Klaipeda, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia

 Oct. 1, 2018-Klaipeda, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia

The roads here are good, but I wouldn’t say they take you on scenic odysseys. The terrain is flat. Most hills are manmade. That includes one considered among the creepiest places on earth. The Hill of Crosses has a dual background. Legend says that a farmer and his wife prayed for a child to no avail. Eventually, they were blessed with a daughter. At age 14, she became ill. There seemed to be no cure. One night, the farmer dreamed of an enchanted valley. The dream showed that he had to build a cross, carry it to that valley, and leave his sins behind. His daughter’s health returned. A more historic version is that between the 10th to 14th centuries, a small chapel was built for soldiers moving from one battle to another. By the 1800’s it became a pilgrimage destination where people could meditate and leave crosses to show they’d been there. At last count, there were 400,000 crosses. The Soviets attempted to remove the crosses, but after three tries, they realized more would be placed to fill in for those destroyed. They gave up. The custom is for visitors to bring or buy a cross at the conveniently located shop. To our surprise there were Stars of David and Muslim symbols for sale. 

I’ve never seen such a massive display of crosses. It outdid even the cemetery in Normandy. As I got closer and walked among them, it was as if an army surrounded me. I felt constricted and unwelcome. Negative feelings of the oppression that crosses symbolize to me weighed me down. We’d bought a Star and carried it along almost as a totem until we found a place to leave it. No site was comfortable until we came upon a large placard of a Star of David shining in the mix. We hung our small token and felt better for it.

By then it was lunchtime. We haven’t repeated foods the last four days despite eating Lithuanian cooking every meal. Lunch was cabbage rolls served with pickles and mashed potatoes. Our rolls were stuffed with minced chicken instead of pork. Can Latvian cuisine be much different?

We had long drives between points but we’re all good nappers. Bob used the time to fill us in on our next site and wax philosophical about religion, politics, and humankind. I think he’s in his 30’s and has a generational naivety about him. 

We entered Latvia without drama or notice until the signage changed. We drove to Rundale Palace and were in for a surprise. Even Bob didn’t know an HBO special on Catherine the Great was being filmed. Although Helen Mirren was starring, she was not in evidence. There were many costumed extras being prepped and spruced for the next scene. We gawked and took photos until our local guide came, then we followed her like the obedient ducklings we have become. The palace was built in 1736, by a local duke who was in favor with a Russian princess. When she died, he, his wife and three sons were exiled to Siberia. They were permitted to return to complete the palace years later, when Catherine the Great took the throne.  The original architects were those who designed Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg and the gardens of Versailles. The rooms have been restored with care down to the silk wallpaper. Furnishings are of the period with some being donated by the remaining family who live in Germany.

We pulled into Riga, the fastest growing city in the old Soviet territory, in time for dinner. Bob gave us a thumbnail history saying that the heaviest influence is Germanic stemming from the Livonian Knights who occupied the area. Today 47% of the citizens identify as Russian including the president. I have a feeling we’ll be frequently crossing the Daugava River between the old and new towns. One of the pluses of this location is that it flows into the Gulf of Riga then the Baltic Sea.

Our bags were dropped in our rooms at the Hestia Hotel Jugend and we learned the answer to the question of whether there will be differences in Latvian food. The answer is “yes.” Most had lasagne and panna cotta for dinner. Well, we had chicken breast and panna cotta.

Tomorrow we walk the city.

Toby 

Hill of Crosses

David placing Star 

Actors waiting