Jurkalne, Alsunga and Rundale Palace

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19 July 2019

A busy but very memorable day.

We started by driving 50k southwards along the coast to the village of Jurkalne where we found a remote and beautiful beach which unusually for the Baltic was backed by fairly high sandstone cliffs.

Inland from Jurkalne is a small enclave peopled by the catholic Suiti people who speak a distinct Latvian dialect and have a unique traditional dress and method of singing. We stopped off at the main village in the area, Alsunga, and were impressed how much effort is being put into maintaining the local traditions.

Then it was a 180k drive south west to Rundale Palace, an ostentatious building and gardens built for Baron Ernst Johann Biron. We had a guided tour round the inside, dinner in the restaurant and finally a walk around the gardens in magical evening subshine.

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