Trans Europa – Page 12 – Travelling reflections

Trans Europa – Riga

Walked until I was dead beat: a case of Riga Mortis? It’s a compact old city, easy to both get around and lost in – lots of interesting cobbled lanes. Trams and trolley buses trundle around. Cars just go fast to beat the lights.

It’s easy to forget it many of the buildings were bombed during WW2, particularly the 1944 Russian push back on the Eastern Front. That brings home the geography – which is easy to forget given the apparent domination of Western influences now, particularly how common English is, including on signage.

It’s difficult to take in all the history, including the 20C. Latvia’s population dropped from 0.5million to 300000 between the start and end of WW2. They fought – mainly through forced conscription – in both the German and Russian armies. Emigrated.

Today Riga feels quietly bustling. The market halls in what were once Zepplin hangers are great – in size and atmosphere, with locals happily jostling with tourists. One sight we didn’t get to squeeze into was the closed, restored, House of Black Heads. A great selection of places to eat.

Nipping back to Estonia, as this is all an aide-memoir. Our “content creator” has set the challenge for each of us to recall Estonia in one word. I think I’ll go for “interesting”: how it’s developed since 1991, the people (some smile, some are unscrutable; the rural areas wooden buildings. That’ll have to do.

Tomorrow into Lithuania, 50 miles into our southerly route.

Latvia, Trans Europa

D4 Trans Europa Kuivizu – Riga

Always happy to admit when a snap judgement is wrong – especially as it’s a rare event….. The gravel road leading to Latvia was in fact an existing road being resurfaced and widened to have a bike track added. The proper gravel road was today: an 48km arse massage through a deserted rural landscape with what seemed like old dachaus dotted around. There were bus stops.

We were heading to Riga, which you’ve probably worked out. A clear highlight was the Latvian Bike Museum. Apparently Latvia was the bike manufacturing centre of the East European States pre the Soviet era.

Latvia has a rich history of bicycle manufacturing and cycling culture, dating back to the late 19th century. The first bicycle in Tsarist Russia was reportedly created in Latvia in the 1880s by Alexander Leutner. Bicycle production flourished in the interwar period, with local manufacturers like G. Ērenpreiss Bicycle Factory meeting nearly all domestic demand. Today, Ērenpreiss Bicycles, revived by Gustavs Ērenpreis’s great-grandnephew, continues to produce bicycles in Riga

Some fascinating things in there, lovingly restored and maintained. Sadly it didn’t sell coffee, so we couldn’t dwell too long before back on what is now a main highway to continue.

Latvia has a population of circa 1.8 million, one-third of whom live in Riga. So naturally from about 12k out suburbia started to build. A fine network of cycle paths took us through the parks and streets, straight to the city centre.

Tomorrow a rest day. With any luck Barbara will read this before the morning and the subliminal message of “rest” will take seed…..

…..to be continued…..

Estonia, Latvia, Trans Europa

D3 Trans Europa Parnu – Kuivizu

The first border crossing day, into Latvia. On the Estonian side, sparsely populated housing in forest, mainly wooden buildings. Together with an unsurfaced road for a good bit. On the Latvian side, the sparseness remains, only brick is now more common.

Estonia – Europes largest exporter of prefabricated wooden houses. Forestry is also a major part – almost a quarter – of the Latvian economy. So we might be in forests for a bit. Which is fine, provided the coffee shop frequency is better. Today’s was interesting – in a place near the border where they say Russian Cosmonauts used to holiday: I had to recall my ditty (Oh dear, Yuri Gagarin – he flew to the moon when it looked like a farthing; he said tae the boys at the moment of parting – “I’m just gaun awa fur the fair”. )

Latvia is also famed for it’s beaches. So we’re heading inland from tomorrow until we reach Venice.

Barbara is quietly amused – it’s usually her that suffers from horsefly bites. Mine must have been a really special beastie to reak the havoc it is enjoying. Probably following the tick.

A lovely day in the shade of the trees.

Estonia, Trans Europa

D2 Trans Europa Haapsalu – Parnu

A rural day gave the chance to see in real life some of the buildings we’d seen in the Open Air Museum. Large wooden barn type houses together with the Soviet era housing for workers on the rural collectivs. The latter now are flats of varying degrees of rejuvenation.

It’s twinned with the Fens and Broads – flat. Gorgeous flowers adorn the fields and any gaps in the forested areas. Sild is a bridge, which explains what the name of the Swansea based Estonian folk band meant. We crossed on what was the largest reinforced concrete bridge in Europe when built in 1904. Not satisfied with that, they surfaced it with cobbles, a delight to shake over.

Parnu (population 9k) is where Estonians come for the beach on the week it is sunny. The housing and buildings along the main street to the sea seems to have developed in the 1910s, then reallocated (incl to the Red Army) when annexed by the USSR. Then given back to the family of the original owners (good records) in the 90s, then sold on again.

Elephants are a good way to keep the area pedestrianised.

Tomorrow last bit on the coast for a while….

Estonia, Trans Europa

D1 TransEuropa Tallinn-Haapsalu

The anticipation of an early morning alarm always makes for a restless night, aided by the hum of the airconditioning recirculating warm air. Not to worry, the gentle beat of the rain in the morning soon cooled things down.

I always get nervous cycling over wet cobbles and tramway lines. Concentration got us the 0.5km to the starting photo near Tallinn Town Gates. A bright array of colourful waterproof jackets. And then off….

8km or so of typical city scenery along the quiet Sunday main road. Then country side: no hills today to divert the gentle headwind. Just lots of wild flowers seeking attention, and the steadily increasing heat. Good cycletracks too.

A lot of vintage American cars (1950s style) passed in the opposite direction. They have left where we are heading to – they are returning to Finland. There used to be a festival for them which has stopped. The cars keep coming though, along with the drivers. They like old fashioned petrol fumes.

A number of Soviet style semi ruined farm buildings (i.e. large, utiliterian, concrete) left me wondering how long it takes a country or place to emerge fully from the shadows of previous regimes and economies? By all accounts Estonia is doing well.

Cycling settles into it’s lovely rhythm – though today only the one coffee stop. Only the few seemed to recognise the benefit. Others seemed in a rush to get to tonight’s gulag. Whilst I do exaggerate – it does feel like it was set up for a previous era – the main thing is everything works. The noise of airconditioning will not be an issue – just the breeze through the door. Whilst some are pleasantly surprised you can even drink the tap water, I’m more impressed it means you save 2Euro buying the bottled water. I’ve not emerged from my Scottish roots….

A good day and way to start all round.