Dear sir
In May/June this year a friend and I holidayed in Riga. I wanted to write to a newspaper in Riga in the hope that I could broadcast our satisfaction with Latvia as a tourist venue and a place to meet friendly locals who are keen to share their knowledge of their beautiful country and its ancient history.
I have also written to the Australian Honorary Consul in Riga asking how I might promote tourism from Australia to Latvia.
I found the Hotel Lienes on the internet. It was in the old part of Riga, and I chose it partly for the affordable rates, but also because the photos showed clean neat bedrooms and bathrooms, also because a breakfast was included in the price. And what a breakfast! A cooked dishes every morning, as well as a meat plate and a salad plate, cereal, bread and jam and a plate of homemade biscuits.
We did a walking tour of the Old Town which our guide made memorable with her amusing anecdotes on the guilds and churches. The botanical gardens were beautiful, with a fascinating area where the plants were arranged in taxa, as the gardens were used by the university. I loved the zoo with its amazing array of animals and the new state of the art tropical building. I was amazed to find Norfolk Island pines and Bunya pines in the greenhouse.
At Jurmala we loved the gingerbread houses set among the trees and the broad beach of golden sand.
At Jelgava, we met a self-appointed guide who was setting up a small tourist bureau. He wanted to know all about Australia and asked us to promote Latvia when we got back. Juri gave us a wonderful overview of the history of Latvia, its invaders over the centuries , the devastation caused by the last world war and its recent independence. He encouraged us to visit Rundale Palace near Bauska which we did. We knew from Juri of its origins as a replica of the Winter Palace of Peter the Great due to the German aristocrat , the Duke of Courlan's friendship with the Czar. The palace, its furnishings and the French formal gardens are magnificent!
I had read about the extensive national parks in Latvia so I went by train to Sigulda , and did several walks in the woods nearby, coming across castle ruins and viewing a famous medieval castle from a vantage point. There was a festival on, and in the town, traditional dances were being performed with obvious joy by the attractive youngsters of the town. There was a choir singing Latvian songs in the gardens of the old manor house.
Thank you. Wendy Forrest, Stratham , West Australia.
