Venturing East

My favourite place to be on a Saturday morning is a quiet, footpath, surrounded by trees with a small spaniel happily exploring ahead of me. My second favourite though is in complete contrast; an airport. People making journeys for all sorts of reasons. This morning by 6.30am I had met a lady in her 80’s who was off to Vienna and told me she would never stop exploring and that her wheelchair had never stopped her and another lady who was flying to pick up her daughter. I love an airport! 

This time a short two and a half hour flight brought me to Riga in Latvia. After a bus ride into the city (which for a Saturday seemed amazingly quiet,) lots of women were walking around carrying bunches of tulips. Funnily enough I knew the reason as when I was looking at visiting Latvia I came across another traveller’s blog, who had mentioned it. The 8th March in Latvia is International Women’s Day and women are given flowers or chocolates. This is indeed true as when buying some lunch I was given a free chocolate gift!

The next day brought bright, blue skies, perfect for hiking so I took a train to Sigulda (about an hour from Riga) to walk some of the trails in Gauja National Park. The route took me via Krimulda and Turaida, where I visited castle ruins and a hill fortress. The trails were well marked and incredibly quiet, but with plenty of ascent and descent via many sets of steps!

Monday I hopped across the border into Lithuania to visit what has become a pilgrimage site, The Hill of Crosses. An amazing array of crosses left by people for many reasons.

That left a final day to explore the rest of Riga - the old town, library, central market, art nouveau district and the KGB headquarters, where a tour into the darkest of human stories is told. 

Riga is a compact city (you can walk everywhere) with warm, friendly people and it is good value for a short break. It’s history and geographical position could lead Latvians to live in fear, instead my experience was that they don’t worry and that they welcome tourists with open arms. I hope some of you will decide to visit this Baltic nation.

End of 2024

Time is a strange thing. This year, now we are at the end of it, seems to have gone by so incredibly quickly. I have been lucky enough to have many highlights including hiking to the highest point in England, visiting eleven new countries, learning from new colleagues in a new job and walking almost everyday. Walking may seem like such a small thing to mention, but to me it is and continues to be a self-nurturing way to spend my time. It empties my mind, keeps me in touch with the seasons and always makes me feel better afterwards, even if we’ve walked in the pouring rain (which of course Poppy doesn’t mind!) It’s how we spent Christmas Day, walking on the Norfolk coast and then home to enjoy a new book and the warmth of a fire.

So, what do I hope for in 2025? To be healthy and able enough to continue exploring familiar footpaths and new ones. And to remember every new adventure has to begin with a first step…

Beautiful Blues

As the beginning of winter approached, it was time for a dose of vitamin D in sunny Malta, a country with an interesting history and only a short flight away from the UK. 

I was lucky enough to be joined by a friend and whilst waiting for the bus from the airport into Valletta, we immediately headed to soak up the warmth of the sun. Our simple but beautiful hostel in the city was the perfect place from which to explore the country. An easy to use bus network, too many museums to choose from and the island of Gozo to also hop to made for a busy few days. 

Enjoy the photos - everything seemed so blue and bright!