Kuldiga, a cosy town off the beaten track

Kuldiga is a small town, a lot like Tukums I've written about, but still with a difference. In terms of landmarks it's a more packed location, though, all the sights are rounded in one place.

We got there by bus in 2, 5 hours from Jurmala. We even got our bikes in the bus luggage compartment just at 2 euros (give those to a driver) but all the sites are so near and the town is so small we didn't need them much. It's also possible to get there by train or bus from Riga. Both train station and bus station are very near to each other, 7-minute walk.

I've  dreamt about going there because in guidebooks is it called a latvian Venice which, as I see now,  is a far-fetched exaggeration. There is a river making its way through the blocks of houses but it doesn't remind Venice, not even remotely.

On the other hand, the town that used to be a capital of Courtland in the 16th century holds a number of landmarks worthy of seeing.

It has the third longest BRICK bridge in Europe.

The  broadest waterfall (Rumbla) in Europe is in Kuldiga.

 

On the other side of the Rumbla waterfall there is a small beach, the water is warm and clear, so take along a swimming costume.

 



The old tradition of catching salmon in the air when it overcomes the waterfall migrating to spawn no longer exists, but in spring the sight of salmon, jumping over the waterfall, attracts tourists to Kuldiga.

In 2007 Kuldiga received the title "European Destination of Excellence" (EDEN) which only goes to locations off the beaten track promoting sustainable tourism.

Apart from cultural impressions you will have in Kuldiga, you will certainly have some culinary experiences.

Don't miss this EDNICA (eatery, canteen), a small inconspicuous house where a couple can overeat at

 just 5 euros.

Not only cheap but tasty, home-made style.

All this costs 5 euros, believe it or not.

 

I've been to some posh Moscow restaurants, including, for example, White Rabbit. The duck breast I ordered there was stiff (like that of a one-hundred year old duck) and I don't even remember the way they served it. Just want to say, it was a waste of money.

 

On the contrary, the duck breast in Bangert's restaurant in Kuldiga was unforgettable. The sauce, the orange chips on top, the breast itself. And that's the way they served it.

The restaurant Bangert's overlooks the Venta river and the Rumbla waterfall.

Next to it, there is the Kuldiga District museum devoted to the history of Kuldiga. The second floor is

 

After having a meal I went to the kitchen to see those culinary magicians who cook better than in most posh Moscow restaurants. They turned out to be these young, but highly skilled girls. They also have a chef in the restaurant, but the cooking that day was done by these two charming cooks (on both sides).

 

 They also made this chicken,

 and this vibrant pudding.

The check came up to 45 euros (for a couple, with 2 beers, come brandy, 2 starters, 2 main courses, tea, a dessert).

 

Next to  Bangert's there is the Kuldiga District Museum devoted to the history of the area. The second floor is designed as an apartment of a rich local family, inroducing the lifestyle of Kuldiga residents in the beginning of the 20th century.

 

 

We stayed at the Metropole hotel, a standard room at 65 euros, which for Latvia seems to be a bit overpriced with average price range from 30 to 40 euros for a nice place to stay at. The hotel is clean, the service is good enough, breakfast is various and sufficient for anybody.

Finally, some Kuldiga cats

 

The weather 2014, August

Like most Augusts I have spent here, this one is cool and the weather is changeable. It's comfortably cool, like +18. With a cool wind blowing most of the time, it's better to get along a sweatshirt, cotton sweater, and some light parka or raincoat.

Two days ago the weather was perfectly suitable for spending time on the beach. And in, say, 30-40 minutes it got like this. Another 10 minutes and it was pouring rain.

 

A beach near Ragaciems.

The villages near Jurmala along the Baltic Sea beach are incredibly cosy, clean and quiet.
The beaches there are cleaner and less crowded that those of central Jurmala.

Yesterday's evening. Ragaciems. The beach.

Laci: bread and bisquits.

Laci (means "bear") is a Latvian bakery. They produce different kinds of bread, bisquits, cakes. In this post I want to tell you about the company since all their products I've tried are invariably of good quality.

I am particularly fond of bread that contains dried fruit and nuts. We've  been consistent and loyal bakery's customers for two years and luckily haven't been disappointed.

My favourite bread by Laci



Actually we have been very much into these. )))) Only we've overeaten them.

A cycling trip to Engure.

Engure, a lake in Latvia,  is a part of an ancient sea separated from the Baltic Sea long ago by a strip of land. It is also famous for its abundant fauna including birds, cows, wild horses.


View Engure, Latvia in a larger map The trip to Engure (a town near the lake) took us about 8 hours including breaks for tea and refreshments, and swimming. The road is partially a highway, relatively busy, quiet at times. Partially it is a quiet road covered with asphalt all way long and is macadam on the sides. There is NO special lane for riding bikes. Just when you enter the towns on your way you'll have these bike lanes.

 After you pass Ragaciems, you'll see lots of nice beaches. The sea is deeper there and the beaches are not so crowded as in Jurmala.

Latvian Beach near Jurmala

Riding to Tukums 2

Tukums is a town, tidy, well-kept, even idyllic in some corners.  Regardless the fact that it's small, it has  sites to see. 

First of all, it has a tourist information center with an extensive collection of brochures about Latvia's sites. 

There is also a linen clothes shop, not a cheap one, but with an interesting collection of modern and stylish clothes for children and adults. Bags, scarves, tablecloth, hats... It's worth dropping in.  

Horse riding school, classes at 8 lats per hour. 

Minor sculpture here and there. 

It order to get to Tukums you ride along the lake system Kanieris. When riding past the lake system Kanieris, you can go boating to break from the routine of riding. It's a bird paradise so you will undoubtedly see some swans, egrets. We saw a harrier once.  Go there on week-days, since people go fishing there at weekends and scare away birds.  Take along binoculars, a camera. You can spend some hours on the bird-watching tower nearby.

The cat at the boat center. He was unwilling to socialize but I got him against his will. I suspect he is too spoilt with all those fish he's treated to by fishermen at the boat station. 

 We always ride along outskirts of towns and villages. There's no traffic.

 The tower for bird watchers.

The restaurant of the central hotel of Tukums, called Tukums, a room at 20 lats=40 dollars.  The room was relatively spacious, and clean. However, the window was on the roof and, with the weather in Latvia being changeable, one can't leave it open at night or when going outside. It can start raining at any moment and you'll end up with a room full of water. So that was the only inconvenience we had there: always having to close the window. 

The dishes were adorably cheap, beautifully served, tasty Have a look at the pie with strawberries! 

 The center of Tukums. 

Riding to Tukums 1

Riding a bike in Latvia is an unbeatable pleasure. It's never too hot or too cold for  riding hours in a row. I  daily  got my bike and rode along the beach. There are kilometers of riding paths in the pine forest or along the seacoast - it's up to you to choose.

No matter how far from Jurmala or Riga you ride, you'll always see either a nice hotel or a cafe to get a nap or a snack. And what's exotic about it? Compared to Russia, which is also crammed with hotels, boutique- hotels(even in some remote town where people earn like 200 dollars per month), restaurants, you are guaranteed to have a good meal or service at a reasonable (if not unexpectedly cheap) price. I mean in Russia you're not. Compared to Western European countries, everything is considerably cheaper.

 Riding along the coast in the pine forest... Breathing in and out...

 Dozens of paths in the forest, not easy riding...

Baltic Sea, special.

Lativa is a tiny country compared to the Russian Federation or the USA, or China. When I first visited it, I have never thought I would get to love it more each year.

Today's post is about its sea. Most of you have been to the Black , the Red, the Dead Seas, the ocean is unparalleled as well. The Baltic Sea is somehow different.

For those who have goose pimples just when  temperatures fall below +20 Celsius, the Baltic Sea may feel like the Arctic Ocean.  Despite being rather cold, it has the charm that you won't get anywhere in the South.  Faded colours don't bother, excite or exhilarate,  they have a more relaxing, unwinding influence.

Enjoy the slide show here. 

On the bright side the sea is perfectly good for exercising yourself. It is not for over-pampered Indians, "Floridians" or  Africans. It will never be warm enough for them. At the same time no other sea will clear your mind and freshen up your body momentarily after immersion.  Even in the middle of summer your body tightens up, frosen at first, getting the hottest wave of blood all over you afterwards. That will undoubtedly improve your health like no aspirin or healthcare can do. I once got rid of a bad cough by plunging into ice-cold water.

Well, plunging... It's not that easy, you can't actually plunge into the Baltic Sea. It's shallow.  One wades into the blue hazy distance for a long time in order to plunge in the end. And again, it's advantageous  for those who travel with children, or those who want to see where all the putti go on holiday.  On a warm day putti, chubby and pinkish, with blue eyes and blonde curls are all around the beaches. Mothers never worry about the creatures too much since they wade knee-deep in the sea.

Another thing I like about the Baltic Sea is its rejuvenating influence on my skin. It's not like after swimming in  the Red Sea, when you wash away the salt right after splashing around to prevent skin irritation . It's more like mineral water you're swimming in, it has milder impact on your skin, smoothes out wrinkles and makes your skin glow.

I always travel off the beaten track mostly discovering wonder spots, untouched and almost pristine.

Jurmala is a popular tourist destination in Latvia, it holds a pop music competition "New Wave" which attracts Forbs list people. It's more likely that not the competition itself attracts them but young singing (or just walking to and fro) starlets arriving at Jurmala in hords of short-skirted young ladies at that time.   The cosy Jurmala art nouveou style country houses are all around creating the atmosphere of 19th century and all that stuff...

Regardless all those exciting attractions (except those short-skirted ones, not so exciting to me) of Jurmala I  direct my bike further south, 10 kilometers from Jurmala, to Ragaciems. The sea is deeper there, cleaner. The beach is never crowded, and always clean.

The above pictures were taken in August, the weather was cool and the sea looked like mercury overflowing the brim of the sea bowl. Riding along the coast was weird, so unrealistic the surface looked.