Where I come from and where it still feels the best

As I walked around Cēsis, a city loved not only by Latvians but by tourists from all over the world, I relived so much of what I experienced there as a child. Sunday school, wandering through the dangerous ruins of Cēsis Castle, walking through the park with my schoolmates and grandmother, the Cēsu beer factory’s smoke rising from those tall chimneys which, back then, felt immense. I remembered my ice cream cocktails and café breaks with my grandmother, as well as the days spent at the back of the pharmacy with my aunt.

I sipped my coffee at the café with my daughters just opposite that white church where I spent quite a few Sundays, and drove through the streets of my old quartier, where everything once seemed so grand and now looks so small.

In the morning, while the girls were sleeping at the guest house, I sat outside, sipping coffee, and thought of my Christmas masses held at the Āraiši church nearby. And while eating my breakfast toast with smoked speck, I remembered my grandmother and our midnight meals of baked potatoes and fried bacon.

It’s interesting how just 24 hours can bring back memories of nearly 12 years—memories that feel so close, yet so distant. I love Cēsis and its nearby surroundings, and I’m proud to say I’m from there, and to speak of the places and people behind every place that make these places so beautiful and flavourful today.

Cappuccino and coffee
Melnais Gulbis

Stay
Virgabali Guest House. Close to Araisi


Burger
Zaļā Zāle. Cesis

Pork meat, organic beef and sausages
Āma

Fine dining
Kest. Cesis

Places to see
Rose Square
Cesis Castle
Cesis Castle Park
Ērgļu Cliffs
Cesis itself

Shop
Solo (a beautiful selection of products, despite it being a supermarket). Cesis.

Stunning souvenirs and small producer products
Simple Concept store. Cesis

Pīrāgi
Pie Dzirnakmens. Ieriķi

Bread
RoRo Organic. Close to Cesis. Contact her via Instagram