Hilsen fra Jesper

Cormorant, Skarv We saw a pair of white tailed eagles, havørn

Fakkebjerg, hat-shaped hill 37 m.o.h. near the southernmost tip of Langeland. From the hill there are views of Als, Germany and Lolland. Bagenkop In the background Ristinge Klint Windmills The red kite (Milvus milvus), Rød glente

Ristinge hale is a peninsula that juts out towards the east from the southeastern half of Langeland. Ristinge hale Some sportsfishermen tried their luck in the cold water Winter sun The brant or brent goose (Branta bernicla), lysbuget knortegås, in the background the Danish national bird, the mute swan (Cygnus olor. The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), Rådyr

Riga is famous for its imany houses build in Jugendstil. Art Nouveau or Jugendstil is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art - especially the decorative arts - that was most popular during 1890 — 1910 Jugendstil is a reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants, but also in curved lines. Architects tried to harmonize with the natural environment. Elizabetes Street 10b is rich in its ornamentation – masks, peacocks, sculptured heads and geometric figures, with blue ceramic tiles covering the façade at the top of the building. This façade was designed by two architects in Leipzig. The building and its ornate stairwell were restored in 2000. Sculptured heads and geometric figures at the top of the façade of Elizabetes Street 10b Alberta Street 1 is one of the very first Art Nouveau buildings in Rīga, with a façade that is richly decorated with a series of reliefs representing the ornamentation of the new style. The Boguslavskiy apartment building, Alberta Street 2a One of the last eclectically decorated Art Nouveau buildings to be erected in Rīga. There are two sphinxes at the entrance to provide security for it. Art Nouveau often made use of Egyptian motifs. The sphinx was particularly popular, seen as a symbol of the sun and of security. The decorations of the building use geometric and stylised ornaments. Two sculptures of women with torches in hand are on either side of the entrance. The façade is accented with bands of glazed red tiles. The building has an attic which is needed only for the placement of decorative elements – window apertures through which the sky can be seen, mascarons and various geometric ornaments.

In the sunny weather we walked over one on the bridges to the left bank of Daugava River where there are many old wooden houses. We also meet a pair of common merganser or goosander (Mergus merganser), Stor skallesluger The profile of old Riga across Daugava Riga harbor The rooster on top of the Dome Church We meet some Christmas men and Christmas ladies with their Christmas dogs on our way back through the old town

All over Riga there were Christmas markets. We preferred the one on the Dome square. There were also excellent live music And a lot of nice goods to buy.

We meet with our guide outside the House of the Blackheads. In the background St. Peter's Church (Latvian: Svētā Pētera baznīca). St. John's Church (Latvian: Svētā Jāņa). It was originally the chapel of the Dominican monastery founded in 1234. According a popular story in the 15th century two monks wished to become saints and were immured in the wall. While they were still alive, Riga residents fed them through a special hole. Several skeletons were discovered during work to restore the church walls. It is assumed that these probably belong to people buried alive in the walls because popular superstition had it that this protected the church from being harmed. Two open-mouthed heads can be seen high up on the outer wall of St. John's Church facing Skarnu Street. It is believed that monks used to sit and preach behind these mouths. Konventa seta, the Convent Yard, is right in the center of Riga, and was where our hotel was situated Konventa sēta is from the first half of the 13th century. It is some of the oldest part of Riga that has been preserved. Konventa seta was a kind of town in town with 4 gates which was (and still is!) locked during night so no thieves or other nasty person can enter the yard. The only entrance is through the hotel lobby. Two storehouses opposite our room at the Konventa seta hotel. The merchants normally stored their goods at the upper floors in their houses, where it was easier to protect them from attach from rats and thefts. The lowest floor and the cellar was used for shops and taverns and the middle floor as living space. During the centuries of German economic domination, the guilds were Riga's power brokers. The Great Guild, dating from 1384, was the home of the merchants. The house on the picture is not the Great Guild but a house opposite it build by a rich Russian merchant not allowed to be a member of the merchants guild. Instead he build a house higher than the Great Guild with two cats on the top shitting at the Great Guild. Later, when the merchant was allowed to enter the guild, he turned the cat around, so it is now shitting away from the Great Guild. The Swedish Gate (Latvian: Zviedru vārti) was established in 1698 as a part of the Riga Wall to provide access for the Swedish soldiers in barracks outside the city wall to the taverns in the street on the other side of the wall. The Swedish Gate is simply made by cutting a hole in the house that formed a part of the city wall. On our way to the three brothers. In the background the Riga Dome Cathedral The Three Brothers (Latvian: Trīs brāļi) is a building complex consisting of three houses. It is the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga.