Sigulda, Latvia - Jun 5, 2015

I know, I might have exaggerated, but when you see the pics, you tell me, okay?

As planned, I got out of town today.  Doing so through the bus terminal was fairly simple.  A couple of days ago, I stopped by to see how things worked, and I was able to get info from a lady who spoke English.  She gave me a schedule of when the buses leave and return, and how much it would cost.

I chose Sigulda because I had read about it in some of my research as a place worth visiting not too far from town, and worth a good day trip - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sigulda

The weatherman said it was going to be sunny all day, but he's fooled me before.  I almost wore all my gear again today, but I figured I'd just chance it with my sweater/hoodie.  Fortunately, I didn't even need that once I got out of town.

So, I had an early breakfast and decided to catch the 8:15 bus to Sigulda.  I got to the the bus station about a quarter to, bought my ticket, and went over to the appropriate bus terminal to wait for my bus.  It wasn't hard to find because there were all kinds of "touristy" people waiting in a large group at the same terminal to go to the same place.  There was a group of Japanese ladies who were busy taking photos of each other, comparing notes, and generally, being very chatty.  I decided to listen and watch, and before I knew it, the bus had arrived and we were ready to go.

When you get your bus ticket, it lists the direction you are going, the number of the terminal where you should stand to wait for your bus, and the seat number assigned.  I studied because I didn't want to make any mistakes like last year and sit in a place where I didn't belong, etc.

When I got on the bus, I found the numbers over the seats, but I wasn't quite sure whether mine was the aisle or window.  I asked the man in the seat behind mine, and he made a gesture that indicated - sit where you want.  So I did.  I wantonly just placed myself in 9 or 10, and decided if anyone wanted to argue with me bout it, I would just let them have whatever - I was in that kind of mood.  The Japanese ladies had made me feel good about the day with all their excitement, giggling, and general good humor.

Well, it turned out everyone sat anywhere.  So the guy was right.  Seat numbering was meaningless.  I moved over to the window since the bus wasn't full, and enjoyed the view for the rest of the trip.

Remember what I said about coming into the city from the airport?  Well, leaving the city by another direction to Sigulda was no different.  As soon as we left the city center, you could see a large number of dark ominous buildings with writing all over them - it was just too depressing - but again, I wasn't going to let that ruin my mood.  I was certain things would get better - AND THEY DID!

As soon as we got out of Riga proper, everything started to turn green - green meadows, green trees, green everything - left side of the bus or right side of the bus - it was beautiful.  There were scattered houses/farms throughout and the occasional village - some less pretty than others, but not as bad as the outskirts of Riga.  It was like driving through the Sound of Music - I even saw a herd of reindeer (antlers and all) - amazingly beautiful.  Things were definitely looking up.

I didn't really have any expectations of Sigulda, I thought I would be visiting a "quaint" little village, but what I got was a quaint little village that opened up to a National Park with all kinds of wonders along the way and within.

The trip from Riga took all of 1.5 hours, and everyone behaved including the Japanese ladies who decided to nap the whole way there.

Sigulda is not on the main road, so when we got to the turning point, I started to wonder what I was in store for and then I saw this:

It could have been the entrance to Disney World, no?  So sweet.  This is the bus/train station where we arrived and where I will take my bus back to Riga when all is done for the day.

As you can see, there was hardly anyone around this early in the morning on a Friday, but look at the sky - glorious, no?  And it stayed that way for the rest of the day.

Now, in order to get to the sights (and there are many), you have to walk through the village of Sigulda, and here's a look at what you get along the way:

I was hoping to catch sight of a hobbit.

Now, there is no way I am going to see all that is offered, so I had to pick and choose what I could do on foot within a reasonable period of time without doing great bodily harm to my body.  The route I chose, made sense as it was a big circle bringing me back to the village for my trip back home.

My first stop was the Lutheran Church - http://tourism.sigulda.lv/sigulda-evangelic-lutheran-church/

As I was walking around the church taking pictures, I noticed a little white-haired lady catch sight of me and hurry into the sanctuary.  I thought maybe she didn't want to have her picture taken, but when I opened the door to the church, there she was, waiting for me.  She made a big show of turning on the lights, opening up the guest book, and pointing dramatically at the front of the church - we love gestures, no?

As I went about my photo taking business, I could hear her fussing behind me, and just as I was about to exit the church, she said in a deep husky voice, "You must go upstairs and see mosaics and get panorama view."  How could I refuse?  Then she pointed at a little box on the wall, and said, "put donation here."  I obeyed and donated and made my way up to see the mysterious and otherworldly "mosaics."

Okay, someone in the back of my head told me I'd been had, and another person told me maybe I should back out slowly and make a run for it.  But I figured if push came to shove, I could take her.  There were other treasures in the steeple as well:

A batman angel???

Well, this was not the first time I paid to climb a whole bunch of stairs - and there were a whole bunch:

When I finally did make it to the top, I was short of breath and exhausted only to find that the "panorama" view was very much obscured by the little windows and trees blocking the view.  Oh well, what can you do. I made my way back down and the nice little lady was gone - (probably went to buy wine with my donation) - and I never saw her again.  Live and learn.

The church was beautiful in its simplicity, and I later saw the little old lady in the yard planting lots of flowers (or digging a grave - I'm not sure).

One more shot of the church because it is so picturesque:

On the opposite side of the church is a little park called Walking Stick Park:

Is that sweet, or what?  These people put a lot of love and attention into their town.  I didn't add pics here, but on the way to this point there was also a beautiful children's playground - fully decorated.  On my way back to catch the bus home, it was filled with children enjoying it.  These people have a clue and they are obviously doing something right.

Now, back near the church where there is a "bat feeding" pond.

I'd heard of the opera, Der Fledermause, but I never realized the word meant "bat."

I'm now walking towards the Sigulda New Castle & the Castle of Livonian Order, when I chance upon this:

There's just way too much cuteness happening today.


Now, off to the castles starting with the New Castle - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sigulda_Castle

And right behind the New Castle is the Livonian Castle - http://www.tourism.sigulda.lv/castle-of-livonian-order-in-sigulda/

Including a toll bridge and people dressed in medieval garb - WOW!

Next stop is the Bridge across the Gauja River.  I should add that the castles sits atop a promontory, and in order to get down to the river, there is a marked foot path with some stairs that will eventually get you there.

Here are some scenes of my journey to and of the river itself - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gauja

Look at that sky - and feel those greens!!!!

Next stop is Gutman's Cave - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gutmanis_Cave

The walk there is nothing short of amazing.  It's quite a distance, but well worth the walk.  It would have been nice to have a rental car or a chauffeur, but I would have missed out on such a wonderful walking experience - the bird song alone (not to mention the joy to the eye of all those flowers, trees, and meadows... - I gush) was worth my aching feet.

What a joyful experience.

Anyway, here are some shots of the walk and the cave itself:

Thank you!

Was I exaggerating, or what????

Now the cave - as you can see there were several children on an outing - and they were drawing/painting the cave:

And now time to head back and stop by the ruins of the Krimulda Medieval Castle:

And now back home:

I could have taken the tram back, but no way.

These pictures cannot and do not do this place justice.  It was sensory overload for the most part.  I kept thinking why do I need to visit Switzerland when I've seen this.  Truly a wonderful experience, and one I will never forget.

I hope you enjoyed the pics.

Steve