Latvia Part 1

Almost unnoticed, we cross the border into Latvia. If it weren't for the old customs houses... we wouldn't have noticed. Immediately, the style of the houses changes. No more Scandinavian wooden houses are visible. Instead, it's more like gray concrete buildings, like in Russia. Our first destination is the Gauja National Park in the interior of the country. A huge area (through which the Gauja River flows) has been declared a national park. Our way there takes us into the hinterland. We drive past old farms. The area is sparsely populated. Only every now and then do we pass farms that show signs of poverty. The buildings are old, gray, and mostly very dilapidated. It's harvest time and the farmers are in the fields. We see ancient combines and people piling up the hay to dry by hand. Time seems to have stood still here. We pass through the town of Limbazi and see ancient houses that are all quite dilapidated. Limbazi was certainly once a great little town... a long time ago. The houses would be super beautiful if they hadn't been left to decay. Everything is pretty gray and the streets are more like patchwork than roads. The only new thing we see are radar devices on every corner... sponsored by the EU (well, they should have invested that money in new roads). We rumble along the streets and everything shakes in the bus, and the dog and we are shaken up properly. Latvian trucks overtake us with extremely daring maneuvers (sweat sweat)...

At the great Zagarkalns campground on the Gauja River, we check in. The thermometer shows 34 degrees. We're going to stay here for a while... process the great Estonia... and arrive in beautiful Latvia. The area here by the river is very picturesque. The campground has a good vibe. The operators are young people. We have sandy beaches by the river and great forests. In the back corner, among the trees, we discover a quiet spot that is meant to be ours. We park our Knut and set everything up and then it happens again... the Kopp phenomenon kicks in full force. Just when we have everything set up in our quiet corner, exactly 35 people from Poland with tents come and totally surround us. In no time, we are surrounded by a huge tent city. This can't be true. Goodbye peace and quiet. We are surrounded by a noise level in the Polish language. OK... we won't let it spoil our mood. A little behind us, a German couple arrives with a great over 40-year-old Mercedes-Benz bus. We strike up a conversation (of course, we Mercedes vintage fans among us) and get to know Ralf the teacher and Sabine the educator from Bavaria. The sympathy is immediate and we chat and chat and chat. In the evening (the Poles sing Polish folk songs by the campfire next to us), we are still sitting together. We drink a few schnapps... We sit until late at night and have a really great evening with the two of them. The conversations don't end, there is a lot of laughter, and too soon it's late at night and we have to stop due to campground quiet hours. The next morning, (this time Kilian is the one who is hit, hehe), the hangover hits him hard. Kilian suffers and looks really bad. I am amused... because I feel great. Was the last Becherovka bad??!! - The next morning, Ralf and Sabine continue towards Estonia, and we decide to move to a quieter spot. Said and done, on the other side of the campground we find an empty spot with trees and therefore shade, and we park our Knut there. We enjoy the peace and quiet and then... (it's really unbelievable).. the Kopp phenomenon follows us again. Suddenly crowds of people behind us and around us. We peek around the corner behind our Knut and yes indeed... right behind us, a champagne reception is being set up by locals. Car after car arrives... somewhere behind the campground in the forest, there is an event with an open-air cinema tonight. And the whole village is there. And right behind us is the meeting point for everyone. Can this really be happening? We take it in stride... there's nothing we can do about it... we're planning to leave tomorrow anyway. The next morning, we pack up and drive to the beautiful town of Cesis. It's amazing to see how the countries differ in the architectural styles of the houses. Here in Cesis, the Russian influence is evident. It's also possible to imagine that the town was probably a thriving city during the Soviet regime. We see many old buildings with ornamental decorations on the walls. But unfortunately, here too, everything is decaying and only a few houses are being maintained. The only new thing is a new cobblestone street that is currently being built through the city. We also visit the castle, which is directly adjacent to the town. Some towers are still standing... some are currently being renovated... and some old masonry remains. In addition, there is a beautiful sky-blue Russian Orthodox church with the typical onion dome on a hill in the park. Enough culture in over 30 degrees... we consider where to go next... and after browsing through the travel guide for a while, we decide to go back to our campground by the river (it's the cheapest one at 14 euros here in the national park... and also very natural). It's just too hot for sightseeing and hiking. The next day, we want to go on a canoe trip with our boat. The tour covers 20 km on the Gauja River towards Riga. The campground operators will pick us up with our boat just before Riga. We're excited and set up our boat right away. The next morning, we are woken up by the sound of rain on our Knut. Really? No rain for 3 months... and now, today of all days... it's pouring. There's thunder and lightning without end and the sky is black. Latvia's nature is happy... we're not...!! You can't go canoeing in this weather. We decide to wait and see how it develops. The next day, the time has come. It's cloudy but dry. Perfect canoe weather. So we get in the boat, with the dog too (she's always thrilled), and off we go. Almost 20 km downstream on the (rather slow) Gauja River. We immerse ourselves in the beautiful landscape. Everything is natural. Dead trees are floating in the water, we pass by beautiful sandy beaches inviting us to swim. The birds are singing, the fish are leaping, and we enjoy this complete tranquility. At some point, a roar behind us. A group of Polish canoeists catches up with us. They shout and scream... peace and quiet are over. We dock at a beautiful sandy beach. Amy is excited and races across the beach like a rocket. Flooding has brought tons of driftwood here, it's fascinating to look at. When the group of Poles has passed, we continue on. We pass by beautiful red sandstone cliffs (for which the national park is famous). It's windy and the leaves of the forest fall like snow on us. Really? Already? The dry summer is taking its toll and the trees are already shedding their leaves at the beginning of August. Ouch... we painfully realize that even this (already very long) summer will eventually come to an end. I refuse to think about it and we focus on the river again. There are smaller rapids along the way... Whee.. we rush through and Amy holds on in the boat. After 18 km... four hours later, we reach our destination and the campground operators come to pick us up. What a great trip through this amazing national park. From a water perspective, you get a completely different view of this beautiful nature. In the evening... about 2 hours later... we can already feel the muscle soreness in our arms... Ouch... despite the current, you still have to paddle, and we long-term vacationers are no longer in top physical shape, we realize.

The next morning, we leave (which is good because in the evening, a German family arrived and completely blocked us in again. They chose the spot right next to us on this huge campground and practically set up their tent in our front yard. Sometimes it's just unbelievable.... Our destination is Riga. The capital of Latvia needs to be explored. Before that, we go to a supermarket. It's really fun here in Latvia. It's cheap. You can get fruits and vegetables almost for free, and other groceries can be laughed at in terms of price. After 3 months in Scandinavia, it's a treat for us to go to the supermarket here and shop without any inhibitions. 1 kg of tomatoes is 86 cents, 1 kg of potatoes is 31 cents, delicious black bread is 55 cents.

The road out of the national park is more like a patchwork quilt than a road. We now call the roads here fate carpets... because our Knut has to endure quite a bit and we hope fate is on our side and he doesn't get damaged. In Riga, we go to the city campground... we park our Knut... and at the same time, a camping van with German license plates (thus close to our home) parks next to us. Just by seeing the passengers getting out, we can tell... they're a perfect match!! We meet Susanne and Wolfgang (who looks like my former boss... dear Olaf... I thought of you), and the chemistry between us is immediate. And even before we manage to take out our chairs, we get lost in conversation for a long time. The two of them are very spiritual, gemstone professionals, yoga teachers, and much more. They actually still live in Holland but are planning to move to our area near Lake Constance... What a coincidence!! That fits perfectly. At some point, we manage to set up our chairs and tables... and then we get lost in conversation again. Then we manage to stroll into the city together. 3 km... across a busy bridge... and we're inside... in the famous Riga. Medieval alleys, well-preserved buildings, beautiful churches (with an entrance fee!! seriously??)... first, we eat delicious food and then we wander through the streets for three hours. Compared to Tallinn, we find Riga slightly more modern and lively. Music is blaring from the cafes and bars... there are beautifully furnished lounges and restaurants... We like it, but it's hot and our dog is reaching her limit. So we leisurely stroll back to the city campground and chat there until late at night with Susanne and Wolfgang. It's really great to meet all kinds of different people while traveling. Sometimes it fits, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it fits perfectly. Dear Susanne, dear Wolfgang: it was a pleasure to meet you... we could have continued chatting with you for a long time. You radiate such a pleasant calmness... that's really great!! We'll meet again in this lifetime, I'm sure!! Take care... and safe travels to both of you.

We continue along the coast towards Cape Kolka. The road takes us through endless pine forests along the sea. We stop in a small forest. Here, you can see the Latvian Tarpan horses. They live in a wild herd in this area. They are not the original breed... but a similar breeding. We find the cute horses, which look a bit like Icelandic horses, by the lakeshore. I approach one and want to pet it. It gets big eyes - really? I stop, turn away from the horse, and walk a few meters away from it slowly... aha! It becomes curious about me and follows me. Who are you? I ask if it's OK for me to pet it... it looks at me with big eyes, lowers its head, comes closer - and it lets me pet it. Well, we wouldn't want to be petted by any tourist who comes along... but if you ask politely... it works!! Just before Cape Kolka, we find a great campground. For 12 euros!! we can park right behind the sandy beach. The operators here are also young people and the guests are all young people. We park our Knut and whoops!! There's a snake right in our front yard. I have to look twice!! Is it real?? Yes, of course... it's real and full. It has a big belly in the middle. The neighbors come to tell us that it just caught a mouse here earlier and ate it... completely calmly... right in the middle of the campground!! Yikes! OK... all the snakes here are apparently non-venomous... so stay calm. It's just a grass snake. Eventually, it sneaks towards the sea. Thank goodness!! - Here, you can rent cool sleeping barrels. The nice barrels are right by the sea and have a glass front facing the sea. So you lie in bed and have the sea right in front of you. What a great idea. There's a funky restaurant and most of the guests are young people and young families. The most expensive dish on the menu costs 5.90!! We like it that way. We check in for two days and get comfortable. In the evening, we take a long walk along the endless beach. We meet Ralf from Hof. The Bavarian is traveling in the Baltic States with his family in a fantastic huge old MAN truck. What a vehicle!! Here too, the chemistry is right immediately, and we have a lot to talk about. It's nice to travel... we are never really alone... we meet so many people.... and it's amazing how often it just fits!! Latvia... we like you more and more.

Today is my grandma's birthday. Dear grandma, we wish you a happy birthday. I miss you very much today. I would have loved to be there... with you... and celebrate your birthday.... but I was there in thoughts. Kilian baked a lemon cake... and now we're eating it in your honor!

We notice that we're becoming a bit lazy when it comes to driving at the moment... for the past three months, we've been constantly moving... but now (it's also very hot)... we prefer to stay in one place for a few days... and enjoy it. We're also staying at campgrounds more at the moment... they're really cheap here in the Baltic States... :)