This time I will not go into detail about each attraction, its artistic or architectural value - you can enjoy those visually in the photo gallery below. I will gather a few ideas: where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and shop, what to see and enjoy.
We were once again confirmed in the view that one need not travel far away to learn something new and interesting. Last weekend we devoted one afternoon to getting to know the neighbouring municipality and the town of Ogre itself a little better.
During the Midsummer holidays we stopped in at Malnava, in the Kārsava municipality, to walk through the old Malnava Manor park, find Hitler's bunkers, and take a look at the recently opened Latgale Šmakovka Distillery. Almost no one was to be seen - evidently owing to the hot, muggy weather, as it was Midsummer Friday and the more avid revellers were still recovering.
The Ludza municipality has eighteen lakes in total, but the two most familiar to me since childhood are Ludzas Mazais ezers (Little Lake) and Ludzas Lielais ezers (Great Lake). The latter is the 17th largest lake in Latvia by area, at 8.46 km². Both lakes are connected by a small canal beneath a bridge that separates the two parts of the town.
We must say, we are not passionate fans of Asian cuisine, but always ready to learn something new and taste something enjoyable. So this Tuesday we headed to the Restaurant Service School for a BBQ masterclass with chef Māris Astičs and a tasting of Cesars products. In total, six fantastic recipes were prepared and sampled - ones I will not even attempt to replicate at home.
I had always wondered, driving past, what that interesting building was, whose garden and very facade reminded me of Gaudí's artistic masterpieces in the Barcelona park - mosaics of small colourful tiles and pebbles, sculptures, ornate benches and pathways. As it turns out, it's a church.
Thanks to an invitation from friends to a boy's birthday celebration, we discovered a new place for an exciting weekend - both for adults and children. The Beverīna Wooden Sculpture Park and several labyrinths in the open countryside, 11 km from Valmiera in the direction of Smiltene along the P-18 highway.
The restaurant name La Folie Chef's Kitchen suggested French cuisine - something rather pricey but sufficiently refined. Since today is Ēriks's name day, there was reason to stop in and treat the taste buds. How it actually was - in detail below.
It's now been a full week since not even a crumb of inspiration has come to write anything for the blog - only the necessary texts for work. This morning I woke up with a certain irritation: where has my inspiration gone? I look out of the window - everything is already turning green, but the sky is overcast; suddenly, along with raindrops from the sky, large snowflakes begin to fall. A splendid backdrop for crawling back into bed, pulling the duvet over your head, and not starting anything at all.
The idea of driving to Lithuania and walking through a forest 20–30 metres above ground had been on our minds since last year, when the Anykščiai Treetop Walking Path was discovered. But this path was only one of eight interesting natural and man-made attractions on this trip.