Thursday, August 22, 2024
Today, we boarded the bus at 8:30 am for an hour-long ride northeast of Riga to the Gauja National Park which encompasses the forested Gauja River valley and its cliffs and caves. Our first stop was at the medieval Turaida Castle. From the bus parking lot, we followed Zane to the visitors center to pay for our admission, then walked up a hill to the castle. First, Zane narrated us through a museum in one of the castle’s red-bricked buildings explaining the castle’s history. We then had time to explore on our own. Jeff and I climbed the tower for a great view of the castle and surrounding river valley. Then, on our way back to the bus, we strolled through some of the pathways on the grounds that featured varied stone monuments honoring Latvian folk music.
—— Turaida Castle ——
Our next stop in the national park was at Gutman’s cave. We parked in a visitor center parking lot and walked through a green space to the cave. The short hike was nice but the cave wasn’t too impressive especially considering that it is purported to be the largest one in the Baltics.
——Gutman’s Cave ——
Next, we rode to the Sigulda Castle grounds. As we walked through the gates we encountered the Sigulda New Castle built in 1878. The modern castle was stately and its grounds were beautifully groomed. Beyond the new castle and across a bridge was the original medieval-era Sigulda Castle built in the 13th century by the Livonia Brothers of the Sword. Peering over the rear walls of the castle provided a wonderful view of the Guaja River valley. The red bricks of the Toraida Castle tower that we had just visited were visible and contrasted with the green forest background.
—— Sigulda Castles ——
We then boarded the bus and on the way back to Riga, made a stop at the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum. Jeff and I were the only two signed up for this two o’clock excursion, so we disembarked with Zane. The open-air museum promotes traditional Latvian culture and lifestyle. It is huge with 118 relocated buildings and thousands of artifacts representing all four regions of Latvia, all located on a forested 87 ha property along the shores of Jugla Lake.
Jeff and I had a personal guide who wore traditional apparel and led us through a representative portion to the museum. We saw and learned about traditional farm houses and barns, a house of worship, an outdoor well, a windmill, dowery/travel chests, and much more. At the end of our tour, Jeff and I were hungry and had time to enjoy a late lunch of traditional soup and bread at an outdoor picnic table before returning to the entrance to meet Zane and catch our van back to the hotel.
—— Enthographic Open-Air Museum ——
After a brief rest in our hotel rooms, Jeff and I joined the group to walk back to Old Town Riga for our traditional dinner. On the walk to the restaurant, we passed through a vintage car and motocycle rally that had gathered around the Freedom Monument. The meal was tasty: potato puree with truffle cheese for a starter, flounder fillet with parsley puree for the main course, and a raspberry tart for dessert.
—— Rally at Freedom Monument and Our Dinner Venue ——
After walking back to the hotel, Jeff and I decided to go to the hotel’s top floor bar for a drink and a nighttime view of Riga. We were joined by a couple in our group from Hastings, NZ. I decided to order a Clavis Riga cocktail made with Riga black balsam, rhubarb liqueur, white chocolate, pomegranate syrup, and apple juice. It was delicious, and not sweet as I had feared. After our nightcap, we returned to our respective rooms for some well-earned sleep.