Throw Back Latvia: How we cycled 105km to visit a granny. // Newbie-dummy cyclists.

April 30, 2019

Throw Back Latvia: How we cycled 105km to visit a granny. // Newbie-dummy cyclists.

Latvia: How we cycled 105km to visit a granny. // Newbie-dummy cyclists.

This splendid well-planned event happened in 2011 July.

When we decided to cycle 105km ride to visit my friend's granny, we had no clue what we got into ourselves. To me, it was normal to cycle everyday 20-50km as I lived inbetween the city and suburbs, and a village, that I often during summers cycled everywhere, and those were not cycling paths, but roads with cars, roads without asphalt, random roads. But none of us really had done such long-distance trips. At the 70km sign, we felt we are done, we can't continue and were thinking how we gonna get done the last 15km - through lots of pain and yelling, and pushing each other. We rolled into her granny's garden completely exhausted, but as soon as we arrived at the destination, body gifted us with some few extra energy. We got food, we got drinks and coffee, and we managed to hang out with her granny, pick the flowers to go visit the cousin's family and hang out there for dinner. I can't remember how many hours it took us, but I think it was more than what Google recommended - mind it, none of us had before a real experience, so, we obviously hadn't thought through well. But that was our teamwork style! We both often reacted to the first spontaneous instant idea we got and just went for it!

Finally, we arrived! Family time.

When we realised that we actually had done this ride on our random bikes and no gear/outfit at all, we impressed ourselves honestly. Yet, it's not really that far... :D It's just, we are not super active, we were normal active girls, who walk fast, cycle, swim, dance and run when in a need :) Anyways, at the dinner my friend Baiba was meeting her long time no see relatives, it was nice for her to catch up. Especially, I thought she must see her granny, as in my opinion, I can't imagine not being close with grandparents, so, I kept telling her to visit and then we came up with this plan, as we both enjoyed a bit of adventure.

After these many years has gone, I only remember the last 15km how hard it was to finish the last few meters... And her granny kept calling to check how far we are and we kept saying soon, soon, soon... :))) I think we were quite late, if I am not wrong, it could be that we started around 8 in the morning, and arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon, so, perfect! We had enough time to hang out with her granny and drink coffee, and REST! Her granny was absolutely amazing, her way of speaking, talking, using words... So much swearing, haha, I couldn't stop laugh or giggle, as often she used funny old school Latvian swearwords. If anyone has ever heard about it, then Latvian language doesn't really have to swear words as Swedish and English with the bad meanings, we use Russian and English now to express true anger because yelling something in Latvian swearwords... Naah does not sound strong!

As you can see from the photos, I took a lot of photos and let Baiba connect with her granny, talk family stuff. I listened to some bits, but the main reason was to get my friend to here to hang out with her granny, as you never know, grandparents are grandparents, they can be gone sooner or later.

Good morning!

Oh my, oh my! To keep up the energy, we had a shot of vodka in the evening. I remember that we thought we woke up late, but it was only 7:20 in the morning when everybody else already had woken up and started their day. Today's plan was to see the town Talsi together with Baiba's cousin Sintija. Sintija was interested to hear about our study experience in the UK as she was planning to go study in England, too. Currently, she is still in the UK, working as an interior designer, and also started her own vlogg/storytelling channel, it's called SPACE FOR EDIT. It's a youtube channel, where she shares all the ins and outs of the interior design industry: personal experience, tips and tricks and much more. Yup, we have grown far in life. She is amazing what she does!

Exploring Talsi.

Talsi is the "green pearl of Kurzeme" (Kurzeme=region). The town has existed at least from the 10th century, according to the historical facts and information. You can read here the English Wikipedia. Talsi is built on 9 hills!!! (Latvian kind hills, not hills-hills.)

The city of nine hills

Talsi castle mound

It is a 30 m high and 0.4 ha large Curonian (kuršu) mound, which is located opposite Lake Talsi. The mountain was inhabited from 10-14. century. Talsi castle mound is known as one of the best fortified and largest Kurs castle mounds. One of the most widely archaeological explored mounds.

The King's Hill

The name of the King is probably derived from a person's surname "King" or it is named for majesty. At the end of the 19th century, the landlord of Pastendes gave this land to the city to build a park there, so it is later called the City Garden. It held balloons, open-air performances, concerts and sporting events up to the 1960s.

Tiguli Hill

Mount Tigueli is the highest mountain in Talsi, 105 m above sea level. At the top of the hill there is an oak plantation in the form of a circle, which indicates that it could have been an update of an ancient cult site. At the foot of the hill is a dendrological park with 270 different trees.

Sunrise Hill

Sauleskalns is 94 m high. Sauleskalns, Ķēniņkalns and the Church Hill are believed to have been related to the visitor, so it was possible to determine the time of the calendar and it was used to observe the sunrise and sunset.

Church Hill

The Hill is mentioned in ancient writings as the cult place of ancestors. At the top of the hill lies the Taliban Evangelical Lutheran Church, built in 1567, which is considered to be the oldest stone building in Talsi. In this church was once a friend of Ludwig Van Beethoven's youth day Karlis Ferdinand Amenda.

Millstone Hill

It was formerly called Sudmalkan, is an 87 m high hill opposite the Wolves Manor Lake. The hill has been named after the Dutch windmill in the 19th century, but it was burned down in 1922. There has once been a stone castle of the Order of German Knights. The Mound is considered a place of ancient ancestors because at the beginning of the 15th century the Livonian Order built a stone castle.

Wolf Manor Hill

This hill is 77 m high and is located at the foot of Wolf Manor Hill Lake. It is believed that the mountain and the lake have gained such a name due to the fact that at the foot of the lake there have been many werewolves or because there was a nick owner called the wolf.

Russian Hill

The Russian horn is 79 m high. The mountain got its name due to the fact that at the end of the 19th century here the Orthodox Church and the school building were built on the land of Talsi State or Crown Manor. In 1972 the Orthodox Church was blown up.

Leču Hill
This is 83 meters high. He got his name thanks to the "Leči" home, whose property was here until World War II.

But what we ladies did? We were introduced to Talsi by Baiba's local cousin Sintija, she grew up there and knew the stories, the history and the places. She took us around and we also visited her mum's super awesome second-hand shop, where I and Baiba were digging in for fun cloth. A bit fun a bit of tourism.

The last moments at Baiba's granny's home.

Then after 2 days, we had to go back to our lives. No, we did not cycle back. I received in last minute a message that my cousin from America is visiting my family that evening for a dinner and I had to get back asap than try another long-distance cycle. As not used to such cycling, our bodies were still in ache and kind of a bit did not look forward to the idea of another 85km + 20km to me to get to my home from city centre Riga.

So, we took a bus! But that was a whole adventure too! Back then information online was not friendly and informative as nowadays. We still used to call the info number with all the random questions we could come up. We found out the bus time, weren't that many so we had to hope for luck that we can take our bikes on the board. I know we kind of agreed, if we can't take the bicycles, we will cycle, but the best thing happened, Baiba's tyre broke and we had no spare (back then I never ever imagined such stuff as broken tyre, haha) and we didn't have time to deal with it, to search for a bike shop or something, we had to get on the bus!!!! Obviously, it did not go well or that easy as planned. The bus driver was grumpy and angry with us. Baiba tried sweet talk, but I was straight away giving back the same as he talked to us. I just put our bikes in the carriage and that's it. Paid for the ticket and we went. I did not feel happy for such argument with him, as he yelled at me that I am a horrible girl, but more than a half of passengers were middle age or elderly women, and they all stood up for me against the driver telling him off for his rudeness! That was a view, wow!!!

When we sat in our seats, I was shaking, even though I seem I can handle an argument situation well, and fight back, it's not what I reallllly enjoy, it hurts me, my soul and I always end up shaky after such experiences. Then a lady in front of us turned around and offered a coffee from her thermos. We politely accepted as she was so kind and said: "You go, girls, gotta show that kind men their place!". Funnily, her coffee smelled and tasted like fish, so, I had to pretend to drink it, yes, we were that nice. Approaching Baiba's bus stop, we started to feel a bit anxious - is he gonna let us out one by one or yell at us? Baiba was the nice one, she was fine! She jumped out at the first stop of Jurmala and I continued to the destination Riga's bus station. Oh my, I did not enjoy my destination moment, but, oh well, we meet such people and let's move on, yet still, it's a memory and a laugh we have to remember. :)

"Girl like you will never find a husband!" - because I stood up for myself, and, yes, I have felt that being strongly opinionated and not letting myself to be treated like an idiot, some weak men don't like me and do I care? No. It's their own problem for being such patriarchic types.

The adventure was AWESOME.
Hope to do it someday again, but with a better plan than spontaneous! :)