Latvia - Riga (text 09.06.2006)

We arrived here this evening, and have found ourselves in yet another hostel, this one a little bigger and the rooms are packed with bunk beds.
We went out last night into Vilnius with some people that were staying in the hostel with us, we ended up in some large nightclub. The people that we went out with were pretty damn fun and we were (most of us) in the same room, so we didn't disturb TOO many people when we came home.
This morning, we all woke up around the same time (with the help of a Russian/Polish/latvian girl singing dodgy Australian songs) and they all came with us to the bus station and we all had lunch in a diner there (even though it was in a bus station it is a chain of very cheap, wholesome Lithuanian dishes). It felt like we were having a farewell party!.
Over the past few days we have been to a place called Trakai which is only a 30 min bus journey out of Vilnius. it is a huge ake area, with a castle on an island. We left to go there on Wednesday and arrived early afternoon into Trakai itself. We then walked the length of the town and left Trakai as we were heading for a Hostel and Campsite that was in the lonely planet guide. The hostel is located 4 kms OUT of the town, and the easier way to get there is to get a boat from the island with the castle on it, but we decided that we would walk it. We started off pretty sensibly (like following the road) but then Maurice, towards the final km, decided that we were going to go bush walking. We were walking towards the lake then away from it, up hills, downs hills, through stinging nettles, round trees and just when I started to laught at the fact that we were in completely the wrong direction, we came across the campsite area. Only to find that there is a HUGE fence surrounding the site, so we had to do more scrabbling to get round to the entrance gate... phew.
It turned out that it didn't reall have large dorm rooms, just room that would hold up to fve people. It was cheaper, and nicer for us to just go into a room of our own, which turned out to be a new wooden hut, right on the waters edge. So so so peaceful.
We checked in, Maurice went for a cold and fast swim in the lake and then we had tea on the verandah of the main building, overlooking the lake and the castle in the distance.
In the early evening, we took yet another walk (are we gluttons for punishment or what?!) around the lake in the opposite way that we had come. This walk was a lot more easy, and not TOO much bush walking. We came across this amazing mansion that has just been abandoned. It was an amazingly elegant building with beautiful grounds, but just completely bordered up. As there were not many people around to ask, we made up all these stories to each other about its past.
We walked back and had a delicious dinner in the campsites restaurant and a bottle of wine, and then watched a hot air balloon take off over the lake.
We both slept deeply, but very broken sleep as it was so so so cold in that little hut, but it was wonderful to wake up to the birds singing and an unspoiled view of the lake.
That night we had decided that we would go fishing/canoeing/sauna-ing but by the morning we decided against all of that a took it easy for a while, then caught the boat back to Trakai. After a quick look round the castle, we were back on the bus and into Vilnius.
Riga looks cool, much busier than Vilnius and I think they speak more English. That's all I've seen so far.
Catch you next time.