Saintes, France

Saintes was originally a prosperous settlement in the area of the Santones, a Gallic tribe, and the town became the chief centre of the district later known as the Saintonge. After the Roman conquest it became known as Mediolanum Santonum and was the capital of the Roman Empire in Gaul. The town’s most noteworthy Roman remains are a ruined 1st-century amphitheatre and an arch that had been transferred from a Roman bridge, known as the Arch of Germanicus.

Germanicus is my favorite post-Caesar Roman Emperor until Trajan. The details of his career are known from the Annals of the Roman historian Tacitus, who portrayed him as a champion of republican principles and played him off in his historical chronicles against Tiberius, whom he depicted as an autocratic villain. Through his mother, Antonia, Germanicus was grandnephew of the emperor Augustus and his father was Tiberius’s brother. He was wildly popular--a Quaestor at the age of 21, Germanicus served under Tiberius in Illyricum (7–9 CE) and then on the Rhine (11 CE). As consul in the year 12, he was appointed to command Gaul and the two Rhine armies. His personal popularity enabled him to quell the mutiny that broke out in his legions after Augustus’s death (14). Although pressed to claim the empire for himself, Germanicus remained firmly loyal to Tiberius. In three successive campaigns (14–16), he crossed the Rhine to engage the German tribes, inflicting several defeats in an ultimately inconclusive struggle. Finally, having aroused the jealousy and fears of Tiberius, he was recalled to Rome. Later he met his death, like many related to Tiberius, by poisoning. I spent 4 years shadowing a Classics major which furthered a love of seeing ancient ruins wherever they are. So we swooped in—we came, we saw, we left.

Riga Art Nouveau District, Latvia

Art Nouveau arrived in Riga at the very end of the 19th century but became a real force in the city from about 1901. The design movement was sweeping across Europe at exactly the same time that Riga was going through an economic boom, as industrialisation led much of the Latvian population to move into the city. During the late 19th-century, Riga experienced rapid economic development. It grew by 88% between 1897 and 1913. Between 1910 and 1913, almost 500 new buildings were built in Riga annually.

If there is one street you absolutely have to visit in Riga, is Alberta Street. Named after Bishop Albert who founded Riga more than 800 years ago, the street is a trademark thanks to its Eclectic Art Nouveau buildings. Most of them were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, and some by Konstantīns Pēkšēns and Eižens Laube, a teacher, and his pupil. The buildings are decorated with sculptures, ornamented balconies, columns, and other Art Nouveau elements.

There are three general styles of art nouveau architecture to be found. Alberta Street harbors some of the finest samples of the Eclectic Art Nouveau Style in Riga, but there are three other styles you can uncover in the city: the Perpendicular Art Nouveau, National Romantic Art Nouveau, and the Neo-Classical Art Nouveau. For exploring the Perpendicular Art Nouveau category, which is commonly referred to as “department store style” or Warenhausstil (in German), head over to Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela (Krišjānis Valdemārs Street) number 37, which is home to a multi-story building designed by Eižens Laube. A good Neo-Classical example is the former Commercial Bank of Riga, which sits in the very center of the Old Riga, right opposite the Doms Cathedral.

Turaida Castle, Latvia

This is the most visited of the castles between Riga and the Estonian border--this view is taken from the Sigulda Medeival Castle with my simple iPhone camera, so you can see just how close they really are to each other. Turaida Castle was the third castle. I have fond memories of it not for the crowds inside the grounds, but for the artisanal shawl I bought for my mother from a vendor outside. It is beautiful and unique, and left me with warm feelings about this place.

The oldest part of the story of Turaida is related to the history of another indigenous nation of Latvia – the Livs. Until the early 13th century, Turaida had been a significant centre of the Gauja Livs. The Livonians are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to northern and northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian, a Uralic language closely related to Estonian and related to Finnish. There are vanishingly few who still speak this today. Construction of the Turaida stone castle was started in 1214. Until the end of the 16th century, it served as a residence of Archbishops of Riga who that ruled lands. Over the centuries the castle had been rebuilt and improved until a fire damaged it in 1776, after which it was no longer inhabited and gradually turned into ruins.

Sigulda New Castle, Sigulda , Latvia

The manor center began to develop in the fore-castle area of Sigulda Medieval Castle during the 17th century. There are still a few remaining 18th and 19th century buildings built during the ownership of the Von Borghs and Kropotkins in neo-gothic style by Jānis Mengelis from Cēsis.

During WW1 this building was destroyed. In 1922, following the agrarian reforms, New Castle became the Writers’ Castle because it was used by the Latvian Union of Writers and Journalists. The building was in unusable condition after the war so the Union had to invest a large amount of money for restoration. In the 1920’s and 30’s, full room and board was offered to writers and literary types as well as other visitors. The themes of farming, woodworking, and craftsmanship abound.

In 1934 the castle was acquired by the Latvian Press Society. From 1936 to 1937, major reconstruction work was done under the leadership of architect August Birkhans. Building plans were completely re-drawn. The overlook tower was heightened, the terrace around the building was expanded and a new balcony was added to the second floor. Inside, a new modern–age interior design was installed. It became the most notable example of national modern design in the Baltic region. Many famous artists of that time such as Niklāvs Strunke, Pēteris Ozoliņš, Kārlis Sūniņš, and Vilhelms Vasariņš took a part in creating it. Pictures of the castle were found in French art magazines as the press at the time would report. The Writers Castle became a popular visitor's destination after the renovation. It is still a place where new artists are featured and nurtured.

Sigulda Medeival Castle, Sigulda, Latvia

The Livonian Order Castle of Sigulda was built in 1207 as a castella type castle, however, it was later rebuilt into a convent type building. The Livonian Order were known as “warrior monks”, German crusaders who had travelled to the Baltic region to fight and Christianise the local pagans.

It was from this castle that these crusaders controlled the entire Gauja Valley. This made Sigulda Castle a pivotal regional stronghold for centuries under the control of the Order. After the region got caught up in the war between Sweden and Poland in the 17th century, this castle sustained damage and quickly lost its significance.

We spent the night in Siguldaa in order to be able to visit this and other castles in the area, and I would recommend it. We had a very nice evening meal, rented an apartment that had a washer and dryer (always nice mid trip to get everything clean once again), and was nice to walk around in. If you are going to do something beyyond Riga in Latvia, and are not thinking a beautiful outdoor place, this should be considered.

Cēsis Castle, Latvia

We began our Latvian exploration with a series of semi-ruined castles—-this trip was without offspring, but my kids could all pass on buildings with curtains (ie. roofed dwellings), but a good ruin can occupy them happily. I myself love both but a ruin is always fun. The first up was the Cēsis Medieval castle, starting about 800 years ago and around which in the 13th century a town was built. Over the centuries the castle shared its destiny with the city of Cēsis in battles with Russian, Polish and Swedish troops.

Repeatedly rebuilt and expanded the castle got its present architectural appearance at the beginning of the 16th century. Special note to those of you of our generation. This is the master bedroom (I think the terminology is apt in this case) which has an attached latrine. This castle did not allow much clambering over the ruins, but were otherwise stellar. Added plus--there is a generous discount for seniors in the Baltics! Bad news is that none of it is the least bit handicapped accessible.

Tartu Cathedral, Tartu, Estonia

Taru was our last Estonia destination. In planning the trip, I wanted to visit because it is not only the second largest city in Estonia, but also the intellectual center, with Tartu University being located here. In retrospect, it might have been more reasonable to choose a national park or a place of natural beauty, but this ruin of Tartu Cathedral, located on the beautiful Toome Hill on the Tartu University campus, is well worth seeing. It is huge and the only mediaeval church with two spires in Estonia. The construction of the church started in the 13th century and the church was fully completed in the beginning of the 16th century.

Devastated during the Livonia War (1558 - 1583), it was left in a state of ruin and in the 1760s, the high twin towers of the church were demolished. As part of the reconstruction of the University of Tartu in 1804-1807, rooms of the university library were built in the cathedral choir. After the completion of the new university library building in 1981, the University of Tartu Museum moved in. The ruins of the Tartu Cathedral are one of the most prominent examples of brick-Gothic buildings in Old Livonia. Really lovely.

Kalamaja, Tallinn, Estonia

We stayed in the Kalamaja neighborhood in Tallinn. I really loved the location, an easy walk to the old city, but easy to drive around, a neighborhood grocery store where we bought some cheese, fruit, and charcuterie that smelled like a farmer's market, the fruit was so ready to eat, and a lot of bus stops for using local transport to get to further flung places.

It is a wooden architecture district situated between the fortified Old Town and the sea. It is one of the oldest suburbs of Tallinn and a hundred years ago was populated mostly by fishermen, harbor workers, and craftsmen. When Tallinn was connected to Saint Petersburg by rail in 1870 and the nearby central railway station (Baltic Station) was built, the area changed immensely. The industrial revolution and factories needed workers, so extensive apartment buildings were erected in the end of the 19th century. Much of the housing stock was built between 1890 and 1940, mostly apartment buildings in timber and brick.

During the Soviet occupation, Kalamaja was seen as a somewhat run-down, undesirable address – the communist utopia favoured large apartment blocks in the new districts, such as Mustamäe, instead – but during the last decade, the area became ultra-trendy and is now locally known as “hipsterville” of Tallinn. I am sure I would find this a real pain to maintain, but I find it absolutely charming to behold. Here are a few examples!