Kuldiga
So we have a speeding ticket. Well, our car rental guy did warn us about the cameras. But I’m at a loss as to how to avoid a ticket, when the signs coming in and out of villages and towns are so… absent. I’ve spent the day trying to very carefully obey the signs and err on the side of caution. The net result has been numerous annoyed and vexed Latvian drivers climbing on my bumper or overtaking in unwise locations, presumably because I should have “guessed” that the speed limit had gone back up?
Anyway, today we went out for a day exploring west Latvia and searching for the elusive blue cow. Starting with the village of Jaunpils, where there’s a much-restored Livonian order castle, now mostly a hotel and a tavern. Then onto Kuldiga, a handsome town with cobbled streets and old wooden houses. But the big draw here is the
Widest waterfall in Europe
From Kuldiga we drove back to the coast, in search of the mysterious blue cows of Latvia. Genuinely, they have blue cows! Our Lonely Planet told us to try the village of Mersrags or any of the coastal farms along there, and the little brochure we found in Kuldiga had a photo of a blue cow next to that area.
The lady in the little tourist info office at Mersrags gave us a world-weary sigh and explained that she is asked this question at least once a day, and the answer is always the same: there have been no blue cows around here for at least 12 years now. If you want to see blue cows, try going to Ventspils. Two hours drive in the wrong direction. Pood. We stopped for a pleasant walk in the woods by the lake, where there are wild(?) horses and a bird observation tower. Consolation prize. As we got back late we settled on dinner in our hotel, and enjoyed some excellent nosh. Bags to pack tonight, as tomorrow we’re heading to Lithuania.
Wild horses
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