Rīga Façades

I walk slowly here. There is usually a face above a doorway, a courtyard behind a passage, or a patch of light worth missing the next tram for. This is where I keep what I notice.

Pale cream and sage Art Nouveau facades with sculpted faces and iron balconies, seen from below
Looking up, a familiar street becomes a different place.

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A weathered stone face framed by carved leaves above an arched doorway

Faces above the doors

Some look stern, some seem half asleep. Once I began noticing the carved faces above the entrances, walking a single block took twice as long.

A short observation
Riga church spires and a low bridge silhouetted beside the Daugava at sunset

Crossing the Daugava at dusk

From the bridge, the old town folds into a line of spires. The river keeps the last of the light long after the windows have let it go.

A short observation
A cobbled old town lane lined with cream and ochre houses with stepped gables

Stepped gables of the old town

Rooflines rise in little flights of stairs. Below them, a narrow street turns just enough to hide where it is going. I follow it without a plan.

A short observation