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Blogs from Cesis, Vidzeme Region, Latvia, Europe
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July 5th 2012
A tradition in my friend Kaspars' family is to go boating over the Gauja river. I was invited to join! The Gauja river slithers slowly through the Gauja National Park. If you go at about the same time of the year as I, you can expect to see a dark coniferous forest with a lush carpet of berries and bright flowers, sandy riverbanks, and dark, tranquil cold water. I would suggest stopping, like we did, at one of the local pastry shops to stocking up on sweets. The river is very lazy, the trip is a slow one. Better enjoy the view with some tasty Latvian bread and pastries! The water was too cool for swimming, at least in my opinion... but it felt good to let a foot or hand dangle in it from the ... read more
October 13th 2010
Letztes Wochenende war ich in Cesis. Das ist eine kleiner Stadt ca. 80 km nord-östlich von Riga. Wir haben gute 2 Stunden mit dem Zug gebraucht (in Deutschland brauch ich für 45 km 35 min... ihr könnt euch vorstellen wie "schnell" die Züge hier fahren). Aber die lange Fahrt hat sich gelohnt. Das Örtchen Cesis ist sehr malerisch und hat eine sehr schöne Burganlage zu besichtigen (Rundgang mit Kerzen!!). Wieder belohnte uns das Wetter mit einem schönen Herbsttag. Leider kann man auf den Bildern die Farben der Blätter nicht so richtig sehen wie ich das gerne hätte. Der Herbst in Lettland ist wirklich einer der schönsten, den ich bisher gesehen habe. Viel gibt es zu dem Trip sonst nichts zu sagen, außer dass wir noch ne leckere Pizza gegessen haben ^^... read more
July 12th 2010
July 12 part 2 - The bus took about 45 minutes and put me there in Cesis around 4pm. So adventurous of me, as I normally think about going back to my hostel soon after that. I wanted to get the 6pm bus back to Riga, so I only had two hours to wander. I took some pictured of the church and then headed for the caste. So many in one day! But this one was also great. And had a free bathroom. So I went there first and washed my face in super cold water, which felt amazing. I am getting so tan, even with the sunscreen. But it's a farmer's tan. Anyway, when I started to head out they gave me a lantern with a candle in it to light the way inside the ... read more
May 20th 2009
This might be the last Blog . we will be going into Russia on Tuesday for 18 days I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. - Mark Twain May 20, 2009, Wednesday, Riga City Campground to Sigulda, Gauja National Park, to Cesis, Latvia. It was about 50 kilometers to Sigulda from Riga. After strolling around this lovely town we enjoyed a hot lunch at the Black Cat bakery/cafeteria. It rained again last night and the weather is cloudy and chilly 40ish. There is a nice hiking/mountain biking trail that follows the Gauja River, so we hiked for several hours before starting off for Cesis. Cesis is a quaint town, tomorrow we will take a closer look. Meanwhile, ... read more
A few days in the country - real Latvia!
Published: July 23rd 2007Europe » Latvia » Vidzeme Region » Cesis
July 23rd 2007
Hello bloggers... well we are now in Cesis (pronounced Cheses) - a small medieval town (what else?) in the country side about 1.5 hours from Riga, the capital of Latvia. Since our last update we had a couple of days in the university town of Tartu in Estonia - just what hte guidbook said .. a leafy treelined town with history although we didn't really get the mystical ambiance they talked about... From there we hit Riga and were rather dissapointed. The UNESCO preserved town square appears to apply to only one building - the rest were either ugly Soviet monstrosities or modelrn glass towers.... most of the old town had newer buildings spread in amongst the old ones (not like Tallin whch was really special and old worldy). So we didn't stay long (apart ... read more
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May 3rd 2007
We started the day picking up supplies from a local supermarket in Sigulda, and buying breakfast from the bakery attached to our hotel. This turned out to be a game of chance, with many sweet-looking baked goods containing meat, savoury-looking ones containing fruit and some apparently containing both... Our first stop was the medieval town of Cesis. First up, we visited a castle where we were given hard hats and candle lanterns and pointed in the right direction to explore dungeons and towers. In one room we found a archeologist in a smithy using authentic methods to recreate ancient metalwork found on the site and from the surrounding regions. In the grounds, they also had the town's statue of Lenin, lying on it's side as a poignant reminder of soviet occupation. Afterwards, we sat in a ... read more
January 25th 2006
As I updated the previous entries I am sitting in the same café I went to last night with Talitha. Our school visit was cancelled because their schedules are too packed due to school closings the past few days (because it was too cold for them!) so we have off until 1 pm. Since we are free I started the day off with a long PT and some good cheap coffee. I feels so privileged to be here living, truly living a wonderful great adventure. It may not always be easy but I can boldly keep going, knowing God is directing my path which will ultimately be to His glory. I never thought I would be sitting in a coffee house in Cesis, Latvia. How cool! And is it just because I said, “Here I am ... read more
January 24th 2006
After a quick breakfast of porridge and homemade strawberry jam, we all pilled into the vans to return to Latvia. We got to the location of our next concert without any mishaps. It was just a travel day so once we go there we had the day off until a youth meeting at night. Talitha and I went to a café where we each had a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of cake for approximately $4. Then we looked around the cute snow covered town. At the youth meeting (their youth leader is a formed JR Soldier) a few of us took turns speaking to encourage the youth. I spoke about the car incident, Elisa spoke about waiting on God to renew your strength, and Kaspars B gave his testimony (how God delivered him ... read more
