Blogs from Latvia, Europe

In general drivers have their eyes on the road. Navigators however have their eyes everywhere. That is why Linda sees more than me, while we are driving from Tallinn in Estonia to Riga in Latvia. Now and then she shouts things out, like: ‘Wow, a herd of deer there in the fields. Maybe ten.’ Or: ‘Look there, a flock of cranes’. Or: ‘What a beautiful dunes there behind the trees.’Or: ‘Oh no, thousands of birds there in the swamps. Cannot we stop here?’ ‘Impossible’, I say. To stop on these narrow roads with a big truc behind you means euthanasy, or better: just thanasy. But when we drive along the Baltic coast there is an opportunity to make a stop indeed. There is a beach. Linda is full enthusiasm. ‘What a beautiful beach!’ It is cold ... read more

Un pays de plus, même si tous les trois (JJ, Pollux et moi-même) y sommes déjà venus. La Lettonie, en forme longue la république de Lettonie (en letton : Latvija et Latvijas Republika), est un pays d'Europe du Nord faisant partie des pays baltes. Située sur la rive orientale de la mer Baltique, elle possède des frontières terrestres avec la Lituanie au sud, l'Estonie au nord, la Russie à l'est, la Biélorussie au sud-est et une frontière maritime avec la Suède à l'ouest. La Lettonie est un État membre de l'Union européenne depuis le 1er mai 2004 et de la zone euro depuis le 1er janvier 2014. Redevenue indépendante en 1991, comme la Lituanie et l'Estonie avant même l'effondrement total de l'Union soviétique, la Lettonie n'adhère pas à la CEI. La Lettonie accorde la nationalité et ... read more

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 ... read more

17 June 2019 After a lazy morning, we cycled through the beach side park adjacent to the site, along Ventspils quay and into the old town.... read more

15 July 2015 There were a few things we wanted to do in Riga so we took the local train back into the city. We had a look around the Central market which is located in some old Zeplin hangers. In the Lutheran Cathedral we heard an amazing organ recital which seemed to make use of every one of its 6768 pipes. It was made more enjoyable because a video was played of the organist’s fingers flashing across the four keyboards whilst his feet operated the numerous pedals. Riga is situated by the wide River Daugava and a canal winds through the city from and back to the river. We took a pleasant boat trip along both.... read more