Boy, there is so much that we don't know about this part of the world!!
Instead of the usual intercity train or (in the Balkans and Baltics) bus, today we used a touring car transfer. 8 people plus a driver/guide met at 9:00am, stopped at 4 places along the way, and reached Riga at 9:00pm. It was a long day, but we saw and learned stuff we would not have seen otherwise. The only thing wrong with the day was that they have dropped Trakai Castle from the itinerary, and I purposely didn't go there yesterday because I thought we were going today. (sigh)
An hour out of Vilnius, we stopped at Kaunas, Lithuania's 2nd city, and
their capital from 1843-1915, and 1920-39. We had an hour to walk
around the old town, look into churches and take pics.
The castle, where they have concerts in the moat.
Local kinder kids, all in their hi-vis vests, going past this ancient C15 house, which is now a Jesuit learning centre.
A flood meter beside the river. In 1946 a flood came about 1.5m higher than this wall. There is now a hydro dam upstream which mitigates the problem.
Looking across the main square.
Looking into a courtyard off the square.
The Sts Peter and Paul cathedral, which has its origins back in about C14.
The cleaning lady, bathed in celestial glory.
Just as we were leaving, the organist started his rehearsal, so we stayed for a couple more minutes.
It looked a bit like a church, but we weren't sure.
Down the shopping street.
Then it was on to lunch in a lovely roadside restaurant,
before a 5min drive to the Hill of Crosses. This has a history going back to 1831, as a memorial to locals who fought Russians and during Russian times it was bulldozed down so often that it is hardly a hill any more. In recent years the number of crosses has blown out to over 500,000. Just as we got there, a huge storm hit, and we were like drowned rats, but we gradually dried out.
These days, vendors sell crosses, you can stick a cut-out or a picture on it, or write on the back in texta. They even come with a spike on the bottom. If you want to plant a special one more than 2m high, you have to get permission and it will be cemented in.
We crossed the border into Latvia without having to stop,
and stopped at Rundales Palace, built between 1736-40 and extended 1764-68, as a summer palace in the mould of Versailles. It has been used as various things since, eg military hospital, school, grain store, and was damaged in WW2. It was renovated 1972-2014.
A clockwork spit turner in the kitchen.
Ceiling roses.
Delft kitchen tiles from Netherlands.
Like Versailles, it has a beautiful garden, though not as vast. And because of the rain, there were puddles everywhere, and we couldn't walk around easily.
Before the renovation.
We couldn't walk the laryrinth, but traced it with our finger.
Lots of rose gardens across the front.
Our last stop was the Salaspils Memorial Park.
This was the site of a Nazi prisoner of war camp for dissident
academics, military personnel etc and their families from 1941, as well
as for Jews, who arrived even before the camp was finished. When the
Soviets took over the country, they continued the imprisonments (and
deaths). 20yrs after the end of the war, the Soviets made this memorial
park to encourage the population to think of them as the anti-nazi deliverers,
but everyone know that they were just as bad. Then, as now, it is a symbol of the
Baltic countries' fight for independence.
The entrance is under a tunnel made like a wall.
The size of the park is the size of the camp.
There are huge statues, but I can't now remember what they represented.
A woman hides her children. You can see from the people on the right just how big these are.
The memorial to the children.
I chose a bnb within walking distance of our drop off place, but we had to carry our bags to the 2nd floor. It's good otherwise.
Then it was on to lunch in a lovely roadside restaurant,
before a 5min drive to the Hill of Crosses. This has a history going back to 1831, as a memorial to locals who fought Russians and during Russian times it was bulldozed down so often that it is hardly a hill any more. In recent years the number of crosses has blown out to over 500,000. Just as we got there, a huge storm hit, and we were like drowned rats, but we gradually dried out.
We crossed the border into Latvia without having to stop,
and stopped at Rundales Palace, built between 1736-40 and extended 1764-68, as a summer palace in the mould of Versailles. It has been used as various things since, eg military hospital, school, grain store, and was damaged in WW2. It was renovated 1972-2014.
Like Versailles, it has a beautiful garden, though not as vast. And because of the rain, there were puddles everywhere, and we couldn't walk around easily.
I chose a bnb within walking distance of our drop off place, but we had to carry our bags to the 2nd floor. It's good otherwise.
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