Festival of Lights, Riga, 2011

Holiday in Latvia with Independence Day and Festival of Lights "Staro Rīga" (Beaming Riga) is over. Now Latvia too will switch to Christmas mood.  Festival of Lights is growing every year bigger and bigger. This year there were 85 objects around the city. In these 4 days of festival (17. - 20. November) I didn't manage to see all of it.  Lights and sounds these days have been making people dizzy. You know  - it's not possible to put in  a picture live light, video projection and feelings, also - this is just a simple camera which in dark makes wonders :) Beaming Riga/ Staro Rīga  - festival of lights which changes the streets, parks, gardens of Riga in darkness with lights - from small candles till big installations and projections changing the appearance  of buildings.  

This object looked calm and quite in the urban environment. Like other people I was smiling seeing how nice this object looks and attached to discovering how it has been made, but thanks to a small child who was explaining his vision to his parents I also was able to see what it is - these are not lamps, but that's how a city with its blockhouses looks at night!

Riga channel is always surprising with light & water games in the city center, but I have never been able to make a good picture of it, well - I guess you just have to see it with your own eyes.

Public toilet! It was standing there like any other day - quiet and simple. Then it started to whisper: "Please,  look at me!" And then it turned into the Coliseum!

 The Bastion hill was filled with candles and flying ships:

Door to imaginary reality:

And at the end enjoy some fireworks from Independence Day - 18th of November right after singing national anthem  - thousands of people together at the river Daugava.

Here you can find some pictures from Beaming Riga 2010

Bohemian Street - Away From Touristic Riga

 The Street of Peace (Miera iela) is like a little Riga's secret out of the touristic centre, - new born  bohemian paradise, but still in the centre of the city 20 - 30 min walk away from The Old Town. No drunk crowds, no screaming party-people, but special places to celebrate the life everyday. My heart belongs there and it's not because I was born there.  It's also not because already more than one year I see how the sun goes down and how it's rising on mornings over the roofs of this street through my window.  

 The street long time ago was made as the road to cemeteries out of the city. Close to the main street in Riga - Freedom street, close to the one of the biggest theatres in Riga "Dailes Teātris". On this street you will find the factory of the best Latvian chocolate "Laima". (Yes, sometimes the smell of chocolate is really impossible to avaoid, because it comes in over the opened windows and takes over the street). You will find here houses where 200 years ago lived aristocrats and you will see beautiful wooden architecture. 

One of the reasons to come here is it's bohemian atmosphere. DAD cafe - on Miera iela 17 - piano, jazz, vintage furniture, poetry, photograpy... TAKA on Miera iela 10 - colorfull  place with origami birds in windows & comfortable sofas, home-made wine from Latvia, sometimes tasty smell of soup makes you to stop passing by this place... Tea-room "ILLUSEUM" on Miera iela 19 - to collect your thoughts over the cup of tea: exceptional collection of teas from all over the world... Vintage shops and high quality handicrafts. People with bicycles, the tram nr. 11, cobbled streets... It's like peacefull Sunday mood or evening talks over the cup of tea are living right on this street.

If you keep walking this street 5 more minutes the direction away from the Freedom Street (Brīvības iela) you will see in front park - cemetery called The Great Graveyard: one of the most interesting cemeteries I have seen. See some pictures here: The Lost World Cemetery With The Soul