it.

I also managed to locate the spot outside the House of the Blackheads where the first Christmas tree was erected in 1510. History has it that this was how the tradition of Christmas Trees came about!