- View of Riga
Wonderful view in all directions. - View of Riga
What a difference a day makes! I visited St. Peter's Church again to actually see the view :-) - Freedom monument (Brīvības piemineklis)
The Freedom monument was designed by Kārlis Zāle and built in 1935. - Bird skyscraper
Now this is a brilliant way of reusing an old tree. - Jugendstil quarter
Detail at the entrance into one of the many wonderful houses in Alberta ilea. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. Designed by Mikhail Eisenstein. - Christmas decorations
More Christmas decorations in Kronvalda park. Unfortunately I wasn't there at night. - Christmas decorations
Bastejkalna Park and the wonderful Christmas decorations. - Christmas decorations
Bastejkalna Park and the wonderful Christmas decorations. The key is the symbol of Riga. - Pilsētas kanāls
Latvian National Opera in the background. And yes, the canal is frozen. - Christmas decorations
The inside of the moon :-) - Christmas decorations
A giant moon in Bastejkalna parks. - Esplanāde
One of the many parks in Riga. - Statue of Felicita Pauļuka
A statue of Felicita Pauļuka by Lea Dāvidova-Medene (1921-1986). Statue is in the National Museum of Art. - Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ
The Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1876-1884. - The Christmas market
Plenty of bunnies in the Christmas market. This one was in Esplanade. - View of Riga
View from the St. Peter's tower. Yes, the visibility was pretty bad. One can hardly see the Vanšu Bridge. - Riga centre
Another wonderful Jugenstil/Art Nouveau house. - Riga centre
Some lovely old houses in the city centre. - The Cat's House
Well, here I regretted not carrying my proper camera. Because I couldn't zoom in to the statue of the cat on top of the roof. - A closed bar
A closed bar, opposite the Powder Tower. - Three brothers (Trīs Brāļi)
The Three Brothers are these three houses: the right one is gothic (15th century), the middle one is from the 17th, and the left one from the 18th century. - Romatic cafe
A romatic cafe behind St. Jacob's Catholic Cathedral (Rīgas Svētā Jēkaba Katedrāle) - Rīgas Doms - Riga Cathedral
This Lutheran church was founded in 1211, but (re)built several times, so it's got Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements. And there was this guy tuning the piano, so I had my own private concert! Pure magic. - Rīgas Doms - Riga Cathedral
The cloister of the Dome. The courtyard was closed, however, due to snow. - A random armadillo
Armadillo by Liene Mackus. - House of Blackheads
Originally built in 1334 for the city's guilds. This wonderful building was bombed in WWII, and completely rebuilt in 1999. - Mentzendorff house
Built in 1695. - Rīgas Doms - Riga Cathedral
The Cathedral and the Cathedral Square (Rīgas Doms and Doma laukums). - The Christmas market
The Christmas spirit at the Christmas market in the Dome Square. Even the recycling bins are in festive mood :-) - Christmas tree
Wonderful Christmas tree in the Town Hall square. - House of Blackheads
Originally built in 1334 for the city's guilds. The facade was was added in 1500s and the four statues of Neptune, Mercury, Unity and Peace were added in 1896. - St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church (Rīgas Sv. Pētera baznīca). Founded in 1209 and rebuilt in the 15th century. The three entrances were added in the 17th century. The current steeple, which is 123 m tall, was built in 1973. - National Library
The new building was opened in 2014. The architect was Gunnar Birkerts (1925-2017), inspired by Castle of Light and Glass Mountain. - House of Blackheads and Christmas tree
This wonderful building was bombed in WWII, completely demolished seven years later and rebuilt in 1999. - View from strada del Menador
View towards Lago di Caldonazzo (left) and Lago di Levico (right). - Sweets in Levico Terme
Some delicious sweets from a local patisserie. - Levico Terme
Some artificial flowers in the town centre. - Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore
Founded in 1276, built and re-built several times. This building is from 1876. - Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore
- Levico Terme
An interesting old entrance. - Levico Terme
A lovely tiny garden in Levico Terme. - Levico Terme
How to make a boring fence interesting. - Lago di Levico
View from the other side of the lake, towards Levico Terme. - Turkey tail fungus
I think these are turkey tail fungi. I may be wrong though. - Lago di Levico
Ideal for swimming and paddling. - Lago di Levico
There is a wonderful walking path around the lake. - Lago di Levico
The lake is 2840 m long, 950 m wide and 38 m deep. - Lago di Levico
Lago di Levico was awarded Bandiera Blue for excellent water quality. - Sign in an underpass
Hmmm... - Lago di Levico
- Lago di Levico
The calm lake after the storm. - Valgadena
On the road towards Levico Terme, just for a short break at the end of the holidays. - Lisbon Campo Grande
Campo Grande and Entrecampos in Lisbon. View from the hotel. - Dom Carlos I
Cascais was the favourite place of the king Dom Carlos I. The statue is from 2008 and only the names of politicians are given on the plaque, the artist is not mentioned. - Cascais
Not quite sure what to think of this place. Diverse or messy? Eclectic or mismatched? This certainly was a wonderful place. Now - not so much. - Cascais
What a lovely Bougainvilleated corner of a house in Cascais. - Cabo da Roca
The lighthouse began operating in 1772. - Carpobrotus edulis
The whole Cabo is covered with carpobrotus. This one is yellow. - Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point of mainland Europe. - Convento dos Capuchos
It's so humid even in the middle of the summer, no wonder everything is so lush green! - Convento dos Capuchos
The convent is built around/between boulders, so the interior is very intriguing. - Convento dos Capuchos
The kitchen and the Chapter House. - Convento dos Capuchos
Super-tiny doors left and right from the corridor lead to super-tiny rooms. - Convento dos Capuchos
The magical monastery is even more mysterious in fog. This is the central cloister with a fountain. - Convento dos Capuchos
The Door of Death is the entrance to the monastery. - Convento dos Capuchos
This wonderful convent was founded in 1560 and inhabited until 1834. - Hotel garden
Another misty morning in Sintra. In the middle of the summer. So refreshing. - Castelo dos Mouros
- Castelo dos Mouros
The 10th century castle was built by the Moors. - View of Sintra
View from the castle towards the town. And you can see the fog over the sea :-) - Chalet of the Countess of Edla
All the rooms are insanely beautiful, but this Dining room, with cork and wood, is probably my favourite. - Chalet of the Countess of Edla
The ceiling in the Grand Hallway. The whole chalet is very very colourful. - Chalet of the Countess of Edla
Ferdinand II built this for the opera singer Elise Friederike Hensler, later Countess of Edla. The chalet is alpine like - but dressed in cork. - Cruz Alta - High Cross
The High Cross is located at the highest point, at 528 m. The first cross was placed here around 1522 by João III. - Pena park
We decided to take a walk through the Pena gardens (and not visit the palace this time). - Quinta da Rigaleira
Heh, this lovely creature is quite literally biting its ass ;-) - Quinta da Rigaleira
Carvalho Monteiro bought the place in 1892 and built this with the Italian architect Luigi Manini. The construction began in 1904 and was completed by 1910. - An unnamed lake
The lake in front of the Gruta do Labirinto. - The unfinished initiation well
- The Initiation Well
- The Initiation Well
- African lily
Our hotel garden in the early morning mist. - Monserrate park
Again, no idea what this is. Some sort of blossoming succulent. - Monserrate park
I think this is some kind of cycad, but I really can't figure out which one. - Monserrate Main Hall
The ceiling in the Main hall. - Music room
The ceiling in the Music room. Apparently there is wonderful acoustic in this room. Not if it is crowded with tourists... - Gallery in Monserrate
- Gallery in Monserrate
- Monserrate Main Hall
I do have a soft spot for this kind of architecture. - Monserrate
In 1846, Francis Cook, the 1st Viscount of Monserrate, built this Gothic-Indian-Moorish-shiny-pretty palace. - Triton fountain
The base of the Triton fountain. What a lovely angry fish this is. - Monserrate
Triton fountain in the park of Monserrate. - Palácio Nacional de Mafra
- Palácio Nacional de Mafra
One of the largest royal palaces, this one was commissioned by João V and built in 1717-1755. And yes, there is wildfire smoke in the background. - Cloister
What a lovely cloister this is.