Just another day in paradise

  • 2009-08-27
  • By Anton Ponomarenko

RIGA - Since it is late August, you probably think that the summer's gone, and the only thing you can do is to take your winter coat to the dry-cleaners and wait for the snow to start falling on your head. I know I did. But I couldn't be more wrong. Yes, it isn't that hot anymore, but if you think about it, it never is in the Baltics. The summers here usually last for a week, followed by a six-month long autumn. Of course, it is a bit depressing that you can't go sunbathing anymore and that the water is too cold to swim in, but don't let the weather spoil your plans for the weekend.

The temperature outside is quite comfortable, and there are still a lot of interesting things waiting for you.

You can spend the weekend just walking along the cosy streets of Old Riga from one bar to another. In case you get tired from the nightlife and your home is further than a couple of blocks away, you can always stay in one of the many hotels, looking for a little romance in case you didn't walk around alone. But that option is only good for two types of people. The ones who are very busy and don't have much time for relaxation, and the ones with very limited imagination. If you're neither of those your best option is a road-trip.

Since the Republic of Latvia is rather small (less than 500 km long) almost any destination is reachable within a couple of hours of driving from Riga. The only problem that you may come across is that sometimes the road is shown on a map, but it isn't really there. You can see that it used to be there some thirty years ago, and presumably it was broken already then, but as the years passed, together with the lorries, it sort of... disintegrated.

You should have a perfectly nice weekend pretty much anywhere you decide to go to. There are lots of small towns that have a lot to offer. But before you go you should do something else. You have to do your homework. You have to dig up the descriptions and, most importantly, the comments about the places you plan to visit, otherwise you'll end up in someplace like Ranka Manor, which is basically a large territory with... absolutely nothing inside.

And this 'nothing' was co-funded by the European Union. Well, of course, it wasn't a complete vacuum; there were the ruins of a building. Yes, these ruins should represent a castle of some sort, but unless you're blind, you could see an elevator shaft, and everybody knows that castles, especially the ones that are old enough to become ruins, didn't have elevators. There was also a lake, a swan, an old lady and a road about half a kilometer long, paved with expensive cobblestones and going... again nowhere, it simply ends by the fence. It gives the impression that the European money was spent on that road, when what they should have done is restore the 'castle.'

This is what the homework's for - to avoid dull places. If you do it well, however, you have all the chances of ending up in a place like the one I stayed in this weekend. It is called Lacites  and is situated three kilometers away from Ranka (137 km from Riga), but it is easily one of the best places to stay in Latvia if you're looking for a rest for your mind and soul. It is quiet there, yet civilized. While in most places in the countryside everything you get is fresh air and an old mattress, in Lacites you get exceptional service, restaurant-quality food, an Internet connection, spa, and a small house of your own at affordable prices, too.

There's even a playground for your children. When you're there you feel that everything is thought through and that you're being cared about. I'm usually very cranky but this time I couldn't think of a single fault. During my second day there I was caught calling this place 'home.' And the people there are so very nice that I could hardly believe it. Everyone was so helpful and pleasant that leaving this place was simply breaking my heart.

Now, I've found my own little paradise on earth. Have you?