One simply
cannot sing enough praises of
the "even" side of the street (recall, most of it designed by Mihail
Eisenstein). All the balconies, arches, bas-reliefs and sculptures become all
the more dramatic as the sun etches them in sharp relief.
And there is, perhaps, some logic in the most elaborate facades all
being on one side of the street. It's likely the same reason that only one side
of the street has front gardens.
The sun only ever shines down one side of the street.
We hadn't really noticed it until reading an account of Alberta
iela in its heyday. A smorgasbord of Germans, Latvians, and Russians,
putting their lounge chairs and chaises out in the verdant greenery of their
front lawns, relaxing, basking in the warmth of a not particularly hot, and all
to fleeting, Baltic summer—the break in the heat a welcome change from
the recent rash of "the hottest summer in 100 years." Global warming is a
reality.
Gallery
Riga's Jugendstil Grandeur
