Bauska and Rondales Pils

---

We spent Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening in Bauska. We went to Pastor Andrejs' church and then to Rondales Pils. This country is so full of history that it is hard to absorb.

Rondales Pils was built by a German Duke. It is in the process of restoration, which started in the 1930s. This process takes a long time and much money. My favorite part, though, were the gardens. There was a formal garden with hedges and roses. I was pretending that I was some foreign dignitary at the pils visiting and how we would stroll down the rows. In center is a lovely fountain. There is also an outdoor theater and gazebo.

A sad part of the history of the pils is that when Latvia was taken over by the Soviet Union, it was dishonored, as were all Latvian historical places. It was used as a military based during WWI, a grain storehouse from 1946-52 and also as a school. Much of the time spent restoring is from damages from those stages. This makes us hope that in the future we can appreciate each other's cultures better so as not to repeat this.

---

Photos

gardens at Rondales Pils
part of garden and side view of palace - this is not a post card!!!

Rondales Pils
Our group on stairs to second floor

fountain at Rondales Pils
Our group in front of fountain at Rondales Pils

Church in Bauska
Pastor Andrejs, Associate Pastor Maris, and Barb