Latvia Coast - Užava & Liepāja

Our third day of slowly exploring the Latvian coast had us staying in a riverside AirBnB in Užava. There's a beach there where the little river meets the sea, so that's a fun thing to see at the sea. We finished the day in Liepāja and stayed at a nice boutique hotel next to the big city park along the coast. We probably missed all sorts of things in this town because of our short stay. We followed the recommended walking tour on the map and that was it since we had one more destination on our agenda before heading home. We could see coming back here for a longer visit if we run out of other things to explore near us in Latvia.

Latvia Coast - Pēterezera dabas taka, Oviši, & Ventspils

We pulled off at random spots to check out the nature during our drive from Kolka to Ventspils. That tactic turned a one hour drive into a surprise adventure day since we didn't have a set itinerary. Pēterezera dabas taka (pic above) was a nice nature trail through the wooded hills and by a small lake or large pond. Oviši had many dunes and smooth rocks along what looked like a dried up riverbed next to the beach. This post ends with some pictures of Ventspils before we went a little more south to our riverside AirBnB in Užava.

Latvia Coast - Mērsraga bāka & Kolkasrags

You're probably not thinking about heading to the beach when you think of a Baltic Sea country like Latvia. However, you should think about it since there are some really nice sandy beaches here. The weather isn't hot and sunny for very long, but these beaches are also great for a stroll even when it gets cooler. I had a nice long midsummer break from work so we drove along the coast and checked out some of the different kinds of beaches.

We've had several days without any cases of COVID-19 and the national emergency is over here. There's still guidance to keep 2 meters apart from each other and restaurant tables inside are still spaced out. We didn't see too many people in our travels but it was easy enough to keep some distance and spend some good times outside in the fresh air. It was a wonderful break from the earlier lockdowns.

Cēsis Castle Latvia

We previously visited Turaida Castle in Sigulda so check out that post too if you like castles. That one has a really good museum, a great park area, and an interesting castle structure. However, if you want to see a more typical medieval castle, then the 13th century Cēsis Castle is better. The museum isn't as good and the park grounds are smaller, but the castle is really cool to see. Next to the castle is the old town area of Cēsis, which is another great place to hang out. Heck, go ahead and plan on visiting both towns because castles are really cool and Latvia is a great place to live or vacation.

Kuldīga Latvia

We can't travel outside Latvia during the COVID-19 restrictions, but we could maintain our social distancing while exploring the town of Kuldīga about 2 hours away. There were quite a few other people with the same idea, but we all tried to give each other extra room as we walked around. Here's a sign of the times about keeping the required 2 meter distance.

Archaeological Paphos Cyprus

The Paphos Archaeological Park and Tombs of the Kings are two great outdoor sites in Paphos that are definitely worth visiting if you're there. They're sizable park areas for walking around by the coast and checking out the ruins up close.

You can generally walk all over and even inside a lot of it including the tombs. The Archaeological Park has many preserved mosaics with a building built over them along with some that were left outside. I've seen such mosaics in museums but it's interesting to imagine the ancient houses over them in their original locations by the sea.

Paphos Cyprus

We continued the European winter escape plan to Paphos (Pafos) Cyprus. Many Europeans and some Americans like to vacation in one big 3-4 week break if they have that kind of vacation time available. I prefer taking a week here and there over a season or throughout the year. Summers in Latvia are the best time to be here so winter is the better time to plan vacations.

February is the off-season in Cyprus with some resorts and restaurants closed for the season and some places under renovation. Our hotel was mostly full of other northern Europeans seeking some sun so even the off-season is somewhat busy. Some parts of town felt closed, but overall it was bustling enough. It felt comfortable instead of crowded which is what I imagine the summer season is there.