Baltics Whisper

Why Latvia?

Latvia was the first European country with a fully planned trip I made myself. We wanted to go to Europe, but had a limited budget and time – only ten days, so the choice was to go to Baltic countries. Initially, we were going to drive around Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, hitchhiking between them, but we bought bus tickets to one of the countries to make it easier to get a visa. The cheapest flights were to Latvia, and that is why we decided to travel there.

Now I can say that Latvia is an ideal country for those who want to travel to Europe for the first time, but are afraid of the language barrier and don’t wish to spend a lot of money. Experienced travelers will also find this country interesting. Unfortunately, Latvia is often underestimated. Our compatriots and neighbors often perceive it as an intermediate point on the way to “real Europe”. Europeans, on the contrary, go there to look at the post-communist country. But don’t think that after wandering through the streets of Riga before the low-cost flight or lying on the beach of Jurmala means saw a real Latvia.

I got the impression that in this country they are seriously investing in the development of tourism. I would describe it with an English proverb: “If you can’t have the best, make the best of what you have”). There are not so many world-famous architectural monuments, impressive natural sights or places with a very ancient history – for instance, only two sites from Latvia are included in the UNESCO list. But in each more or less attractive city an information center was equipped, and twenty Latvian beaches were awarded the Blue Flag (a sign of quality and safe swimming). Even a little interesting thing here is turned into a landmark: from the destroyed forts to the telescope of the radio astronomy center. Looking at such a respect for their history, I would like to express respect for the Latvians and even feel envious.

Housing

We did not spend a dime on housing thanks to couchsurfing for ten days of our stay in Latvia. It is not difficult to find a host in Riga: there are more than 700 users from this city who are ready to receive guests. In other places, the situation is different: in the second largest city Daugavpils, the population is seven times smaller than in Riga, the third largest Liepaja is nine times smaller. In the cities where we were, there were usually no more than ten active hosts, so I advise you to contact them in advance. We managed to find a “couch” in Riga, Liepaja and Kuldiga, we spent the night a couple of times in a tent.

Housing prices in the Latvian capital are encouraging: a night in a hostel starts from €5. In other cities, things are not so pleasant: the cheapest option from Bucking in Ventspils is from €10, in Liepaja is from €12, in Kuldigastarts from €19, and in Cesis €25. If you prefer to inspect the country at a dynamic pace and want to save money, you can make Riga a transit poi, just like us. The distances to different cities in the country are very small: if you wish, you can move out of the capital in the early morning, inspect any city and return back in the evening.

Transport

We moved across Latvia by hitchhiking. According to our host from Liepaja, who has traveled around sixty countries this way, hitchhiking in his homeland is one of the best in the world. I would not give say that, but I confirm that hitchhiking is convenient and fast in the country. The average waiting time for our couple was about 10 minutes, the maximum – an hour. A pleasant surprise was that many drivers are willing to spend a little time and gas to take you straight to the place. Once the driver not only drove us extra fifteen kilometers to our point, but also shared his phone number so that we could contact him if we would not find anyone on the way back.

Besides hitchhiking, we tried intercity trains: we drove from Riga to Sigulda (about 50 kilometers). Tickets cost us €1.9. It was quite comfortable, although the train was completely covered in drawings. Check schedules and routes at the Pasažieruvilciens (PV) website.

The places that are impossible to reach by train provide intercity buses. A ticket from Riga to Sigulda costs €2.75, to Ventspils €7.55, and from Liepaja to Kuldigu €3.85. Check out the schedule and prices here, and on a separate portal you can buy tickets online, but with a slight extra charge.

National cuisine

In Latvia they are crazy about rye bread. So much so that they do not just eat it, but add it to different dishes. For example, here you can try bread ice cream or bread yogurt with prunes. And also bread soup, which is treated as a dessert. It is made from dried fruits and bread itself and seasoned with cream. Another local dish is made from rye flour – sclandrausis – an open pasty with vegetable filling (usually boiled potatoes and carrots mixed with egg and watered with sour cream).

As a main dish I advise you to try gray peas, which are cooked with onions and smoked bacon. And for dessert, try out the Old Riga cake with curd cream.

Most of the Latvian cuisine dishes can be enjoyed in the Lido restaurant, and the Old Riga cakes and bread yogurts can be bought in supermarkets.

Language

There is practically no language barrier in Latvia: as a rule, the younger generation speaks English, the older people speak Russian. Of all the drivers who picked us only one spoke English, he was a Dutchman.

It was only once that we have communication difficulties. In Kuldiga, we wandered into the working canteen, which miraculously got into the guidebook. Only local people dined in it, the menu hung on the wall just like in the school canteen and was only in Latvian, and food was placed in huge pans andcasserole, so there was not even a chance to understand what was there. I addressed the woman who served the food in Russian, and she answered in Latvian. I repeated my question in English – and then she switched to Russian.

The situation with the language in the country is closely related to the historical context. After the USSR collapse, only 2/3 of the population of the country received Latvian citizenship: citizens of the pre-war Latvian Republic and their descendants. The rest are mostly Russians, as well as Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Poles and a number of other peoples living in the territory of Latvia who received the status of “non-citizen”. In 2013 there were about 80 differences in rights between citizens and non-citizens: for example, the latter cannot take part in elections, hold a number of positions, there are economic and other restrictions for them. To obtain the status of a citizen, it is required to undergo the “naturalization” procedure: to give an oath of allegiance to the country, pay a fee, pass an examination on the knowledge of the Latvian language, constitution, hymn and history. At the same time, back in the 90s, the Russian language ceased to be the state language.

At the moment, a little more than 10% of people who have not received citizenship still live in the country: some consider the procedure itself unfair, some are not ready to pay a fee and others do not know the language sufficiently to pass the exam. However, not all Latvians like that people live in their country who don’t want to master the state language and speak it. According to a 2005 survey, 47% of Latvians believed that the interests of Russian-speaking people in the country were taken into account even more than they should. 68% of Russian speakers, on the contrary, believed that their rights were infringed. To this day, the relationship between the two nations in the country is slightly electrified.

Route

In the Latvian Visa Center we were provided with a couple of guidebooks, I found more information on the official tourism portal of Latvia. Initially, I wanted to make all the Baltic countries on a ten-day trip, but, having studied a dozen booklets and websites, I realized that there was simply not enough time for Lithuania and Estonia.

I marked points on the map that were interesting to us, and that how we’ve made our route: arriving to Riga, visiting the country to the east of it, then to the west, and finally coming back to the Latvian capital to take the bus to get back home.

Riga and Jurmala

Riga became the first European capital I visited. I was delighted with everything: organ music from churches, paving stones and tiled roofs, euro prices… But no, these were rather upsetting. I studied a bunch of guidebooks, and did not want to miss a single point stated there. I enthusiastically wandered around the Town Hall Square, tried to capture in the frame houses nestled close to each other, known as the Three Brothers, and looked out for black cats on the roof of the house, the owner of which, wanted to revenge the person who had not accepted him in a merchant guild, turned the sculptures with their butts showing out of the window. However, the guide already gives enough information about Riga.

As for the places not mentioned there, I would recommend the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (Brīvdabasiela 21), where more than a hundred ancient wooden buildings were brought from all over the country. In the warm season (from May to September), the entrance price is €4, for full-time students – €2; in the cold (from November to April) – €2 and €1.4, respectively. In the summer, artisans demonstrate their skills at the museum. We spent almost half a day walking and had a cheap lunch at a pub in the park.

I also advise you to visit the Latvian National Library (Mūkusalasiela 3). Although many locals find it ugly, but inside it looks very pretty. You can inspect the building along with an excursion in Russian, which is booked by phone on weekdays and costs €2. I also walked around the library for free with our host, seeing floors 1 through 8. The library’s website says that on Sunday, the 11th and 12th floors are also available for visitors.

We visited Jurmala on the eve of our departure, and we found it rather boring from an excursion point of view, although there are more than a hundred monuments of wooden architecture of national importance here. But it is well suited for a holiday resort: a third of the Latvian beaches that received the Blue Flag is concentrated here, and the total length of the landscaped coastline is 26 kilometers.

Sigulda

We went to Sigulda to visit castles, there are as many as three there: the medieval Turaida, the destroyed Krimulda and the more modernized is Sigulda Palace. Half a day is enough to go across all of them, while you will admire the views of the Gauja valley and you can really appreciate several objects unique to Latvia.

Firstly, it is Gutmanya cave (57.176235, 24.842062) 18.8 meters deep, 12 meters wide and 10 meters high. Those who are keen on spelunking or have just once been in caves are hardly impressed with such dimensions, but this is the largest cave in the Baltic countries. Secondly, the Krimulda castle from the opposite side of the river can be reached by the only cable tram in the country. The views are luxurious, but the price in 7 minutes is unreasonably high – €8 one way. Right from the tram you can jump with a bungee, but this activity is even more expensive – €60. For extreme sports fans, there are other attractions in Sigulda: for example, a 1200 meter long bobsleigh track and an obstacle course at a height of 20 meters in Tarzāns, the largest adventure park in the Baltic.

Cesis

Cesis is one of the oldest cities in Latvia, more than 800 years old. Its main attraction is the country’s largest castle of the Livonian Order, which is also called Vendensky, named after the people who lived in these places.

To enter the Cēsis Castle, the summer season (from May to September) is €4 (for students – €2.5), in the winter (from October to April) – €3 (€ 1.5). To visit the museum in the new castle you will have to pay €2 (schoolchildren and students – €1). We bought a full ticket, but we came to the conclusion that exploring the castle would have been enough. I not only climbed the whole building, went down to the prisoners’dungeon, but also watched the blacksmiths’ work, learned about the medieval kitchen from the gardener and took part in the entertainment of that time – practiced fencing with a wooden sword and made a dozen steps on stilts. When walking through the castle park, I advise you to find a wooden “box”, there you are going to see the dismantled monument to Lenin, who used to stand on the main square of the city, now is preserved in the museum.

Liepaja

This seaside city in western Latvia brags about the largest mechanical organ instrument in the world and the third largest port in the country. Today, the harbor is used only for trading, but earlier a third of the city was occupied by the military port, the so-called “Karosta” in Latvian.

The construction of the largest naval military base in the Russian Empire began here at the end of the XIX century. It was from here in 1905 that the Russian fleet went to the Pacific Ocean to participate in the Russian-Japanese war. But the place for the base was initially chosen unsuccessfully – only 40 kilometers from the border with the potential enemy, Germany. Soon the First World War began, and all the defenses were destroyed by order of the commander of the Baltic Fleetfearing that they would get to the enemy they were never used. The blown-up forts have survived to this day and are popular among tourists.

Submariners were based herein the Soviet years, and “Karosta” became a closed military town. Today this area can be visited by anyone and one can admire the architectural contrasts – imperial buildings and typical Soviet houses, abandoned, unfinished or inhabited. We wandered here to visit the Karosta Prison Museum (Invalīduiela 4). On the official website, this place is positioned as “the only prison in Europe open to tourists,” “from which no one escaped.” But this does not indicate the security or scale of the building: in fact, this is anadvertising trick. From the Tsarist times to the end of the last century there was not a prison here but a guardhouse, where military personnel were serving disciplinary sentences. The maximum term of imprisonment did not exceed a month, so there was no sense to run away.

The guardhouse still had time to serve the Russian Empire, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and after it was abandoned, local enthusiasts decided to transform the building into a museum. The admiration for how prudently and creatively Latvians use the opportunities to attract tourists first came to me here. For €5 you can take the basic tour, where they get you through the cells and tell about the history of the place, and for €15 you can even spend the night. Large groups by a pre-arranged setup can feel the prison life by taking part in the show “Behind the bars”. Although children are allowed on the tour, and the guide constantly makes jokes, the guardhouse has retained its gloomy atmosphere. Today Liepāja is the musical capital of Latvia, where the Summer Sound festival takes place every summer. Thanks to this, the city has developed new sights like the glass concert hall “Big Amber” and the Walk of Fame of Latvian musicians. It took us less than a day to inspect all these places, despite the fact that we had time to swim in the Baltic Sea on the Blue Flag city beach.

Kuldiga

Kuldiga is probably the most comfortable city in Latvia I have been to. Only 13 thousand people live here, it can be walked from edge to edge in an hour, and the historical center of the city is included in the national UNESCO list. But we came here first of all for the sake of two waterfalls.

The first one is the Alekshupitsky Falls (56.969851, 21.975383) on the Alekshupite River looks very nice, but it is not very impressive, although being 4.5 meters high it became the highest in Latvia. The second one is Ventas-Rumba (56.967965, 21.978900) on the Venta River was awarded a higher rank: its width from 100-110 meters to almost 280 during the flood made it the widest in Europe. But don’t imagine it like the Latvian Niagara: its maximum height is slightly more than two meters, so that it resembles a river rapid rather than a waterfall. It is best to come here in spring or fall to see how the migrating salmon overcome Ventas-Rumba flying it over.

Ventspils

A City with a Future

The first impression about Ventspils I had when I was still on the way to it. The woman driving us told us about the local amusement park and its key object – the ski hill ” Lemberg’s Hat”. The mountain is remarkable because it emerged at the site of the landfill: the landfill was mothballed, treated, covered with construction debris, covered with turf, planted with grass and equipped with springboards and lifts. The garbage heap, which has become a popular holiday destination, was named in honor of the long-term mayor of the city of Lembergs.

One of the mottos of Ventspils is “a city with a future”. And the truth is, there one does not feel the usual depression and ruin for the province. Progressive trends here are illustrated not only by the dump. So, in 2002, the city took part in the Cow Parade, which is an international artistic event, in which artists make creative sculptures of cows and exhibit them in various places of the city. After that, the monuments are sold at auctions, and the money goes to charity. Ventspils became the first city in Eastern Europe to take part in the parade. Out of 26 cows that decorated the city at the time of the event, only six were not sold. But the parade inspired the residents and authorities of the city, and soon new cows began to appear on the streets, and in 2012, the Cow Parade was repeated once more. Walking through Ventspils, you constantly meet sculptures of artiodactyls: from a fashionable cow admiring in the mirror, to a police cow or a cheerleader watching football on TV with the master. These works of art not only cheer up the locals, but also attract a lot of tourists.

You can find all cows on the map, which is issued at the tourist information center. Here you can buy vents, the local currency, which can be partially paid for overnight stays in hotels, visiting sights, lunch in a cafe and other services. For instance, a full ticket to the Livonian Castle (Jāņaiela 17), the oldest medieval fortress in Latvia, which appearance has remained almost unchanged costs €2.5 euros or €1.8 and 70 vents. Another way to get local currency is to earn it on the official tourist portal of the city by completing tasks.

Ventspils suburbs

Approximately 25 kilometers north of Ventspils is the oldest preserved lighthouse in Latvia called Ovishsky (57.568629, 21.715996). I have never seen such structures in my life, so in the evening we decided to get to it and spend the night nearby. Our imagination painted photographs that I had to do there: a snow-white tower, which rises majestically on the coast and is illuminated by the last rays of the sun. But I was disappointed: the lighthouse was located in the middle of the forest and at a height of 37 meters was completely not noticeable among the crowns of trees from the shore. The knowledge of the laws of optics suggested that the structure could be clearly seen from the sea, but this did not make me feel better.

Frustrated by the lighthouse, we decided to reach another former military facility until the sun had set, – an abandoned military base 10 kilometers from Ovishi. In Soviet times, it was called Ventspils-8 and was engaged in space reconnaissance and interception of signals from other military bases. The officers and their families lived in the specially built village of Irbene, which was abandoned after the collapse of the USSR. It’s like we’ve ended up in a smaller copy of Pripyat, where you can walk around empty and office buildings.

The smallest of the three radio telescopes possessed by Ventspils-8 was taken out by Russian soldiers, and the other two remained to this day. The main one is “Saturn” (57.553731, 21.855167); it is 47 meters high and is among the ten largest in the world. Today it is used for scientific purposes.

Traveler-bloggers write that it is possible to make up for a guided tour with the staff, but we arrived in the evening before the weekend, so we could not verify it. But from the side the telescope looks very impressive and worth to see it. And the next day, we again returned to the lighthouse with the guys driving us, and we went on a tour just for €0.7.