Blogs from Ventspils, Kurzeme Region, Latvia, Europe

Ventspils & Kuldiga in NW Latvia 31 August 2014 What an interesting day we had today in western Latvia....weather fantastic, roads mostly good, lovely neat towns, helpful people and amazing landscaping, both hard and soft. We had a smooth trip from Riga to Ventspils, which is on the western coast and hosts one of busiest ports in Europe. This town is known for its white sandy beaches (main one is called Blue Flag Beach) and its harbour terminal for commercial purposes, including passenger terminals for ships coming from Stockholm in Sweden. The extra feature of the town is its parks, summer entertainment, ancient narrow gauge railway, cow sculptures and the medieval Livonian Order Castle. There are Adventure Parks and other sporting venues which are well used all year around. Some towns just 'mould around you' and ... read more

It's my first attempt, so be gentle and pacient, please! Baltic Amber – JūrkalnePosted on April 5, 2012 Wanderer Yes, such pieces of amber can still be found at Jūrkalne’s beaches, especially during autumn storms (well, not processed and polished, as visible here). Only then You will look to go early, when it’s dawn. In fact a piece of amber is Jūrkalne itself – a small village on the coast of Kurzemes beach not far from Ventspils. Till 1925 it was called Feliksberga / Germ. Felixberg / i.e. Mountain of Happiness. Its natural beauty and integrity for many years were watched by… Soviet border guards. It was a completely closed area, and post-war generat... read more