Travelling abroad

One of the destinations I will review today is Hilton Head South Carolina that has a wealth of activities. Lovers of tennis, golf and many other activities will like this paradise for certain. Hilton Head Island offers courses and clubs that are ranked among the top in the whole world. Many people now consider Hilton Head Real Estate opportunities since this wonderful US destination offers great resort accommodations, homes, villas that will help you to relax and enjoy life. Looking for properties in Hilton Head South Carolina you will find many web sites on the Internet. Internt sites like the Island Getaway web site can be really helpful while choosing your favorite accommodation. Hilton Head Island is a dream come true for children and their parents. Here every one will find something to his or her taste. Whether you are looking for golf courses,  tennis facilities, or extensive shopping Hilton Head South Carolina will offer you all this and even more.

On the 18th of November Statement of Independence was proclaimed in Riga. According to it, Latvia became an independent state. During the Soviet times the independence was lost. And only on the 21st of August, 1991 the parliament took a decision about complete reinstatement the pre-war state-system.

This day is of great importance for Latvian people. For the first time in Latvian history, the country became an independent parliament republic.

The monument of freedom in Riga became an independent symbol. It was raised near the city canal on the border of Old and New city in 1931 – 1935. It occurred thanks to people’s generous contribution. Before this moment the monument of Peter I stood there.

The monument was cut by Latvian sculpture Karlis Zale. It is of 42 meters in height. The monument foundation illustrates some important events in Latvian history, and woman’s figure crowns the monument, as a symbol of freedom. The flowers always decorate this monument.

On this day you can see the flags with red-white-red symbols. Some people put the flowers to the monument of freedom. The president of the country makes a speech, addressing to all people. A festive parade of national armed forces continues the celebration. 

The festival is traditionally finished with the salute.

On the 11th of November people celebrate a state holiday – Day of Lachplesis.

Lachplesis is a Latish fairy tales hero; he shows greatness of people, their will to live and victory, and of course their heroism. Lachplesis symbolizes a human courage, protecting his native land from the invaders.

The date of celebration was chosen not accidently. On this day (the 11th of November) in 1919 the arm formations of young Latvian State reflected the attack of Bermont forces. It was a cruel struggle, which led the Latvian people to the victory. Somebody said that it was a struggle for Soviet Latvia, others considered it to be the struggle for Independent Latvia, but for many people it was a fight for the native land. 

In connection with this situation a battle Lachplesis order was established. On the 18th of November an order charter and motto For Latvia were founded. A battle Lachplesis order considered the reward matters.

Nowadays the Lachplesis Day is celebrated as the Day of Native land protector. On this day people put the flowers on the common graveyard in Riga.

Every year hundreds of candles are lighted out. On this day people can honour the memory of ordinary soldiers, who died for the Native land.

A pagan holiday Ligo is celebrated on the 24^th of June in
Latvia. It is the most ancient and favorite holiday. It is celebrated during three days on state level. It can be called a peculiar New Year in summer. But instead of New Year trees there are beautiful birches. You will also see somebody like Santa Claus and Snow Maiden – their names: Yanis and Liga. They don’t give presents to others, but get them, because the day is named in their honor.

Ligo is celebrated at one of the shortest nights. On this day Yanis gets an oaken diadem and Liga – the diadem of wildflowers. In such a way they differ from another. So these things are in a great demand in the city. On this day the trades fair are everywhere in Riga. The permanent Ligo attributes are beer and cheese. They certainly should be on the table. The cheese must have caraway-seeds. According to the legend the caraway-seed is better to chew, then all the misfortunes will disappear. At Liga night people plunge in water and jump through the fire. In order to make the night lighter, the adults inflame the barrels on the poles. Dances and songs continued during the whole night. For this time the newly-married couples should find a blooming fern in the forest. If they can do it, they will be happy. According to the legend it blooms exactly at Yanis night.

Zemgale, a historical region of Latvia, is a land of castles and palaces. Near the town Bauska there is a castle of the XVth century on the River Memele that is considered to be the last fortress of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. In the middle of June inside its wall an annual festival of ancient music is held. Not far from the Bauska Castle there are another three castles built in the XVIIIth century – Mežotne, Kaucminde, and Bornsminde.

Another popular tourist attraction is a town Jelgava – a former capital of the Courland duchy. F.B. Rastrelly – a famous Russian architect of Italian origin built there wonderful Rundale Palace for Duke of Courland E.Biron, an intimate friend of the Russian Empress Anna Ioanovna. People say that untiring adventurer Baron Muenchhausen stayed in this palace.

Have you ever heard of a Latvian writer Anna Brigadere? If not, here`s a very warm article about her. And EVEN if not, be sure that the land of Forest elfs, Park of fairy tales, and a Garden of sunny mood in town Tervete will be to your liking.

 To be continued…

lmost all travel agencies offer to combine tours for Riga with excursions to Sigulda, Gauja National Park, and Cesis. However, you may get to these places on your own – from Riga it`s only 50 km to Sigulda and about 90 km to Cesis.

City part of the old Sigulda reminds of a provincial German town. No wonder – tidy paths fringed with trees, peace and quiet, incredible air. This place is called a Latvian Switzerland. There you`ll find sanatoriums, SPAs, skiing resorts, toboggan-slides, etc. The Gauja flows calmly between steep banks of white and red sandstone and dolomite.

The highest steep is 25 m high, from this rock opens a wonderful view down the medieval Livonian Turaida Castle built in the Brick Gothic style in the beginning of the XIIIth century.

An ancient Livonian castle is also kept in a small and charming town Cesis. Nowadays tourist are welcome to Cesis to watch and take part in picturesque and colourful costume performances.

Torched streets, medieval music, knights in armours, medieval viand… instead of forks and spoons knives and chunks of bread.

It`s a luck if your excursion goes on till ancient Hanseatic towns Valmiera and Limbaži.

To be continued…

Latvia is bigger from inside, than from outside. When you look at the map, it seems to be nowhere to travel. But when you get “inside”… you realize that vacation time is too short to see all the wonders. And to see only the capital is insufficient, because without a travel deep inside the country it is impossible to comprehend the system of measures and guiding points, which define the inside life.

Naturally, a tourist trip by bus is A way to experience the country, somehow, of course, a superficial way, but even this first light acquaintance with Latvian countryside may turn into a big love affair…

Green fields, cows, storks, wild animals that dash across the road at night, peasants with a plough or driving a tractor, pitchers overbrim with milk, oaks, limes, camomiles – this stereotyped image barely cover all Latvia.

Palaces and fortresses, old mansions and parks – Latvia still keeps the brilliance of the Hansa and the Russian imperial court, though sometimes surprises us with follies…

To be continued…

To the beginning of the XVI century almost all streets had their established names. In Riga as in all medieval towns the representatives of one occupation settled together – shoemakers, butchers… Hearing the clatter of hummers and seeing the fire blown with bellows it was easy to find a smith. Many Riga`s streets are named upon the professions and occupations of people that lived in the Old Riga. Some titles were changed because the craftsmen lived there changed – Shkunu Street was firstly Shoemaker`s Street, Zirgu Street was “Lame Tailor”. Sometimes street names became the results of a mishmash. For example, Grecinieku Street has nothing in common with sinners, firstly the street had a name after a German member of the Town Council Sunder – Sunderstrasse. But in German “Sünder” means a “sinner”, and finally the street became Grecinieku that in the Lettish language means “sinner” too.

Up to the XVIII century almost every house-owner in Riga had his own farm with small stock and cattle, as well as all necessary household constructions. In summers every morning cattle was sent to pastures.

A quite big herd gathered and passed through the Jacob`s gate down the so called Depasturing Road. This road does no exist any more, but the memory of it is still kept in the title Gnibu Dambis (Depasturing Dam).

At first all household constructions and farm-yards were built behind nice facades of the houses that faced main streets of the town. Later, when the necessity in household constructions and farm-yards disappeared, they were demolished. New houses were built in such a way that the streets became wider. Bumpy and rough in the past they are now paved with asphalt.

The major streets of the Old Riga were formed by roads that led to the former Riga`s settlements. A sand road winded down the Kube hill divided in the place where the ancient fortifications of these settlements situated. Straight ahead there was road to a fisherman’s settlement of the Livonians. A road led to the right became a present Shkunu Street. This road led along the narrow Riga River to the Old town (Vecpilseta) and the Riga harbour. Branches of this street, went down to the river, became later Kalku (lime) Street and Audeju (weaver’s) Street. Those branches that went to the Daugava River became Grecinieku (sinful) Street and Tirgonju (merchants’) Street. The latter one gained in importance when merchant ships stopped to enter the old harbour on the Riga River and anchored right on the Daugava.

The road from the Old Town to the Riga River`s mouth later was named Marstalju (stable) Street. Thus the major thoroughfares of the medieval Riga into two directions became clear: to the Old Town, in front of which the harbour on the Riga River was situated, and to the Daugava. Later other roads to the market square appeared.

To be continued…

Old Riga goes to sleep quite early. Especially in a short autumn and winter days, when no one respectable citizen goes out after the twilight deepens. Only if he has an emergency. That is why in the evenings it`s very rare that you may see a light of a lantern.

In the middle of the street inside the gutter rainwater flows gurgling and taking away the garbage stored up during a day. People pour the garbage straight on the pavement, and only rain washes this dust and waste away, to the Daugava River or the Riga River.

Drains, both sides of which are paved with stones, make up a pedestrian lane.

The pavement is in pits and bumps here and there. Somewhwre it is higher, somewhere lower – depending on how one paved. Every owner cobbles the section of the street adjacent to his house.

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Only in the XVII century the Town Council decreed to pave the town streets by town`s strength. And all the comers to Riga had to bring each time they came not less than two cobbles. One century later the town was lighted up by the first street lanterns with candles.

Within several centuries Riga circled by a stone wall, developed in a very restricted space. Narrow, curved lanes created a sophisticated maze. Ground areas were very small, and houses tightly snuggled up to each other.

Firstly streets were comparatively wide. But the ground was very precious, and finally a carriageway was partly built up. As a result streets became so narrow that good neighbours living in front of each other could shake hands in the morning without even leaving their houses. Peasants that visited Riga made up a song:

Riga`s streets had already began to narrow at the end of the XIV century. Especially crowdedly became Riga in the XVII century, when the Swedish garrison was quartered here.