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 20th 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.
No response to “Baltics - 19 June 2012 (2)”
Post a Comment