Sigulda (Latvia) and Valka (Latvia) / Valga (Estonia)

We made our way out of Sigulda with some trepidation. In theory, we should be able to make it all the way to Viljandi in Estonia with public transportation. However, the details were sketchy at best, and our guide book had already proved more out of date than we liked. The first hiccup we had noticed when we arrived in Sigulda - the train station was closed for renovation. After wandering around a bit, we found the temporary office. We boarded the train bright and early. The carriage was never more than a third full, but as the stations ticked away towards the Latvia-Estonia border, it became emptier and emptier until there was no one left on the train except us and the two ticket checkers. Each station we passed was more remote and didn't even appear to be connected to any town or village. The only sign of civilization would be the lone station agent greeting the train in uniform and cap, holding a colored circular paddle like something out of Thomas the Tank Engine. I did get to see a couple of antelope through a clearing in the pine forests though.

Luckily, Valka (in Latvian), or Valga (in Estonian), magically appeared more town-like on the border. Of course, we had exhausted all the highlights on the visitor's map within the 2.5 hour wait for the next leg of our journey. But the slightly desperate ladies in the tourist information center were really friendly, and the cafe they recommended served us almost a taste of North Carolina - hamburgers with cole slaw! Best of all, catching the coach bus onto Viljandi ended up being relatively cheap and painless. This low season, off-the-tourist-trail plan was becoming easy peasy.

Sigulda (Latvia)

The town of Sigulda is an 1.5 hr train ride outside of Riga. Famous for its outdoor activities, our visit unfortunately coincided with the transition period between winter and summer sports. There is a World Championship luge and skeleton track that visitors - at the right time of year - can go down on in a tourist bobsled. Ever the daredevil, Rich was very disappointed he couldn't have a go. However, we did get to take the elevator up and marvel at the drop from the start gates on the sixth floor(!) to the finish line somewhere far off in the ravine below.

As the gateway to the castle-strewn Gauja National Park, Sigulda is also a nice place to walk around. The New Sigulda Castle, built in the 18th Century, sported a fresh exterior, and seeing it was open, we eagerly stepped inside. We started to suspect something was amiss as we passed a couple of business people in the stain-glassed stairwells giving us odd looks. We realized our mistake when we opened a door and wandered right into the reception of the City Council's office! Had we examined our guide book a little more closely, we would have noted that the New Castle has been used for official government business since the 1990's. We tried to back out of there as quickly and discreetly as possible.

We had better luck with the Sigulda Medieval Castle, otherwise known as the Old Castle. The 13th Century ruins are open to the public, but besides one other snap-happy photographer, we had the place to ourselves that day. The Old Castle overlooks the Gauja River and Turaida Castle in the distance. It also boasts a sizable amphitheater, which just cried out for someone to hop onstage and recite a Shakespearean soliloquy in the dramatic shadow of the ruins. Sadly, my memory got stage fright.