ALAN McMANUS has once again turned tour guide to take us through some of the sights in Riga, where the first European Tour event of the season is currently being played.
Riga, the capital of Latvia, is the largest city of the Baltic states with a population of around 700,000. Among the visitor attractions is the Old Town, which includes the Lutheran cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century.
Riga Castle, housing the museums of Latvian history and foreign art, is also the residence of Latvian president Andris Berzins.
A feature of the city is Riga’s tram system, which operates from early morning until midnight, with some services also running through the night. Alan also visited the ground of local football club Skonto Riga FC and inspected a Russian billiards table, snooker not having arrived in the country until 1994.
Thanks a lot to Alan for the pictures.
Riga's National Opera House
One of Riga's parks
Riga's Freedom Monument
One of Riga's many trams
The view from the stands at Skonto Riga FC
Russian billiards
A fountain in one of Riga's parks
A boat on the Pilsetas Kanals
The entrance to the university
A couple of interested spectators
Old Town in Riga
One of Riga's many churches
Alan called in here purely in the spirit of historical research
Another of Riga's imposing, historic buildings
Riga's Lutheran Cathedral
No, that isn't a snooker cue