Travel: Cruise Stops - Riga (Latvia) and Klaipeda, Lithuania

Days 8 and 9 were stops in two unique ports:  Latvia and Lithuania.  When we first visited Tallinn, Estonia several years back, we were told that Riga, too, was well worth the visit and still "undiscovered" by mainstream tourists. Klaipeda, Lithuania was a city I knew nothing about and piqued my interest.

Riga, founded in 1201, has both an old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and a new town.  Lucky for us, our ship was the only one to arrive that Sunday morning and we had the town to ourselves.  A short walk from the riverfront dock, the old town's spires beckoned.  Wow...it was charming, delightful, peaceful and we could not wait to explore the winding streets and shady lanes.  We wandered up and down the cobblestoned roads, peering into store windows with smiles upon our faces.  As we came upon the side of the beautiful church, there was a young girl (maybe 12 years old?) who was playing a zither and singing so sweetly we had to stop, listen and toss a few coins into the zither case.  It was heavenly!
We walked from old town to the new town which seem to sprawl into quite a large modern city - complete with a few Soviet-era buildings as a reminder of history.  There was a basketball "tournament" going on with several teams competing in the various half-courts - the many spectators found seats, or benches and many enjoyed a beer as the games played on!  A great lunch, with local wine, and the late afternoon sun reminded us, it was time to head back on board.

Klaipeda, Lithuania - the country's name evokes thoughts of the "Iron Curtain" and post-WW2 history classes.  Upon disembarking we were greeted by locals dressed in traditional clothing dancing to folkloric music - absolutely charming!  Afterwards, we walked along a lovely little waterway with fishing boats, a charming hotel and a cute "bridge".  The walk into town was short and found ourselves on the main avenue on the verge of a facelift.  Many of the buildings were freshly painted, unique boutiques with large picture windows showcased creative displays.  An intersecting  avenue was adorned with beautiful flowering pots hanging from street lamps leading one to the main town square where government buildings and the cultural center were located.  The town square was hosting a small market with home-made goods and foods where locals shopped and chatted among themselves.   A little further away, we found our way to another produce/flea market...by this time it was almost noon on a Monday and the few vendors were quietly standing alongside their fruits, veggies or clothing stalls.  While Klaipeda is the third largest city in Lithuania (the capital is Vilnius), it has somehow managed to retain a quaint unhurried way of life - except when 2000 cruise passengers amble their way into town!  Our walk back to the ship was detained for a few minutes...the "cute" bridge was open and was not scheduled to be closed for another 15 minutes.  Bemused passengers waited patiently, some in the shade, some sipping beers or surfing the net (free Wi-Fi).  At the scheduled moment, two men approached a section of bridge, inserted a huge iron "T" into a fitting and with sheer strength began walking in a circle and pushing the iron "T" thus bringing the bridge towards the closed position!  Definitely quaint and certainly unhurried.  I wonder if the next few years of cruise ships calling on Klaipeda will change her...I hope not.

Enjoy the double video!