Riga

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Clunegapyears

07/09/2023

We stayed the previous night in another temporary city camping at the Expo centre. There was an event on, so the car park was pretty rammed. We managed to slot between two motorhomes … too close to be comfortable. I apologised in my best school girl German, to one neighbour and moved to a corner once the car park cleared. The office was only open in the morning, but fortunately, another German (yes, 8 German vans, 1 other UK and 1 Estonian) told me where to find everything. Just as well as showers were turn right … back of one expo hall, right again into next! It wasn’t as quiet as the Vilnius City Camping … boy racers doing wheelies, screeching tyres disturbed my sleep. At least it was only a short bike ride into the historic centre.

We joined a free (give a healthy tip at the end) walking tour. Another well-educated and well-informed guide. He did an intro on the history and influences of Latvia to start. Occupied mostly by Germany and tzarist Russia and briefly by Sweden and Poland. He also explained that the Latvian language was only created in the 1860s. Latvians had been serfs up till 1860, so they didn’t attend schools and spoke numerous dialects. The language is an amalgamation of these; phonetic, simple rules. It was adopted as it was taught at schools, which then became mandatory. However, 40% of the population speak Russian as their first language with Russian speaking schools teaching Latvian as the second language. A legacy from the Tzarist occupation when Russians were shipped in to work in growing industries.

Unlike Lithuania, which is strongly Catholic due to a long Polish occupation / affiliation, Latvia is not particularly religious … late to the Christian faith, originally Catholic, then the Russian influence of Orthodox, and under Soviet rule, religion was repressed. So churches have swapped faith and been redeployed as theatres, markets etc. Only returning as functioning churches after independence in 1991.

The only other time Latvia has been independent was 1920 until 1940. Even that didn’t go smoothly as a dictator took over in 1934. From 1940, it was occupied by the Germans and then the Soviets from 1944/5. So J and had a discussion about whether Latvia should even be an independent country. What contributes to national identity etc? At least when Russia invades, they are mostly bilingual!

After the walking tour, we used gps.mycity app to visit some other sights.

Statue on the parliament building. From a folk story where the hero attempts to slay a lion that represents all the country’s occupiers. The tale ended with a symbolic stalemate … there is the ever present *threat*.

*The House of the* *Blackheads building. Formally it operated like a guild of trades. Latvia claims they erected the world’s first ever decorated and lit Christmas tree*. *This and neighbouring buildings were flattened in WW2 and reconstructed.*

*We tried to have lunch at the huge market, but no dogs inside the food hall*

*Russian cannon balls in the wall of Powder Tower, a relic of the fortifications. It got its name as it was used as gun powder storage in C17*.

*Loved wandering the pretty streets and squares.*

*The 1934 dictator used speak* *from this* *balcony,* *so had* *the houses in front* *demolished* *to make a space for* *people to hear him!*

*Houses of the Three Brothers. Actually quite unrelated*, *as they* *were built at* *different* *times in different styles.*

We both really liked Riga. It’s very small but we walked around feeling pleased to be there. Lunch eventually … was a fab Mediterranean soup for me and good old fish and chips for J!

Rather than pay another €25 to stay at the city camping, we did the services and joined the stationary traffic to get across town. Let’s go away from town and around the ring road said I. Over an hour later, we finally escaped the traffic!

*A pretty overnight spot* *with no boy* *racers, just mosquitos!*

Hill of Crosses

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Clunegapyears

07/09/2023

A break on the city to city trip from Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga in Latvia.
We had heard about the Hill of Crosses before but hadn’t realised the scale. We reckon the rate at which folk are adding crosses, it must grow over 10% p.a.

It has an emotional significance. Not just for the people who leave crosses but for the tenacity of religious beliefs. Crosses started appearing after the ruthless suppression by Russia after an uprising in 1831. By the end of the C19, there were 150 large crosses. 200 by 191. And continued to grow. The Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1940. They objected to the religious symbolism and hacked down the crosses in 1961 and bulldozed the area in 1973 and 1975. Eventually, they gave up, and it continues to grow.

Pope John Paul II visited exactly 30 years ago to the day.
We planted virtual crosses for Nicky, Gordon and Chris P.

Vilnius

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Clunegapyears

06/09/2023

We caught the bus into Vilnius … but heading the wrong way. I’d tried to ask the chap standing at the bus stop if we were the correct side of the road. The answer was long, in Lithuanian, with lots of expansive arm gestures. We were none the wiser. So we hopped on the first bus … it said Centrum. The wrong centrum, as it slowly dawned on me, as I followed us on the map. A young man on the bus with English and a phone app put us right. Fortunately, each bus fare was only €1 each.

Using GPS.my city app we self guided out tour around Vilnius. A lot of churches. We went into some, but not all. Having been joined with Poland for many years, Lithuania is heavily Catholic.

*Of 9 city gates, only the Gate of Dawn remains C16*

On the other side is the chapel is the icon on the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy. This and other artefacts are said to protect the city and bless travellers. The lady in purple just wouldn’t move, despite another tourist yelling at her!

*Inside the Holy Spirit Orthadox Church*. *Unusual green iconostasis and the bodies of 3 saints.*

*The Cathedral that doesnt look like a cathedral! Remarkable for its simplicity and high side chapels. Reconstructed in 1770s.*

*Really liked the dripping Gothic facade of St Annes’s Church 1495.*

*A school group reluctant to move an* *risked* a *shower from* *the* *tree* *watering* *team.*

*The university was founded originally as a Jesuit college in 1579, making it the oldest university in the Baltics. It has 13 courtyards and we mingled in a few with the undergrads.*

*Palace of the Grand Dukes … only completed 2018 and a museum*

We considered doing a 2nd day in Vilnius, but it hadn’t grabbed us the way other cities had, such as Wroclaw or Krakow. We also felt that we missed the historical facts being connected up by not doing a paid for walking tour. So that evening I did some planning for the rest of our trip and booked walking tours for Riga, Tallin and warsaw.

Baltics: Lithuania

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Clunegapyears

05/09/2023

It was always going to be a longish driving day. In fact, most days in ELL (the Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia part of our PELL trip) as we read and been told there ain’t much scenery. And we’ve fallen in love with Poland and want to max our time there.

Rather than have an all driving day, I had planned to stop at an outside museum of Communist statues … collected from across the country. Having been immersed in the murder of Jewish, I sensed ELL would be more about Communist oppression. However, the price tag of €12, no dogs and J’s lack of enthusiasm meant we didn’t go. Wish I had as the island fortress castle we did visit, was nice but nothing special.

Trakai Island Castle had been formidable but become a ruin. Until, interestingly, the Soviets decided to rebuild. A lot of brick. It was completed in 1987. The castle rooms now houses a museum of fine art; such as some stunning porcelain, glass and bead work.

It was a short drive from here, slowed by rush hour city traffic to the Vilnius City Camping. Basically a car park at the expo centre but with the best ever facilities, despite being porta cabins. And loads of room.

Augustow … end of the Season

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Clunegapyears

03-04/09/2023

A drive from Treblinka to Augustow … home of a canal and 11 lakes. It seemed everyone and his wife, and their 8.6 children, had the same idea. It was rammed. No room at the Inn for us. We tried a hotel with a camper sign. 80Pln, about £15.20 to park in their car park … with no services. An extra £2pp to use the hotel toilet. Not happening. We rang a campsite. Same price, with hot showers, toilets and electricity! We booked on for 2 nights. A bit shabby and tired but showers hot and good pressure, and we paid to use the site washing machine.

On Monday, we cycled around one of the lakes. We spotted, oh, so many places we could have parked up had we arrived a day later. It was chalk and cheese. In season, out of season. Not been on the bikes since Callender in Scotland and Corrie trotted a good section, particularly over gravel and sand, so we kept our speed right down. 30km, and J could feel it in his legs and back, thankfully flattish and he sticks his bike in ‘pleasure’ mode (more pedal assist).

*Pretty scenery but nothing* *spectacular*. *Great* *for* *cycling*

We’d hoped to find somewhere to have a light lunch, but no. Everything shut up … end of the season. Just before returning to base we found a shop … very little stock… bought some revolting biscuits. I dribbled the jam on my Tshirt and ate most of them! J had better taste. A second shop had a better selection, so I bought a cheese and ham for lunch and the wherewithal for a BBQ.

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels

Category Archives: Summer 23