The Port of Riga

Also some time ago, your correspondent went on a tour of the Riga Freeport. They have a headquarters with offices and conference rooms but also a collection of olde-timey sailor stuff, like old sextants and a big framed board displaying at least a hundred different knots you may want to learn.


But the highlight of the tour was a boat trip down the Daugava to the control tower. I had not previously realized that a seaport (or at least, this port) would have a control tower like an airport does. And really, in the grand scheme of how big the port is, they couldn't really see that much of it even from the tower.


But maybe that was because it was sort of a foggy day, which decreased visibility but greatly increased the atmospheric feeling of being at a port, which just ought to be foggy. I did not personally witness any "On the Waterfront"-style strong-arming by longshoremen's unions, which might be another atmospheric thing one might see at a port. But the foggy views were enough for one day.