Baltics - 19 June 2012 (3)

Exploring Sigulda (2) - Turaida Museum Reserve

Turaida Church

While we were standing by Gutmanis cave, Aija told us the story of the Rose of Turaida.  Around 1620, two lovers, Victor and Maija (the Rose) had met in the cave and Maija had died there when a Polish deserter tried to rape her.

Daisy Covered Lawn

So the next stop was the Turaida Museum Reserve.

Once inside, we walked to the small church, lying on the main path of the reserve.  While the others were in the church, I marvelled at the lawns to the side and around the back.  They were almost white, being covered in masses of daisies.

Statue of Kronvalda Atis

We walked on up to Dainas Hill.  Dainas means folk song and the hill is an important symbol of the Singing Revolution (1987-1991), one of the landmark events in the move towards independence, when songs were used to protest against soviet rule.  Singing was also very important for Aija and she often sang folk songs to us when we were in the bus.

Dainas Hill is covered in granite sculptures.  The first statue was of Krišjānis Barons, being supported by a strong man, although it looked as if the strong man was his ear.  Krišjānis Barons is known as the Father of Folk Songs.  Aija said he collected 218,000 folk songs and spent his last years in the Gauja valley.  Every morning he climbed up the hill, so the Folk Song Hill was made there.  Aija said that the other sculptures represented folksongs.  As we walked past some of the statues, she sang the appropriate folksong.

Donjon Tower, Turaida Castle

At the far end of the hill was a stand of eleven trees.  Apparently, there had been twelve, but one died as did its replacement.  This would have been a sacred spot in pagan days, so I went and stood in the middle.

Turaida Castle from Donjon Tower

Then it was our turn to sing.  Aija told us to sing a song from our country.  Us English sang “Yesterday” and the Australians did “Waltzing Matilda”.  Flo tried singing the Canadian national anthem.  Despite the huge number of songs written in the USA, Susie sang a song no one else knew – and neither, as it soon turned out, did Susie, so she gave up.  We sang “Danny Boy” for Charlie and he looked quite moved.  I would have liked to have done a “Crowded House” one for him.  Bob and Ann sang a Welsh song and we all helped May with a rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”.  Then Aija got us to join in with the chorus of a Latvian folksong.  It was all fun, but we stood still for so long that I got bitten through my leggings by some vicious insects.

Turaida Castle & River Gauja from Donjon Tower

Then we walked on to Turaida Castle, where Aija pointed out all the buildings and left us alone to explore.

I wanted to walk on the walls, so I climbed the stairs of the building next to the walkway – only to find that it was a dead end.  So I went down and tried the “donjon” tower.  Two flights of stairs took me to a jewellery shop, which was a bit incongruous.  Another four flights, including three long winding flights, took me to the top.

Turaida Castle from Donjon Tower

The view over the meandering River Gauja was magnificent.  I could also look down on the other castle buildings and all the other sights on the reserve.

Turaida Castle across River Gauja

I allowed myself a brief recovery from the climb and looked out of all the windows in every direction.  I could see May and Janet down below and tried, in vain, to attract their attention.

Then I prepared myself for the descent.  There were no handrails on the winding flights, but I could keep contact with the walls and go down sideways, one stair at a time.  Three flights down, I passed Janet on her way up.  I had a rest in the jewellery shop and then reached the bottom without mishap.

I walked back to the entrance and spotted Aija having a coffee.  It was very warm, so I got an orange juice and sat with her just beside the exit.  The others started to gather and we were all back on the bus for 17.00.  We were so good at meeting Aija’s deadlines.

Baltics - 19 June 2012 (2)

Exploring Sigulda (1)

It was a very short drive to Sigulda, but we didn’t stop at our hotel.  Instead we drove on to see the local sights.  First stop was the new Sigulda Castle.

New Sigulda Castle

We parked up close to an army of small soldiers made of metal and stone and then walked through a small park with some statues.

Model Army, Sigulda

Statue in grounds of new Sigulda Castle

The statues included one of Kronvalda Atis, who Aija said was a publicist, a philologist, a linguist and a pedagogue.  He did a lot for the development of Latvian language and also introduced some new words into the Latvian language.

Kronvalda Atis, new Sigulda Castle

To our left as we walked, there was a building which was due for restoration.  It was covered by ten photos, dating back to the early 20^th century, showing people holidaying in the area.

Sigulda Castle Ruins

We didn’t go into the new Sigulda Castle, but just looked at the outside.  We walked to the rear to see the ruins of the old castle and the view over the valley from the lookout.  We could see Krimulda Manor on the far side.

Krimulda Manor

Next stop was Gūtmaņala (Gutmanis Cave).  This is the largest cave in the Baltics and has a spring. Its water is said to make you look younger, so I tried splashing my face.  Some people even tried drinking it – perhaps they were more desperate! 

Gūtmaņala (Gutmanis Cave)

Next to Gūtmaņala was the smaller Victor's Cave.

Victor's Cave

More than anything, I was really taken with the wildflowers which surrounded us as we walked from the bus to the caves.

Baltics - 19 June 2012 (1)

Cēsis

Old Guildhouse, Rīgas iela, Cēsis

Old Wooden Buildings, Cēsis

I got up at 05.45, having read for 30 minutes.  Looking outside, there were blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  I was ready early, so I finished my book before breakfast.  Breakfast was very good and the staff were efficient at topping things up.

St John's Church, Cēsis

Old Man of Time and his Lantern, Cēsis

I left as soon as I was done and went back to the room.  There were now grey skies and heavy rain.  There was enough time for a quick change of clothes, but I kept my sandals and skirt out in case things improved.

We were all on the bus for 08.00, heading for Cēsis, with a final stop in Sigulda in the Gauja National Park.

New Castle, Ladermaher Tower

We had a brief rest stop in Madona.  While we stood in the car park, waiting for the others to come back, I couldn’t help noticing how many Latvians had small dogs.  Several people got out of their cars, accompanied by small bundles of fur.

New Castle, Cēsis

I slept on the bus and so missed the scenery and wildlife.  Janet said that she had seen three stork nests.  Ian had seen a large brown bird of prey take off from a field but had been unable to identify it.

We reached Cēsis just after 11.00 and went for a short walk around the town.  We walked down Rīgas iela, the main street and reached the market place.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t market day, so it was all very quiet.  The others looked at St John’s Church on the square and then we walked to the castle.

Cēsis Castle, West Tower, First Bailey

Cēsis Castle, Southwest Bridge

There are two adjacent castles – the new castle and the ruins of the older castle.  To get to the ruins, we had to walk through the new castle, which holds an exhibition.  Some of us were given lanterns with candles to negotiate some dark stairs.  Before we went in, Aija warned us about the stairs and issued a disclaimer that she would not take any responsibility if we went up.  She wouldn’t let Roberta climb.

Cēsis Castle, Western Tower & Southern Section

Cēsis Castle, Southern Tower

We went in and headed for the main part of the ruins.  I decided to go in the tower, but only went as far as the duke’s bedroom.  After the others went up to the top of the tower, I decided to try to join them, but it got too dark after a while, so I went back down to the bedroom.  A nice French couple let me go down to ground level with them so that I could see by their lantern.  Then I restricted my explorations to ground level.

Cēsis Castle, Bailey Wall

Castle Park from Cēsis Castle

I headed back to the new castle and had a quick look round the exhibition.  I missed the group diversion to the burial place of a statue of Lenin.  It had been removed from a square and then hidden from view.

Cēsis Castle, Eastern Corner

Cēsis Castle, Southwestern Rooms

Leaving the castle, we walked past May Park with its fountains and the others went with Aija to a self-service restaurant.  I was suffering hot chocolate withdrawal symptoms, so May and I went to a coffee shop on Rīgas iela.  As well as our drinks, we both had pieces of a very chocolaty cake as lunch.  The barista wrote “nice day” on my hot chocolate and “Cēsis” on May’s cappuccino.

May Park, Cēsis

Lunch, Cēsis

At the end of the street was the Raunas Gate.  Here were some lovely flower arrangements and a huge picture frame.  May and I had a bit of fun, standing in the frame and taking photos of ourselves.  Some passers-by had a chuckle at these crazy tourists.

A Crazy Tourist in the Frame, Raunas Gate, Cēsis 

Flowers, Rīgas iela, Cēsis

Flowers by Victory Monument, Cēsis

We risked life and limb walking to the centre of Vienības Square at the top of Rīgas iela, but we wanted to see all the flowers and the Victory Monument.  Vienības Square is open to traffic, which uses the monument as a roundabout.  May was impressed with the architecture of a bank, near the entrance to a side street.  The building consisted of a very modern spire attached to some older buildings.

Victory Monument, Cēsis

Modern Building, Cēsis

Our plan was to sit in the gardens behind the Victory Monument, but we spotted the others before we could sit down.  They had already finished their meal, so we were all back on the bus at 13.15 as ordered.

As we drove out of town, we passed Castle Park behind the castle and the Christ Transfiguration Orthodox Church.  Further on there were some 18^th century wooden buildings.

Castle Park, Cēsis

18th Century Wooden Building, Cēsis

Back in the countryside, there were some lovely deep pink wild flowers as well as more lupins.

Baltics - 18 June 2012 (5)

Evening in Rēzekne

Then we all piled back on the bus and headed to Rēzekne.  It wasn’t far and we were soon checking into the Hotel Kolonna.  Our room was nice, if a little cramped, and was very Scandinavian in style.  The pillows were half-sized but the bed was very comfortable and there was a nice rag rug on the floor.  The walls were very thin, so we could hear Janet talking on one side and Ian and Charlie on the other.

River Rēzekne

May and I went to the hotel restaurant – Restaurant Rozalija – where we were joined by Ken.  As hotel restaurants go, it was very pleasant and we sat next to the window beside the river.  I had a pizza and May and Ken had chicken.  With fresh orange juice and a very nice chocolate ice cream and peach juice concoction my meal cost LVL5.70.

Rēzekne Castle

Then May and I went out to explore the town.  Rēzekne was definitely a work in progress.  There were road works and building works everywhere.  Just up from the hotel, the main street was completely dug up.  We both thought that it would be a really happening town once the work was finished.  The pavements were being paved beautifully and it looked like a new grass-roofed centre was being built next to the castle mound.  Work was also going on beside the river and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, which had some big cracks, was being repaired.

Rēzekne Castle

We were looking for the castle, when we met Craig.  We pretended he was a local and asked if he spoke English and if he knew where the castle was.  He pointed through an arch and we were able to see it.  We climbed a steep flight of steps to the top of the castle mound to find there wasn’t that much of the castle left.

Garden in Rēzekne

We carefully picked our way through the broken glass which littered the grass.  A young couple were sitting on the rubble.  They said something, so we said “hello”.  I think they were surprised to see some foreign visitors – and British to boot – but said “hello” too.  Then we walked right round the mound and went back down.

We crossed the river and walked past a garden which seemed completely given over to growing vegetables so that it resembled an allotment.  I guess many people do this as it would have been very useful during the soviet days of food shortages and long queues.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral

Monument to Red Army Soldiers

We walked up the main road to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, which we had seen from the castle mound.  It was made of brick, which glowed in the setting sun.  Ever the architect, May was fascinated by the cracks.  The two towers were braced to prevent their collapse.

We turned round and headed back down the main road.  We had to walk round the road closure at the bottom and it was difficult crossing the road to the hotel as the pavements on both sides had been dug up.  Luckily there wasn’t much traffic.