T hat hazy sunset which I photographed in Finland portended what was to come for my trip as I head south through the Baltic countries:
Snow.
Winter Weather Keeps Following Me as I Head South
Snow was falling almost every morning since I arrived in northeastern Europe. Do not tell Mother Nature in this part of the world that the calendar says April and that the spring season is nearing its midpoint. Oh, no no no.
Take the photograph at the top, for example. Normally, you would see the Tallinna Teletorn — which is the television tower in Tallinn — off to the left in that photograph; but it is completely obscured by the dark clouds, which eventually became a morning snowstorm that enshrouded Tallinn.
Fortunately, the afternoons have been sunny — even cloudless at times. Freezing and windy; but sunny…
…and speaking of the wind, it can be relentless and biting at times — especially near areas of open water and between buildings.
A Snowy Morning in Riga
My morning in Riga was spent in the snow. One way to practically guarantee having the Old Town section of Riga all to yourself is to arrive early on a Monday morning while the snow is falling. I did not realize that many places within the Old Town section of Riga are closed on Mondays. Oh, well — I still made the most of it and took plenty of photographs, which I intend to highlight in a future article.
“Hello” said the lone employee in the tourist information office after I walked in while it was snowing outside.
“Hello,” I responded as I unzipped my coat a little. “This is not a good day to be visiting Riga.”
“No, it is not”, he concurred.
“Do you know when the snow is expected to end?” I asked.
After checking his computer, he replied “After noon.”
Joy.
Summary
I can only imagine what winter must be like in this area of the world.
As for the snow during the morning in Riga, I still made the most of it and took plenty of photographs, which I intend to highlight in a future article…
…and I have plenty of photographs from this trip which I will present in future articles as well.
I will say that I still consider my trip a success overall — but I am not done yet…
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
