Planes, Trains and Automobiles...Well, Not Exactly!

More like Buses, Golf Cart Cars, Feet, Cable Cars and Trains!  Today we were tourists!  Well, yesterday...I was wiped out...worse than wiped out last night...so today I write ;-)

The one request by everyone was to go see a castle...a real castle.  So I began looking for them and there are tons in Latvia but we wanted to find the best one that wasn't too far away.  At least two natives here had suggested we go to Sigulda and that area was mentioned in our travel book too.  I looked up the train schedule and wanted to be on the 8:05am train out there.  Of course my teen, pre-teen entourage looked at me as if I had three heads and we compromised on the 10:42am train.

Well, as you all know, I have taken to staying up til 3am to write these blogs (except last night of course).  Alarm went off at 8:30am and I just couldn't move...add to that having a hard time getting everyone else going and at 10:30am we still had teeth to brush and shoes to get on and we are a good 15 minute walk from the train station.  Frustration set in...but then I realized little E most likely wouldn't last more than about 6 hours hiking all over creation so we went to option two...the buses!

We found one that left at 11am and the next after that to be 12pm.  None of us, including J, really knew where the bus station was...we knew general vicinity but not really where it was.  So we decided the 12pm was the best choice to give us time.  We struck out toward the train station where we believed the buses to be too.  It was neat, we got to walk through Central Market too...one of the things I wanted to mark off of my things to see/do list.  We arrived, bought our bus tickets and made our way to the platform to wait.  It was to be about 45 minutes wait. 

While we were sitting there, I pulled out my book and looked for reading material.  As I read, I found out that the huge warehouse things right in front of us were built to be German zeppelin hangars in WWI...and now they are used for markets.  It's interesting, if you just open your eyes, you find the most amazing details in what's right in front of you. 

That leads me to our life lesson for the day.  As we sat there waiting, a man came by.  On face value he looked pretty ok.  Appeared to be clean, holding a shopping bag.  Until he started digging in the trash cans, looking for food.  He didn't speak to us, he didn't make eye contact, he just did what he needed to do to try and find food.  And as he passed, I noticed the "details."  He "appeared" to be clean and well put together...but in the details - the hem of his shirt was filthy, his pants down at the bottom of the legs looked extremely worn and his shoes...well his shoes had no laces and were just hanging on his feet, soles looking sooo thin.  He continued down the line of trash cans (they're placed about every other platform) and I couldn't stand it.  He didn't beg...he was just surviving.  I gave some money to J and told him to please go give it to him and tell him to get food.  He did and the man finally made eye contact. 

Now this guy needed physical help...food, clothes, you know the drill.  But the lesson I shared with our kids last night is the fact we need to pay attention to the details.  There are people around us every day who are hurting...they may have the best looking clothing but if you look at them closely, really get to know them, we find they are filthy inside and in need of something we can give - a kind word, a hug, a shoulder to lean on, the truth of Christ and how He can change all of that.  I am not naive enough to think we can help all the hurting people either here or in any city...but I do believe we are called to action. One at a time...that's how we impact any issue, right?

Our bus finally came and we boarded...not super luxury but not terrible either.  It was a little hot but otherwise ok.  We all piled on and got comfortable.  The issue we had was that no one was really certain where exactly we were to get off.  As we drove, everyone took a little nap or read for a while.  It was a little over an hour ride and as we got closer we started speculating on where we should get off.  At one stop, it looked right, so we started to...and this wonderful man sitting next to Gary said No! Wait a little more. So grateful he spoke up!  The bus pulled us right up to the main station and the information center with a fabulous English speaking clerk was literally right next door. 

Our main goal was to see a castle so she offered us several options to see several castles and then get back to the train.  It was later though so we decided we should go straight to the biggest one and then make our way back down.  They called a Golf Cart for us and we ran across the street to a pizza place to get some lunch.  We ordered three pizzas to go (their larges are like our mediums...so we're not being exceptionally piggy ;-)) and drinks and as they came ready, our cart pulled up.  We had a sweet driver who showed us some sights as we went up the mountain.  The actual town for the castle was Turaida and was only 6 km from Sigulda. 

She offered us all blankets, said it gets cold as she drives.  M&M&E accepted but our "tough guys" decided they were fine.  And I was upfront beside her.  We got to the top and we were all COLD!  We sat outside the gate on some benches and ate our pizza and then went through to enter.  They had prices for two adults, and two kids (family) and we were trying to figure out how we would pay.  Finally, I told her, "let me just tell you what we have and you tell us how much."  I told her we were two adults and five kids and all were ours.  ;-)  She let us go in for the same family price as the two and two! 

We started out and went up by the oldest wooden church in Latvia and where the Turaida Rose is buried with a hundreds year old linden tree keeping her company.  Then on down toward the castle.  There's a gift shop there with authentic Latvian made items inside...super expensive!  I wanted a wrap badly but it was 42 lats!  So, not this time ;-)

I cannot tell you the surreal feeling as we crested the hill and the castle came into view.  Imagine being, for real, in a place straight out of Lord of the Rings.  The castle tower rising above the road.  Standing still for a minute and imagining what we're reading.  There used to be two towers with a gate in between and a moat...oh my goodness that serious dip in the ground used to be a MOAT!  Wow!  J said to me, wouldn't you like to be able to go back in time and just see what it might be like?  Like if there was a way for you to just see the figures moving...but I suppose that is what our imaginations are for ;-)

We continued on in and saw the courtyard, the areas where the guards lived and worked, the well, the jail!  The furnace room and the gardens.  This is alll from 1207...hello that's like 800 years ago!  We kept saying as we walked we just could not believe we were walking in these places!  The wooden part of the castle was destroyed by fire in the 1700's I think and was never rebuilt.  So the palace part was purely imagination...nothing but the foundation remains.  We all took a turn with the archery there...not too bad.  J and Zach hit the yellow part of the target, Gary was good too.  I actually hit the white paper!  E and at least one of the girls missed the board completely ;-)  It was fun!

We climbed the tower...which was a LONG way up!  All of the stairwells and walkways were super narrow.  We laughed about how everyone must have been skinny and short back then.  But one really cool observation was that the stairs were worn. The bricks had smoothed out curves in them where hundreds of feet have gone up and down.  We walked and walked and walked up the stairs til we finally reached the top and could see the most amazing views.  The River Gauja in flowing right beside the castle and in the distance, Sigulda Castle and Krimulda.  Sooooo much cool history here!

J commented that he felt like a tourist...we told him he was.  Our answer has become, when people ask us why we are here, we are here to pick up our sons...they've been living here for a long time and they're coming home now.  ;-) 

So the deal was we had a ride up the mountain but we were to walk down it and see sights along the way.  And off we went since it was about 6pm.  The first sight we came to was the largest cave in Latvia.  That was so cool.  Legend has it that the Turaida Rose was murdered here because she would rather perish at the hands of an admirer than deny her love for her true love, the gardener Victor from Sigulda.  There's also a stream there that flows out of the cave where women in olden days would bring their newborns to wash their heads there and it would make them smart and beautiful.  I laughed with our kids that boy did I miss an opportunity HAHA.  The cave is made of sandstone and people have carved their names and dates in it for years.  The oldest one we could find was from Lucy Lane 1817. 

On we walked past another smaller cave and then to Serpent's Road.  This was a ,80 km walk UPHILL along a winding road.  You could say we certainly got our workout in!  At the top of the hill is the Cable Car ride and after a brief rest and wait it came.  While we waited there were some kids playing with motorbikes.  Gary really enjoyed this as they were rundown bikes but he loves this stuff.

On to the Cable Car that would take us over the valley and directly over the River Gauja.  These views were amazing...great pictures of Turaida, Sigulda New Castle and Krimulda Manor.  And the best gift was an amazing rainbow that appeared in the clouds just as we crossed.  This Cable Car dropped us right at the Tarzan Parks where we had promised the kids to ride the toboggan.  Mae was scared...not sure she wanted to.  They took off down the mountain and they got to ride the chair lift back up.  When they got back up there was a chorus of "again Mom...please!!"  I sent them right to Daddy and he relented...one more. 

From there we started heading to the train station and realized that by the time we got back to Riga, it would be after 9pm so we just happened to pass another pizza place ;-)  This place was cheap...amazingly so.  We went it and it felt wonderful...the seats at the tables were like armchairs and couches and it was so warm (it was getting really cold outside!)  We cozied up and ordered more pizza and cokes and even ice cream and then it dawned on us, hmmmm, the last train to Riga, we don't know when that is??  We asked the server and she said she thought 9pm...uh oh, it's 8:30!  Cancel the coffee, gotta go! 

We headed out foregoing pictures with the HUGE spider yard art out front and walking quickly to the train station.  We got there and found out it was really 9:20pm for the train...so we had some time.  The girls and I ran back to the same pizza place for lunch for a bathroom break and wonderfully, saw he had a coffee machine!  I ordered two capuccinos to go and back across the street we went. 

We finally boarded the train and settled in for the hour long ride back to Riga.  What a wonderful wonderful day!  All outside, all walking and hiking...definitely time for a nap.  After getting all toasty on the train, looking at all our pictures on the camera of our day and napping a bit, we finally arrived back in Riga.  It was a freezing walk back to the apartment where we relaxed with a cup of tea and Circle Time. 

What a blessed day!  What fun!  The only "bummer" part of the day was thinking of how many of our friends and family would have loved to have been here with us.  Those who would appreciate it for the history and the fun.

We had a great day...but we are READY to go home.  And now we're down to more of the "business" we came here for.  Today we are going to meet a friend in Mezaparks and maybe go to the zoo.  Monday we have court again and then going to the Baltic Sea.  Tuesday Embassy interviews and Wednesday picking up their Visas. 

Please keep praying for these last days...it gets a little harder every day and a little easier too.  I know that may sound odd but it is true.  Lots to plan for and lots to say goodbye to.  Very much need the support and prayers of our friends and family. 

Thanks...here's hoping we continue to get stronger and build even more family memories together!