Blogs from Latvia, Europe - page 6

In der Nacht hat es wieder geregnet, aber bis ich endlich aus der Tiefgarage kam war blauer Himmel. Und im Lauf des Vormittags wurde es sogar so warm (18°), dass ich die Sturmhaube, die bei Motorradfahrern im Winter und bei Bankräubern im ganzen Jahr so beliebt ist (weil nur ganz kleine Teile des Gesichts sichtbar sind) ausziehen konnte. Die erste Sehenswürdigkeit des Tages war der geographische Mittelpunkt Europas- leider konnte ich Paulchen nicht bis ganz dahin fahren, vorher war eine Holzbrücke und wie machte keinen sehr gesunden Eindruck. Verboten war es sowieso.... Und so toll, wie Berta am Äquator wäre es auch nicht gewesen. Aber ich bin schon erstaunt, dass der Mittelpunkt so weit im Osten ist. Leicht wellige Landschaft, Einzelhöfe, oft auf Anhöhen. Die Friedhöfe sind im ganzern Land immer außerhalb der Dörfer, oft in ... read more

Monday, 8 Sept – Gauja NP, Latvia Bankwest sent me an sms overnight saying they’d blocked my card, despite speaking to me only yesterday. Yet another call to get it unblocked. Useless! Besides, how on earth does a €48 hotel charge equate to A$676,000 (which is why they were calling). I’m pretty sure there’s no exchange rate in Europe that matches that equation. Don’t call me about stupid amounts. I am not buying a chateau, and even if I did, we both know you wouldn’t approve it even if I authorised it. €2.85 = A$3.96. This was how much our delightful breakfast cost at Hotel Lacu Miga (henceforth known as Hotel Knowles). We bounded down the stairs at 9am to find a different lady from the night before, smiling and talking to us in Latvian, or ... read more

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

Well this is it. The start of the 3rd week of school. I always say that the 3rd week is the determining week, when the kids are the craziest, your plans and to do list are highest, and it seems like it will never end. Our school is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. We had a big celebration the first day, with guest speakers, a flag raising ceremony, and cupcakes for everyone. It was simply nice. We will continue to celebrate throughout the year. Dave and I are getting better at learning our schedules and sharing our room. Everyone has been helpful and understanding as we work in our new school, new curriculum, and new country. Some of the things that make it purely different from last year: 1. Latvians give flowers for everything. It ... read more

Madona & Cesis Latvia 27 & 28 August We are now in Latvia after 2 hours going through the border at Terehova which is near Zilupe. It has been so very different being in Latvia compared with Russia; back to our alphabet, more English spoken, many camp sites for motor homes, excellent sign posting, easy to fine tourist offices, not the big distances to drive between towns, beautifully landscaped villages, back to the Euro, our GPS loves Europe(!), and lots of maps and information about special places to visit. I don't often compare countries because they are usually so different that it is unfair to compare, however we have immediately found it so much easier as soon as we entered Latvia. In saying all that, we wouldn't have missed seeing Russia for anything! As it was ... read more