Kuldiga. Staldzene. Ventspils, Latvia!

Some of you might know. For others, it will be news. I am moving back to my home country quite soon, right after the New Year celebrations. I will have my dog there and I will finally try to build a stable life, think about the future, and still travel whenever possible. One of my biggest dreams has always been to go back home. It is where I was the happiest. The only place that I had no depression to battle. My countryside. The beautiful fairytale wonderland that has always called my heart back.

It is true, I will not be living on my property from the get-go as it is in a bad condition, but I will be close enough to visit and actually start building a tiny wooden house there. I have made a plan in my head and I am convinced I will be able to stick to it. I will be working to make my dream come together. It is the one thing I want for me in life before I work towards the betterment of more than just my own desires. I want to build a house for me, my loved ones, and guests. I want to create a place where people can go and be completely connected to nature. With horses, dogs, cats. Home-grown produce and freedom. And when I am done with that, I want to move on to helping sustain orphanages and help those kids that are growing up without the love that they need. That is my end goal in life, to create a better future for all of us.

Of course, I am also looking forward to writing my book, which I have finally started but it is a goal that I can realize while doing other things. Make no mistakes, it is still what makes me happy and I will not give it up, I have been fumbling and building up my life and experiences just for that story I want to write. Everything I have done so far is like puzzle pieces setting down together. They build my skills and convictions, experiences and will to write my novel.

Why am I telling you all these things that seemingly have no connection to this travel post here today? Well, very recently, I went home, to Latvia. And even though I have no pictures from my countryside, there are other places that I did photograph and they basked in all of the glory that Autumn brings. It was magical, too, as the temperature was still comfortable and the wind close to none-existant, even in the sea area.

I want to share what my home looks like. What I want to go back to, so you see through my eyes, why I long to return. And who knows, maybe you want to join me after this post and make your home in a tiny country squeezed between Scandinavia, Russia, and the rest of Europe. Yes, the political situation there is crap and yes, the locals are leaving in big quantities, but for us, digital nomads that love nature, it is the perfect place to be.

I will still be moving around, of course, to Germany and all over the world, but now I will have a place to return to, to really call ''home''. My own little adobe with my amazing dog that I will show you when the adoption is finally through and done.

So, without further ado, here are three places in Latvia, by the coast, that you simply must visit! Any time of the year but preferably when there are celebrations or when it is Summer and warm, Autumn and colorful, Winter and frozen or Spring and blooming. Stick with your preferences!

Kuldīga

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Here falls the widest waterfall in the whole of Europe. Yes, it is not high and might not look as mighty as Niagara Falls, I know. But we are proud of it and it is fun. In Summer you can even try to walk over it, there are stones uncovered and the current is not horribly strong. It does not grab you and steal you away. The fall is not high. You still have to be careful, though, those stones are slippery and fun is only fun without accidents.

In Spring, huge herds of salmon jump up the waterfall. People come here to watch the fish go upstream. It is majestic. There are places to watch nature work from everywhere, you can observe the view here from all angles. There are cafes where you can sit and look at the beauty. And the best part, the town itself is wonderful as well. Filled with older houses, quiet to walk around in but busy enough to not feel alone and lonely.

When we were there, there was a celebration going on. Market stalls stretched for kilometers. Some pricey but delicious food was served. It was local and made based on old traditions. There were people, bands, animals. There were kids and the organizers of the event even fired a cannon. Granted, it woke up all the babies, but it was something! I even got some red bilberry wine. I was curious about the taste even though I do not usually drink alcohol. It was great! They also had other kinds, like rowanberry wine. These are quite common berries for eating in Latvia but I had never seen wine made of them.

When I was little, Kuldiga was a city we visited for a day off. It is less than an hour drive away from Ventspils and has some amazing scenery. I remember that I did not appreciate it as much as a child but now a walk in the town makes me very happy. There used to be sand caves in Kuldiga as well, I loved them the most as a child. I am not sure they are there still, though, as there was some news that I read, that they were caving in.

Staldzene

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The sea is a wonder. I was born and grew up by it. I have seen it in all seasons, swam in it, found jellyfish in it, build sand castles by it, and ran from it when it was too cold. I have even seen a girl run into it in late Autumn just for a dare. That girl was not me. For those who are not living by the water in a cold country, it is alien. How the sea looks when it is frozen. Half-way fallen waves stuck in time. Blocks of the ice making gurgling noises. Imagine walking barefoot on that ice in a cold that can freeze the shore of a sea. I did that if felt invigorating.

When I was in school, we were taught that the Baltic sea is the second most polluted sea in the world. Because of the tankers and the narrow connection to the ocean it has, it does not filter the water and everything stays here. I never felt it being on my skin any differently than other seas. Well, there is one difference, it is much colder than any other sea or ocean I have swum in. This summer, it was 17 degrees when I took a dip in it.

Being a coastal country, Latvia has a couple of sea towns an villages. Not many, as the country is small, but there are places to go if you know where to look. Staldzenes stāvkrasts is one of the more popular places that the locals visit. It is only a couple of minutes away from the city of Ventspils and it provides a traveler with wonderful views and adventurous trails to explore. It is something!

At this time of the year, you can not really use the stairs and walk by the sea, it has swallowed the walking stretch. In winter it will be frozen there, though, and then you can take a nice stroll here. In summer the sea will step back and you will have a lot of space for a walk in the sand. There will be wild seals basking in the sun. Now, when I was there, we took the forest trail. Not just because there was nowhere to walk on in the sand but also because the trees shield you from the wind that is too strong to bare out in the open.

It is fun not only right by the shore. There is a lake not far from where we were. It is a beloved swimming spot. The water there is clear and gets deep really slowly. You can go in meters and meters and it will still breach just to your waist. There are also small gardens here, where city folk that have no green space in their apartments come to take care of their crops or flowers. We had no summer house property as my family had a country house but my friend's mom and grandma each had a house here.

There are also recently made bicycle and walking trails all over the place. You can walk from Ventspils to Staldzene, or take a bike. You can go all arountd Bušnieku lake and even make some sausages on a bonfire. It is fun here!

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I only have one last picture. I did not take a lot of snaps on this trip as it had more of a business purpose but I did do some fun things. For example, when I was little, I used to go horseriding to Vārve. And on this trip, I wanted to revisit my childhood so I went again.

I have no pictures of Ventspils as I recently shared ths post about my adventures in the city and a Part II. I did not want to slap you with the same old stuff this time.

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Have the best day! Today, tomorrow, and forever.
Linda.