Escape to Riga

Swedish weather is sadistic. It always rains on special days such as the midsummer in June, the green Christmas for the Swedes. Everyone, especially children, go out wearing crowns of flowers on their heads and dance around a decorated letter T-shaped pole. But it rains and the sky never smiles. The same thing happens on All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day on November 1 and 2. In Sweden, they celebrate only All Saints' Day, a day when the living visits their departed loved ones, wherever they are laid to rest.

I did not go to Skogkyrkogården to visit my beloved husband. Snow came on that day and it was blowing cold from North pole. Bo would have wanted me to do something more fun to remember him. So I escaped to Riga, Latvia's vibrant capital. I made a last minute booking with Tallink-Silja and luckily discovered its crazy week discounted cruises.

Riga is known as the "Paris of the Baltic" and I must admit that this is not far from reality. In fact, it is a truly beautiful city of astounding architectural achievement. The old city is a landscape of gentle hills and slopes, a rivulet passing through and trees studded along the lanes. Castles and cathedrals at various locations and buildings with art noveau designs give the city a unique ambiance of old and new, ancient and modern. The Baltic sea lies beside like a protecting mother.

I have been to Tallin, the capital of Estonia many times. It was there I went when it rained so much in Sweden last midsummer. It is also a beautiful city but in a different way. It does not have the softness of Riga's city landscape. Tallin's old city is nestled above a high ground that overlooks the town center and the sea. Old Riga lies beside the sea and its sprawling commercial center.

It was interesting to watch the people walking in the park, shopping in the modern gallerias and I was very impressed at how fashionable they were dressed. Street-smart, as they say, and what one would expect to see in Paris or Milan or any of the fashion-conscious cities of the world. Most of the people I saw were young and good-looking. It was like watching a fashion show in a huge park. Even in the boat "Vanna Tallin", my co-passengers were smartly-dressed young people speaking what I presumed to be Russian.

I've always been curious to learn more about the Baltic states and its people because they are exotic and their histories are rich. Just now they have exciting economies that defy stereotype prognosis. The Nordic countries, especially Sweden, seized the opportunity to extend investments in the Baltic region. It is paying off handsomely.

My escape to Riga was an eye-opener. It was too short. I merely saw the surface of things. I did not experience or see Riga's throbbing nightlife which judging by the number of advertisements one reads in all the Baltic newsletters, are many and strongly competitive. There are gourmet restaurants for the food afficionados, health and beauty centers, theaters and museums. That's for the next escapades. And Vilnius, Lithuania also awaits.