Cycle Tour Iron Curtain Tour, part 1: Klaipeda-Grense Jakobselv

FB-post, May, 9, at 9.21: Hi friends of my Tour. For the second night in a row i prefer indoor accomodation. The reason is not only the winterly temperatures and the headwind that again slowed my progress yesterday, but also that I chose to decrease another 16 km of the kilometer debt I incurred on Saturday, so that I'm down on minus 27 km and have 'only' 122 km to Riga and my rest day tomorrow. And as I still wanted to do some sightseeing along my route it turned pitch dark until I arrived here in Roja, where I inteded to find a hotel. But everything was shut at 11pm. At one place a telephone number was displayed. And here an extremely friendly woman after several phone calls helped me to find the B&B, where I'm right now. The last part she guided me on my mobile phone through the dark town. I'll be this woman forever grateful, because it was nastily cold and I was really tired. This house is very beautiful and modern, situated right on the coastline. I've slept like a baby, and downstairs my hostess Laima prepares a breakfast for me. It's nice to be lucky! Thanks to sweet and helpful Latvians. They'll be tipped as they deserve, also the one who guided me to this place. Prices are really a pleasure here in Latvia. Everything's very cheap. I bet, Riga will be more expensive. The pictures show the things I saw yesterday, the baronial castle in Ventspils, a radio telescope from Soviet times at Irbene, which was a secrecy at that time. I saw the derelicht blocks of flats, where operators and soldiers had lived with their families. A true remnant of the cold war. The last picture shows Cape Kolka. Like on Skagen's "Grenen" the waves meet at the tip of Courland. I also visited the Livonian village of Kosrags out there. Very lonesome. The houses almost stand in the woods. The Livonians come from the other side of the bay of Riga. Together with Courland, Semgallen and Letgallen does it form today's Latvia. Not an easy (in Danish Latvia is called 'Letland', and 'let' means easy) country for me. Or Denmark's ice hockey national team. But now I've got a tailwind and roads are okay into Riga. Now my breakfast is ready, I can hear. I'll write again from Riga. Your cycologist Helmuth.

FB post, May, 9, at 10.01: And here's the breakfast. Please eat with good appettite. Isn't that just wonderful? In the window the Danish and Latvian flags fly unitedly. I must write in the guest book. Well, the real reason for me going that late yesterday eveing was a combination of a good dinner at Kolka, the tail wind and absolutely no traffic on a GOOD tarmac road. I met two cars on the 33 km from Kolka here to Roja! In addition to my wish to make it to Riga today it was tempting to keep on riding. I normally do hate riding in the darkness. It's only transport then, and I guess it was that yesterday. And then I was so lucky! Well, now I have finished my breakfast and you have finished reading my words for today. Have a good Tuesday at home. I wish it would grow a little warmer. 7 degrees Centigrade at a maximum today. Princely. And frost during the night. When does that heating of the athmosphere make its impact? In Denmark it's also cold, I read from you. A thousand thanks for all the comments, messages an likes. They really offer some warmth in this coldwave. Which one day will leave for warmer days. Last Friday it was 24 degrees in Lithuania. So long, poka (in Russian). Latvians do speak Russian a lot better than English and speak it voluntarily. And I'm happy to have a chance to train my Russian!