Riga, Latvia’s architecture is lovely! Much of it is the Art Nouveau style. I love the variety of shapes, colors, and styles…
The view of the Daugava River and Old Town is spectacular from the top of St. Peter’s Church!
I could see the street where our over 100-year-old Airbnb was located…on the left side!
On Midsummer Day, June 24th, we boarded a Lux Express bus at 8:30am from Tallinn, Estonia and arrived 4 1/2 hrs. later in Riga, Latvia. The bus was equipped with wifi and a restroom, and was quite comfy. Upon arrival, we walked 15 minutes to our Airbnb, which was located right in the heart of Old Town. Actually, a little too close for comfort. Music from a nearby restaurant/bar disturbed my sleep at night. When you’re searching for an Airbnb that has everything you’re looking for: location, space, amenities — sometimes it’s difficult to have a clear picture of what you’re getting.
After settling in, off to the Supermarket we went. With only 2 1/2 days to explore Riga, there was much ground to cover.
Riga’s Old Town was filled with restaurants and cafes!
The Pilsetas Kanal is quite lovely…
Wandering through the Central Market we discovered fragrant flowers…
and heaps of fresh fruits and vegetables…
The view from Tallinn Old Town Wall is wonderful! The wall was originally 2.5 km in length, but isn’t totally intact now. Along a road called Müürivahe, you can enter a wooden door, and for a small fee, climb the stairs and explore the top of the city wall.
Originally, I was going to climb to the top of St. Olaf’s Church to view the City, but because it was a holiday, they were closed. This view was quite spectacular also!
There are other viewing platforms around the City for outstanding and picturesque views of the City! Our Airbnb was located on the outskirts of Old Town on the Western side and the viewing platforms were only a 10 minute walk away…
Kadriorg Palace was built in 1725 by Russia’s Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I. When Estonia gained its independence in 1919, the Palace became Estonia’s Art Museum in 1921. During World War II, Germany occupied the Palace and then the Russians. Finally, in 1991, Estonia became independent once again!
After years of renovation, the Palace was reopened in 2000 displaying foreign art. The Palace, gardens, and park are lovely!
We walked over 2 miles from our Airbnb to the Palace…
There are plenty of park benches to relax on and enjoy being in nature.
The Palace is quite colorful and we had another beautiful day for sight-seeing!
We arrived to Tallinn, Estonia’s harbor after a 2 hour ferry ride from Helsinki on June 21st and took a taxi to our Airbnb. The taxi ride was quite odd because initially the taxi driver said he knew where the address was (which was only about 1.5 miles from the harbor), but then drove past it and when we spoke up and said we think he passed it, he assured us he was on the right path. A few minutes later, he realized his mistake and took us back to the Airbnb. I told him I wasn’t paying any extra for his mistake and he didn’t try to cheat me.
There was also a mix-up with the Airbnb host, but she eventually arrived and gave us a partial ride to a grocery store located 15 minutes walk from the lodging. The Airbnb was in a great location, within walking distance of Old Town. We were spending three nights here, so after returning from the grocery, we explored Old Town Tallinn and its amazing architecture!
According to Wikipedia: Estonia was founded in 1248 but the earliest human settlements date back to 3000 years BC, making it one of the oldest capital cities of northern Europe. Often dubbed as the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of many international companies including Skype. In 2011, the city was a European Capital of Culture.
Some of these photos were taken the following morning when I went out exploring on my own…
We visited the dazzling Peterhof Palace and Gardens on our last day in St. Petersburg, Russia. Built by Peter by the Great in the 18th Century, Peterhof is spectacular! The Palace was closed because it was a Monday, but we were most interested in the gardens anyway. I had the visit scheduled on the itinerary for the previous day, but it was rainy and we definitely wanted a pretty day for our visit.
We walked 10 minutes from our lodging at Comfort Hotel to the Pier with Lions embankment on the canal where we boarded a 40 minute Hydrofoil boat to Peterhof.
Upon arrival, there is a beautiful 10 minute walk to the centerpiece of the complex, the Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain in front of the Palace.
Even with my wide-angle lens, I wasn’t able to capture the entire complex!
The gardens are also referred to as the “Russian Versailles”.
The creativity is astounding!
You can barely view the sea in the distance…
Built in the mid-1800’s, St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the fourth largest Cathedral in the world and its main dome stands 333 ft. high and is plated in pure gold! An interesting fact: the Cathedral sits on 10,000 tree trunks that were sunk into the ground.
With a church of this size, it’s impossible to convey what the interior feels like, but here are a few photos…
part of the ceiling…
Walking into the Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace I was naive thinking I could see most everything in two or three hours. This place is beyond enormous! There are over 1,000 rooms and halls, 1,786 doors, and 1,945 windows! I read that if you were to spend one minute looking at each item, you would be there for 11 years! The Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most respected art museums in the world.
Having just arrived via ship that morning from Finland, we only had 2 1/2 days to explore St. Petersburg, Russia, through the Visa-free passage, hence the limited time allotted for each site.
While pushing my way through throngs of crowds, I was happy to have my wide angle lens! I was able to get very close to the roped off areas to take my photo…
Some of the smaller details are just exquisite!
The Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great.
According to Wikipedia, “The Hermitage buildings served as a home and workplace for nearly a thousand people, including the Imperial family. In addition to this, they also served as an extravagant showplace for all kinds of Russian relics and displays of wealth prior to the art collections. Many events were held in these buildings including masquerades for the nobility, grand receptions and ceremonies for state and government officials.”
Completed in 1969, Temppeliaukio Kirkko aka Rock Church in Helsinki, Finland is awe-inspiring! It reminds me of a space ship and the ceiling resembles a fried egg. Built into the surrounding rock (hence it’s name), it’s one of Helsinki’s most popular tourist sites.
Kampii Chapel of Silence is also definitely an interesting piece of architecture…
Walkabout Free Tour offers an informative and interesting free walking tour of some of the highlights of Bucharest, Romania. After leaving Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria on a bus at 11:00am, transferring to another bus in Ruse, Bulgaria and arriving in Bucharest at 2:30pm, Jing and I took a 2 mile taxi ride to our Airbnb, where we hefted our luggage up to the fourth floor, which meant eight flights of steps! I am determined to pack lighter for the next trip. We settled in and walked a mile to meet up with the two hour walking tour.
Some of the highlights they cover are the lovely Stavropoleos Convent…
The ruins of Vlad’s Citadel…
I find it interesting what our preconceived thoughts/images of a country or city are, or sometimes we have no idea of what to expect. I knew Panama City, Panama would have high-rise buildings and palm trees and hot weather…
and beautiful flowers…
friendly people…
I led my group on a subway ride from our hotel a few stops to visit the Casco Viejo or old town section of Panama City. We had to make our way another 10-15 minutes by foot through a very poor section. These vultures tearing through a smelly garbage dump were both fascinating and repulsive.
One of the best ways to explore any city’s architecture is by walking through its streets and Edinburgh has such a diverse and interesting mix of architecture, you’ll forget your feet are beginning to hurt!
I’m definitely not an expert on architecture, but I know what pleases my eye and camera. The following are some photos from Old and New Town Edinburgh, which were made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.
This cute little house is situated in Princes Street Gardens, which lies between the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh. A lovely place to take a stroll!
I encountered this colorful scene while walking downhill from our visit to Edinburgh Castle.
There is nothing particularly “special” about this shot, but the blue definitely pops and I find it visually appealing.
Row of buildings in Old Town Edinburgh as seen from the divide between the Old and New Towns.
Located on the Atlantic side of Florida, Fort Lauderdale makes a great day trip from the Fort Myers area on the Gulf side. Yesterday, a new friend “Deanna” and I drove a little over 2 hours to check out what’s changed in Fort Lauderdale since the Spring Break days of the 70’s. Researching on Trip Advisor, our first stop was the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, formerly owned by Frederic Clay Bartlett, an artist and his wife, for use as a winter retreat to escape Chicago’s cold winters, dating back to the 20’s. The tour of the home lasted over an hour. The architecture was interesting in that there is a courtyard with doors leading to each room (i.e. most of the rooms are not attached to each other, you’re required to go back out to the courtyard to access another room). The grounds were beautiful with tall palm trees, small ponds, and flowers.
A little sitting area in the courtyard…
An ornate lamp Mr. Bartlett made from an oil drum…
This past weekend, I had fun taking photographs of my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece. The weather wasn’t suitable for outside shots, so we racked our brains trying to think of places to get some cool and interesting photos. We finally decided to meet in Downtown Cincinnati and check out some of the hotels. This fun Christmas shot was taken in the Westin Hotel lobby. It took a while because people kept walking behind them!
There’s a skywalk that provided good lighting…
I had originally planned to go to the US National Arboretum, our last day in Washington, D.C., but after a relative told us not to miss the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I changed our plans. After a leisurely morning at our Airbnb, we hopped on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle to explore the Museum.
But first I have to share a photograph from the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. This tree is entitled, “Graft”. My husband waited on a park bench while I wandered through the Garden. At 45 feet high by 45 feet wide and weighing 16,000 pounds, this piece by American sculptor Roxy Paine is marvelous!
According to Earl A. Powell III, director of the National Gallery of Art–“Graft presents two fictive but distinct species of trees—one gnarled, twisting, and irregular, the other smooth, elegant, and rhythmic—joined to the same trunk. Among its rich associations, this sculpture evokes the persistent human desire to alter and recombine elements of nature, as well as the ever-present tension between order and chaos.”
A friendly squirrel, looking for food, stood still long enough for me to snap his portrait…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 