Northern Europe Paris invaded by IPA Płońsk members
Northern Europe Paris invaded by IPA Płońsk membersThe IPA Płońsk Region (branch) organized a family trip to Riga in Latvia. The trip was attended by 50 members and supporters of the Region, the Polish Section Merit members and their families. Organizing the trip we were assisted by the President and Vice President of Latvia Section of the IPA , who had chosen the appropriate accommodation and suggested interesting places to visit
The accommodation was booked at the Park Hotel Kekava about 30 km from Riga. The first day of the trip , i.e. Friday we used to visit the old historic part of Latvian capital. During a long walk with a guide we saw the old town of Art Nouveau houses, St. James’s Cathedral, the Swedish Gate, Gunpowder Tower, Town Hall Square with House of the Blackheads. We also passed along the Pilsetas canal boulevard, and at the monument of Liberty took a group photo. Narrow cobbled streets, quiet, quaint and charming alleys with characteristic architecture left a lasting impression.The next day was devoted to explore further areas of the capital of Latvia. 50 km northeast of Riga lies the winter capital of the country - Sigulda. We visited the remains of the Teutonic castle of the thirteenth century, and then built in 1881 eclectic palace known as New Castle. Then we took advantage of the interesting Sigulda’s tourist attractions, which is the ability to ride a cable car to the neighboring Krimulda. From a cable car we could admire the view of the distant area, including the Gauja River valley National Park, and also situated in Turaida nearby, visible from a distance, built in 1214 by the founder of Riga, Bishop Albert, red brick castle. Famine caused by fresh forest air, took us to the "RAGANAS KEKIS" inn in the village of the same name. During lunch, our Riga guide Mr. Vyacheslav Kapusta (a descendant of an aristocratic Polish family) told us the legend of the tragic fate of an exceptionally beautiful innkeeper's daughter who with her beauty attracted the nearby men, which aroused the envy of their wives, and finally drove into their cruel revenge.After some regenerating we went to the seaside recreation and leisure resort of Jurmala. The resort is located 10 km north of Riga. We had a stroll along the picturesque beach, we could also walk one of the many streets of the historic, mostly wooden houses that can accommodate a lot of quiet cafes and souvenir stalls. In the evening in the hotel's dining room we organized an integration dinner inviting to it the Kekava District Police Commander - Maris Bomins (Vice President of the IPA Latvian Section) and the hotel owner Igor Malinuauskas. We handed commemorative plaques to the Commander and the hotel owner. Commander Bomnis invited group of several police officers from our trip to visit his HQ. The visit was completed the next day. Our colleagues were impressed by extensive urban monitoring network and modern fleet of vehicles.After checking out on Sunday morning, we set off back to Poland. While in Lithuania, we stayed in Kaunas, where we had an appointment to meet with our colleague Ilka Cibulskas of the IPA Region Lazdijai. First he took us to dinner at the restaurant serving Lithuanian regional dishes, and then led through the old part of town, where we could see the ruins of the castle of the XIV - XVI century, the Gothic St. George’s church, the Gothic SS Peter and Paul cathedral, the Town Hall called "White Swan" and other monuments. We went also one of the main streets of Kaunas, with lots of stalls selling souvenirs and other goods, addressed mainly to tourists. Late in the evening we said goodbye to our fellow Lithuanian Cibulskas and I went to the country.
Written by Zbigniew Kaniak; photo: see the website: www.ipaplonsk.cba.pl)
Translated by: Krzysztof Kapturski