Tallink to Riga, Latvia

Thursday, June 5 - Saturday, June 7, 2014

Nine Stockholm International School families boarded the Tallink overnight ferry to Riga, Latvia at 4:30pm and convened in the Sky Bar as we set sail at 5pm. Why?  A Stockholm friend, who spent some time growing up as an expat, has fond memories of trips groups of expats families took together... so we thought we'd give it a try.  A huge thank you goes to Claudette Clapper, our own Julie McCoy (Loveboat) who took the idea and ran with it. 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful evening, fun to catch up with friends and for the guys to get to know each other while we watched the Stockholm archipelago go by from an awesome bird's eye view. The kids only took an hour or so to overcome shyness and discover the arcade area and playroom, then they were off in a pack, only coming back when they needed more money.

 

Tallink isn't swanky, it's a basic, comfortable, overnight cruise ship.  The rooms are efficient and the food is okay. All to be expected when rooms average $35/night!  The downside to the bargain rooms is the crowd.  I hate to think that it's a cultural, ethnic or class issue but the night time crowd on the cruise made me uncomfortable.... or I'm just getting old!  We were smart and never went anywhere by ourselves and the kids always stayed together.  It is well known in Stockholm that Tallink is the family cruise ship line and Viking is the party cruise ship line. I can't imagine!

our cozy room

the buffet restaurant

yummy

The list of safety rules posted in each room addressed intoxicated people and damage to property... not the typical safety rules like 'what to do in case of emergency'!  Security was called a few times to deal with those intoxicated people.  There is more than the normal drinking on board because people take the cruise ship with their granny carts for the bargains in the 'supermarket' duty free shop.

duty free supermarket

now this is for safety!

a light beacon is actually attached... not just that it's a good idea to use a floatation device

We docked in Riga at 11:30am (Latvia time) and followed the herd to Old Town Riga.  We just missed the Old Town walking tour so we set off in groups on our own.

disembarking

most of the kids

herd of parents

 

our fearless leader on the left consulting the map

St. Peter's Church

 

the Dome Catherdral

 

 

Several of us took at open golf cart guided tour of Old Town for 5 euros each... quite a rip off, however, looking back at pictures now I did see a lot of Riga sitting on my butt... I just have no idea what I saw!  The audio was static-y, what we could hear of the English version was heavily accented and monotone.  I ended up not listening.  Thankfully the ride was only 30 minutes long and it provided a rest from walking.

Alex, Claudette and Michelle

Audra, Sofia and Gabby

love the little red chair in the left corner

oldest house in Riga

the Three Brothers... (along with the oldest house above) are the three oldest stone houses (circa 1646) in Riga...however, I did note those corner stones are painted on

Powder Tower

 

a bit of art nouveau architecture

We sent the guys off for a beer with the kids (beer just for the guys) while we hit some outdoor markets.  The Baltic area is known for amber... I now have a big, beautiful amber ring!

 

We met for lunch at Rozengrals, a medieval restaurant.  At first we were skeptical about the menu, especially since the fried bread with garlic came disguised as croutons... but the food was really good.

 

Rosengrals restaurant

 

the kid table

Dinner in the Sky - Sofia really wants to do this some time!

 

We had to be back at the cruise ship at 5pm, the ship departed at 5:30.  After a buffet dinner most of the crowd headed up to sing karaoke... fully embracing the cruise ship experience!  The boat docked in Stockholm at 10:30 on Saturday morning, I know several people went home and took naps!

Gabby practicing her card tricks

yes, that's Gabby on the right!

In hindsight, I did see a lot of Riga but don't feel like I got to know much about it.  That wasn't really the goal.  We had a great time together and that is what counts!

"The legend of Riga - Once upon a time, long ago, before the city of Riga was founded, a tall strong man named Lielais Kristaps (Big Christopher) carried people across the river Daugava.  Kristaps lived in a cabin on the right bank of the river.
   While sleeping one night, Kristaps heard a small child crying on the other side of the river.  He immediately rose to fetch the child, and began to carry it across the river.  Half way across, the child became so heavy that Kristaps barely managed to get to the other bank.  Exhausted, he laid the child down to sleep in his shack, and fell asleep himself.
   The following morning Kristaps awoke to find a large chest of gold coins where the child had been.  Upon his death, the money was used to found the city of Riga, the first building was built on the spot where Kristaps cabin once stood."

original wooden sculpture built in 1683, this copy was made in 1997