A GREAT DAY OUT

Looking back over my blog a large part seems to revolve around trips out,concerts,lunches with the pensioners and various other social.events.and I make no excuse for telling you about the latest one Valerie and I went on, however before I do let me assure you that these are the highlights of our life here in Upes Iela.
Most of our time is taken up with the mundane day by day tasks like weeding, washing and keeping the garden up together then there is the house with jobs that need to be done. So, much like any retired couple, when opportunity knocks we grab it with both hands. The pensioners had a day out
 on Tuesday which usually is not for the faint hearted as invariably they turn out to be quite long affairs and this was to be no different it went a little like this:-

A bit like me the start was a little blurred

 With the light mornings we have been waking up at between 5.30 and 6 am but wouldn't you know it on the day we needed to be up early we didn't surface until 7 and we needed to leave the house to catch the coach at the school at 7.45. No coffee this morning just a bowl of cornflakes a shower and we were away!!!![we did manage to get dressed too !!! ha ha]
Of course the coach didn't arrive until 8.13 Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!! don't you just hate it when that happens,but we were away at 08.14 I know as the clock in the coach told me so.
We knew we were in for an interesting day as the first thing the driver did was look at a map to find out where we were going!!! if he didn't know the way it could turn out to be the biggest mystery tour ever.
We had a few more people to pick up along the way only to discover we had missed one lady back in Stelpe, so a quick U turn and back the way we had come. The said lady was waiting flask and a cup of coffee in hand.[she had overslept too,,,,,,,] and this time we were away. 60 kilometres into the journey we pulled into a service station,and as just as quickly pulled out again, Ummmm strange, but all was revealed a few minutes when the coach once again pulled off the road for a comfort break { when 75% of the passengers got off and disappeared in to the forest}  we assumed that the queue for the loo in the service station would have taken to long. {nothing surprises us now}

Typical Latvian country home

Being the only driver in our household  I enjoy trips out when someone else does the driving, and from a coach window you can see so much more. A lot of Latvian country side is forest and there are long stretches when all you see are trees,trees and more trees, but the bits in between offer an insight to real country living. Small houses usually with flowers around them set in amongst a few trees with a large potato/ veg  plot not far away.







The Talsi area was where we were heading and that is 200 kilometres from Stelpe, just a quick hop in Latvian thinking, just where in the Talsi area no one was sure, but we had the name of the village we needed so all was well. Our first official port of call was an strawberry and raspberry grower . The village was no problem ,the grower well!!!!  arriving in the centre  ,someone made a phone call and turning round  off we went back the way we had come, 100 metres . Where do we go now  lets ask someone so the driver got out and asked, No they didn't know where the place was, another phone call and we were on the right road. About 150 metres along the road there was the fruit farm { And no one local knew where it was!!!!!!} anyway off we all got to be welcomed by a lady who was our guide and sitting us all down she proceeded to tell us all about the the strawberries that were growing,    

Let the tasting begin

this was followed by a tasting session and a tour of the fruit fields which for some, included more tasting!!! Whilst going round several of the group were drawn to a large oak tree which for some reason they decided to hug {strange what some folk will do!!!} No time to hang around though and after most of the group purchased punnets of fruit it was back on the coach and off to the next place of interest 

I know lets all hug a tree

We found ourselves being driven down some of the narrowest dirt roads you could imagine heaven help us if we meet someone coming the other way. Having enquired of a lady we passed if we were on the right road we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere visiting a stone!!!! yes you read it right

What can you do with a stone Some walked round it

and some climbed on it

,!!!a stone ,!! not just any old stone this was 'The Big Boulder of Tilgali'!!!!!! the fourth biggest in Latvia and there was an explanation in English about it., some stood by it ,some climbed it and the rest of us just wandered round it.
20 minutes later we were backing down the track  , then  forward to our next port of call,as we were traversing along in the distance I could see the tower of a white church which turned out to be where we were headed, Igene Evangelical Church is one of the few wooden churches left in the country, built in the 18th century it is still in regular use, though the congregation these days numbers only about 10, we were told that when the soviet's wanted to take it and use it for storage,but ,, one old lady told them you can send me to Siberia or even kill me but you are not coming in this church!!!! and so they went away.

The oldest wooden church in the country

 What courage and faith she must have had. Anyway it was most interesting to see inside some restoration has taken place but  there is no electricity and services are held by candle light, standing in the pulpit I was reminded of small chapels I have spoken in like Gateshead Baptist, Yarnbrook Chapel or Buckelbury where the light of the gospel is still shining brightly, God bless such places.

Todays message comes from!!!

Very illuminating

No need for a sound system here

Right now on to the next venue on our tour, a nursery where the family business was growing and breeding Hemerocallis {Day Lily's to you and me}and they also  made
 home made wine , such as cherry, rhubarb  elderflower etc., so a tasting session was included in the visit before visiting the growing area, this may have been a 'cunning plan' to encourage visitors to spend more than they might intend to.

Maybe we have this one!  

 We came away with three plants and are at the moment awaiting the flowers to see just what we have bought. By the time we left it was 25 past 3 we were in need of some refreshment and so the coach pulled up in front of a small café where we all crowded round the bar only to find that they could not cope with all of us,and so it was down to the local shop to meet our needs which they did  quite well. with savoury and sweet pastries crisps sausages bread and cold drinks. The two shop assistants didn't know what hit them!!!!,, but ,they took it in their stride and coped very well,,,

Sheep may safely graze

Suitable refreshed we boarded the coach and retraced our steps so to speak and visited a sheep farm
this would be interesting as the wife of the farmer  had a loom and wove the wool produced into various items which were for sale, They employed help to shear the 100 sheep they had and then sent it off to be cleaned, spun and dyed into some really lovely colours. Unfortunately the cost of woven items were beyond our budget and knitted items we can get made by some of our pensioner friends. a walk round the garden was a must as most Latvians take great pride in them .
Bidding farewell and climbing onto the coach {I'm sure the steps were getting steeper}  we found ourselves turning off the road and down a single lane track towards some very dubious looking houses with a couple of men looking under the bonnet of a car! What on earth is this I thought a visit to the breakers yard!!!! but just before the houses we turned and bypassed them the track getting even narrower. Everywhere,,,  Giant Hog weed was growing and as it can reach a height of 15ft  it felt a little like 'The day of the Triffids' had arrived!!!! If the driver drops a wheel off the track we would be stuck good and proper but he negotiated the bends and we found ourselves in a small area of grass beside a wooden house,and were greeted by an elderly man who was very friendly and showed us into the garden. and introduced us to his wife who gave us a conducted tour,or if we wished we could just wander round at our own pace. WOW!!!!!!!! and what a garden it was too.

A different view round every corner

Lets sit and rest a while

It was an oasis of the most delightful surprises I have seen for a very long time, with a new view around every corner and very much like an English garden, there were so many plants that I recognised from my days working in a garden centre that I felt quite at home. such a long day {which wasn't over yet} we sat on a small bench and just listened to the sound of silence,and  just let the beauty of it all sink in,,,, I think everyone came away from this visit with new ideas to put into their own gardens. We certainly did, and it was all planned and maintained by this elderly couple, I was sure that they must have help but was assured that apart from family occasionally coming to help it was all their own work,I didn't see a weed anywhere.
Our driver had somehow managed to turn the coach round and eventually we said goodbye our hosts with some of our number clutching bags of new plants for their gardens.
The time now was 6pm and with a two and a half hour journey ahead it must be time to head home,and the road we took ran down the coast towards Jurmala through small villages and pine woods, Oh while we are here it would be silly to miss the opportunity to visit the beach wouldn't it? and once again we found ourselves getting off and wandering onto beach ,some even went for a paddle.

Through the trees to the beach

Latvia has miles and miles of unspoiled coastline

Valerie and a friend enjoy a paddle

All aboard again ,then there was one last stop to make which is a must !!!seems more like a tradition , a supermarket stop to top up on some necessary shopping and then it really was time for home. What a day it had been great company,new sights to be seen and new ideas to be incorporated into our garden.  Our grateful thanks must go to Sandra for organising it all  and to the driver,, how he managed to get this big 50 seat coach down some of these tracks,  turning it round and also backing  down about 100 yards at times,   it  was a real wonder and he did a brilliant job , ,  after 14 and a half hours ,we rolled into Stelpe  at 22.51  tired but very happy after a brilliant day,,

THE END BIT !!!

Just a little bit more and then I am almost up to date. After the craft market in Riga, we were asked if we could help transport some children to a 'children's festival' in Barbele which is the next village down the road, no problem, so Sunday morning up bright and early we set off to collect the kids only to find one lad was now going with his father and a young girl failed to appear when we arrived at her house,where she was no one seemed to know. Ho hum never mind let's just go with the flow.

Darvis singing about chip's

If you want to sing you can no matter what age

Now just about every village has an open air stage where village entertainment takes place through the summer months, be it a children's festival, dancing, singing  or a theatrical performance. Some like Stelpe's are new some in need of some attention and some like Barbele's are just an area with a few seats for the audience,  Arriving we found a few children and adults gathering and performers practising on stage doing what might be called sound checks but really it's a time when kids can play with the mic's,if one arrives early enough it's possible to see the acts several times over and hey they are only young besides this they have got out of bed on a Sunday morning and are doing something. You don't find many kid's hanging around on street corners, kicking there heels looking for some mischief to get into over here, what you do find however as we saw yesterday three small girls hoeing rows of vegetables,or maybe a young lad mowing the grass around his home.
Anyway back to the festival Darvis the young lad ''who went with his dad took the stage and sang with great gusto a song about chips that's right chips of the crisp variety. To say that the day was cold would be a bit of an understatement, having had days where the temperature had reached the high 20s  it had changed and we sat huddled together for warmth and just after Darvis had sung the heavens opened and down came the rain. Now in a situation like this what do you do? that's right like any good English couple we got in the car and headed straight for home and a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

          Now the next day {Monday} we were due to join an excursion with folk from the village and it went something like this.
Up with the lark just after 6am feed the chickens walk the dog and then breakfast {not necessarily in that order} and then be at the school to leave at 7.30 outings start early so you can get the best out of the day.
First stop {well not really as we stopped at a petrol station {8.30} for toilets crisps coffee sweets cold drinks and a general stocking up on all the essentials needed for a day out {8.45} Half an hour later we
arrived at out first venue on our itinerary

Where to go and what not to do

 Vienkocu  where the sign at the car park told us,not to drop litter, pick flowers, cycle, light fires never go off the path or to sing as if we would. I did however half way round the park feel like bursting into a chorus of  'I love to go a wandering along a mountain track' { for those readers who are to young it's a golden oldie' {1953} I resisted the urge much to Valerie's relief. The visit was however very interesting with exhibits staged around a pleasant walk through the woods some captured the imagination more than others,

A Latvian summer kitchen

A bath tub

An  Eco house

Brings a whole new meaning to togetherness

 I thought the Siberian toilet deserved a special mention. Consisting of three poles and a hole in the ground, what I here you cry!!!! why I would feel a little exposed using it you say!!! but it's not a place to hang around, let me explain.

A Siberian loo

 One pole is to hang your coat on the second pole is to support yourself whilst {not to put to delicate a point on it} doing the business and the third stick is to defend yourself against wolf attack. See it's simple when you know how things work.
A hour and a quarter later we are back in the bus heading for Cesis {pronounced ' sey sis'} an interesting town with a castle  which is popular with tourists. Assembling us all together we were told now would be a good time to get something to eat and then meet at the monument at 12 ish for a visit to a hands on science exhibition this in fact gave us about 30 minutes to find a cafe and get something  10 minutes later seated in a small cafe choosing something the question was asked how long will the food take to cook ?

A quick snack

 Oh only 15--20 minutes now my maths is a bit rusty but even I knew time would run out before our food arrived so it was a flaky pastry { the kind that is all flake with very little filling  you know one little cough and you cover everyone at the table in tiny flakes } and a cup of tea, still at only 55 pence not bad value, perhaps we can get something later.

Back at the monument {at 12 } we set off for the science exhibition, down one road, round this  corner along another road round by the bus station, across the rail tracks {trains in the station}!!

The train now standing at platform one

Across some waste ground along to the traffic lights cross the road double back on the opposite side of the road round one more corner and here we are. We found a small hand's on science exhibition which was great for the children who were with us {there's a bit of a child inside all of us} and soon we were trying out the different exhibits
While everyone was still absorbed in finding how things worked Valerie and I slipped away to see if we could find a snack to nibble,,,,

Table and chairs for a small apartment???

Sound waves

Not sure if they have a licence for that crane

Just a short drive outside Cesis was the  next place on our itinerary a  visit to see exotic animals!!
Turning off the road we followed a winding track and arrived  at a small car park complete with an information board  but no gate to enter the place. Fortunately someone saw us and waved us down the side of a fence where we were able to gain entry and here to the delight of many we found  camels, llamas, sheep {well one}and alpacas.

Hey I'm a Alpaca not a poodle

I might look silly but somebody loves me

This is my new baby

Yep just had to be called Dolly

PS, I made a donation to someones jumper.

which had just had their annual poodle cut,{a professional shearer had to be brought in. The owner told us there were very few people in Latvia with the right equipment and experience who are able to do this task} 
One of the llamas had given birth that day and everyone was intrigued to see the baby who was just a couple of hours old when we arrived. Some of the animals were free to roam amongst the visitors and so we were able to get close up and personal with them. Fortunately there was a a small stall selling ice creams and more importantly cups of tea so we left refreshed and better informed about {exotic} the animals.
Our final visit of the day was to the eagle cliff which is one of the highest cliff's in Latvia overlooking the Gouja river, after a scramble down the most challenging wooden steps { H&S would have a field day with them} we found ourselves on a small sandy beach, this is one of the most beautiful areas in Latvia and is part of the Gouja National Park.

From the top

From the bottom

 All to soon we had to retrace our steps back to the coach and head for home, Travelling through Segulda we passed the Latvian bob-sleigh track which for £66.50 you can ride down in the winter.{ if you have the nerve} and so headed back for home, after a good day out.









 As promised in my last offering,the pensioners meeting was held at one of the members nursery where she grows Iris breeding new varieties each year Both Valerie an myself now have varieties named after us. {Orders can be placed but you need to be quick to get the best.} The day was perfect clear blue sky, light breeze so lunch was had alfresco and Valerie contribution this time was coronation chicken and a trifle complete with hundreds and thousands both dishes went down a storm.
So as I final catch up with all that has gone on I will leave you with some pictures of our visit

Starting our tour

Valerie with her Iris

The trifle

Our host's Ilga and Visvaldis

My Iris  tall, strong and well formed {just like me}