The sand caves outside Kuldiga. We knew they were there but finding them was another issue. The caves were started by the landowners children - all 12 of them. The sand was so white and fine that it was then mined for over a hundred years - being sent as far away as England for use in glass making. There are about 2 km of tunnels but only 800 metres is now open for the tourist trade. In this 800 metres you end up 11 metres underground where the temperature is a constant 6C.
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From Ventspils to Kuldiga - this was our first introduction to Latvian roads - decades of patching. The country side still shows the evidence of their years behind the iron curtain under Russian rule. Farm buildings, blocks of flats, and later whole factories abandoned. Kuldiga is a small market town about 90 mins from Ventspils. The oldest wooden building - still in use - was built in 1670. St Katrina church in Kuldiga was mentioned in documents as early as 1252 and has a history of the usual fires, destruction and rebuilding. Walking through the cobbled streets (in the rain) we came to the Ventas Rumba - the widest but smallest waterfall in Europe! The original castle was destroyed but has been turned into a garden area. |
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