I headed out beyond Latvia’s capital Riga to the beautiful town of Cēsis which started out as a tiny village in what is now Gauja National Park. My day trip took me to Cēsis Castle where I got a taste of traditional Latvian village life. 🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 See all of my videos from this trip here → bit.ly/InTheBaltics
50 miles outside of Riga is the small town of Cēsis in central Latvia. It’s surrounded by forests, and once there I got the distinct feeling of travelling back in time. The bus between Riga and Cesis took about 90 minutes and cost less than €10 for a return ticket.
My day in Cēsis was a good one, and it was a joy to explore the real Latvia. Far away from the big cities, you often get to see the less touristy sites and less visited places. Here in Cesis, it felt like I was mingling with the locals rather than doing the tourist thing.
I started my day in Cēsis by visiting St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Cēsu Sv. Jāņa evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca) right in the centre of town. I bought a pass to the old bell tower and climbed each one of those rickety old wooden steps to the top. Back down again, I walked through the old town to Maija Park where I spotted the famous black swans.
Next on my list was the mediaeval Cēsis Castle (Cēsu pils) which has been around for 800 years. There were lots of interesting learning opportunities inside the walls of the castle with historical interpreters explaining what life would’ve been like inside the castle and demonstrating plenty of tools and equipment people back then would’ve used for everyday life, as well as for defending the fortification.
Cesis Castle (Cēsu pils) contained a museum and plenty of the original design and architecture. Surrounding it is Cesis Castle Park, which I found to be the perfect place to enjoy a lazy afternoon following a busy day of exploring. The small lake, pretty bridges, fairytale steps and imposing Cēsis Enlightenment of Christ Orthodox Church (Cēsu Kristus Apskaidrošanas pareizticīgo baznīca) added to the beauty and splendour of the place.
Cēsis is an extraordinary little Latvian town, and one I’m very glad I decided to visit. Spend the day there if you can!
Chapters
📖 00:00 Intro
📖 00:31 Cesis Church
📖 04:13 Cesis Old Town
📖 05:13 Cesis Castle Park
📖 07:22 Cesis Castle
📖 10:22 Village Life in Latvia
📖 12:21 Top of the Castle
📖 14:12 Time Waits For No Man!
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Soundtrack
🎵 Waking Up to Another Day by Ten Towers
🎵 A Lighthouse In Space by Kim Aspen
🎵 The Goths by Bonnie Grace
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🎵 Music by Epidemic Sound. Get a FREE month here → bit.ly/2LB53FZ