Piltene is one of the smallest and oldest cities in Latvia, first mentioned in 1295, and being granted the rights of a city in 1557.  Between the 14th and 16th century, Piltene was the administrative centre for the Bishopric of Kurzeme.  The historical streets that surround the castle ruins feature wooden buildings from the first half of the 19th century.  The bishop’s castle in Piltene was built at the turn of the 14th century and used until the 16th century.  Only its foundations and fragments of its tower on the banks of the Vecventa River survive.

Poems are dedicated to trees in the garden sourrounding the memorial house of Edvarts Virza, a Latvian poet and writer who wrote a legendary novel about the lives of Latvian farmers. The beautiful 18th century Mazmežotne castle is renovated by a grain farmer’s family. The Rundāle castle is known as Latvia’s true jewel of Baroque and Rococo architecture featuring also a rose garden with over 2200 varieties of roses. At Brukna manor you will see a vegetable garden that is arranged as a Renaissance park, a rose garden and a vineyard. Pick your own blackcurrant berries at Bāniši berry farm. A beautiful landscape garden is open for visitors at Gundegas house.  200 year old oaks adorn the Vārkavas Park.  Riekstiņi is an authentic single-family Selonian farm with a specific spirit and ambience. At Kaldabruņa you will visit an art gallery housed in a hay-shed together with a hay museum. Grape selection and cultivation was the great passion of Pauls Sukatnieks, and his memorial garden is worth visiting during the harvesting time. Dvietes Manor is proud of its 19th century landscape park and a stone bridge. Daugavpils, the 2nd largest city of Latvia, is famous for the renovated  19th century Daugavpils Fortress housing museums. Sēlija tree nursery offers a tour of their apple orchard, apple storage and production facilities. Enjoy a glass of apple juice and stories of vinemakers. Berķenele is the memorial house of Rainis, the distinguished Latvian author and social activist.The Rokiškis Regional Museum and Manor is one of the most important cultural centres of the Aukštaitija region. The Liudvika and Stanislovas Didžiulis Homestead Museum garden features traditional Lithuanian apple tree cultivars, flowers and herbs. The A. Baranauskas and A. Vienuolis-Žukauskas Memorial Museum presents culture, literature, history, agrarian culture, and technical history in the Anykščiai region. Traditional Lithuanian flower garden can also be seen at the Bronė Buivydaitė Memorial Museum. In Anykščiai you can enjoy the Treetop Walkway and Labyrinth Park, and take a train ride on Aukštaitija’s narrow-gauge railway. In Traupis Botanical Garden you will find everything from perennial flower collections and rock garden to a flower clock and decorative pool with aquatic plants. The interior of the Taujėnai Manor house was decorated extensively with the Radziwiłł family’s portraits, sculptures, hunting trophies, and antique weapons. Take a walk around the Ukmergė Old Town and enjoy the view from the old fire tower. Survilai Homestead offers a barefoot trail walking on pine cones, swamp, peat, clay, gravel, polished glass, pine-tree needles, straw. The Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas Botanical Garden exposes the Lithuanian Heritage flower garden plants according to their botanical classification. At Tadas Ivanauskas Homestead at Obelynė Park you will see a collection of 300 species and forms of plants, including some of the oldest trees on the planet – the ginkgo biloba and the dawn redwood. In Kaunas you will see the Oldest Apple Tree in Lithuania – almost 360 years old, 8 metres tall, with a girth of 285cm at a height of 1.3m. The tour ends in Kaunas, Lithuania's 2nd largest city that was the capital of the country from 1920 until 1939.

Work on the Valmiera Castle began in 1283.  The castle was burned down in 1702 during the Great Northern War, and the city’s walls were torn down in the late 17th century.  Ruins of the castle and remnants of other Medieval fortifications have been preserved.

Nītaures vēstures takā var apskatīt un iepazīt dažādus vēsturiskus objektus no 13.gadsimta līdz mūsdienām - seno pilskalnu, vācu ordeņa pilsdrupas, luterāņu un pareizticīgo baznīcas, soda vietu un muižas seno apbūvi.

On this tour you will enjoy the diversity  of nature in Lahemaa National Park – the oldest national park in the Baltic states. Lahemaa – means “the land of bays” in Estonian. It is characterised by many bays, peninsulas, forests and villages rich in cultural heritage. The Forest Trail will go along the bays and peninsulas of Lahemaa National Park, introducing the hikers to its most significant natural and cultural heritage. The forests are rich with blueberries and mushrooms in autumn, and the air is very clean.

You will start the tour from Tallinn, going by bus to Lahemaa National Park, where you stay overnight in one of the beautiful manors. On the next day you will hike till Oandu. En route you will see Altja – a scenic traditional fishing village, where a traditional Estonian tavern is located and you can enjoy traditional meals. In Oandu there is the visitor centre of the Estonian State Forest Management (RMK), where hikers can learn more about forest habitat types and forest management traditions. Then you will reach Käsmu Peninsula with its wooded dunes and moss-covered rock fields, giving the feeling of being in a fairy tale. Käsmu is also a popular Estonian sea captains´ village. There you can visit the Marine Museum and lighthouse, as well as have an extra walk to the Vana-Jüri rocks.

During the day from Käsmu to Kasispea you will see some of the most impressive boulders in Lahemaa National Park, the Tammispea and Jaani-Tooma boulders, which resemble huge monoliths. You will end the tour in Viinistu Village, where we suggest visiting Viinistu Art Museum.

“Kundziņsiers” ir jaunas ģimenes izlolots sapnis par savu sierotavu, kas īstenots 2018. gadā Bērzciemā. Piedāvājot sieru apkaimes iedzīvotājiem, radiem un draugiem, pakāpeniski izveidojies pastāvīgs klientu loks. Nosaukums “Kundziņsiers” radies no saimnieku uzvārda Kundziņi.

Sieri

Kūpinātie sieri – ar ķiplokiem, saulē kaltētiem tomātiem, ķimenēm vai bez piedevām.

Svaigie sieri – ar ķiplokiem, saulē kaltētiem tomātiem, ķimenēm, sieramoliņa sēklām, grauzdētām sēkliņām vai bez piedevām.

Kā top siers

Darbs sākas rītausmā – ar svaigu, tikko slauktu pienu, ko piegādā no saimniecības Vandzenē. Sieru gatavo tikai no nepasterizēta govs piena, rūpīgā procesā pievienojot katram sieram raksturīgās piedevas, lai radītu bagātīgu un sabalansētu garšas buķeti. Katrs siera ritulis ir roku darbs.

Apmeklētājiem

• Apmeklējot sierotavu “Kundziņsiers”, iespējams uzzināt vairāk par tās darbību un pirmsākumiem, nobaudīt sierus un iepazīt to gatavošanas procesu.
• Tiek gaidīti gan individuāli apmeklētāji, gan ģimenes un grupas. Piedāvā apmeklējumus arī darba kolektīviem, svinību dalībniekiem un ceļiniekiem, ja ceļš ved cauri Bērzciemam.
• Viesi gaidīti darba dienās, brīvdienās un svētku dienās, iepriekš piesakoties un vienojoties par apmeklējuma laiku.
• Degustācijas laikā iespējams baudīt svaigo, kūpināto un cepto sieru, kā arī dažādas piedevas un uzkodas (vīnogas, sausmaizītes, riekstus, mērcītes). Dzērieni (ūdens, sula) ir iekļauti cenā.
• Iespējama arī dalība atrakcijā “Govs slaukšana” – slaucēju sacensībās.

Kur iegādāties sierus

Vasaras sezonā – saimniecībā uz vietas un Engurē, maizes ceptuvē “Kukul”.
Rudens un ziemas sezonā – saimniecībā uz vietas, iepriekš sazinoties.

The blacksmith is eager to show his work and various techniques and tools. He can also show how to make charcoal, and talks about the dwelling house which includes a threshing barn with a huge kiln, and explains how grain was dried, threshed and winnowed in the past.

The potter uses the black (smoke) technique to create his artworks, and he uses clay from Latgale. He uses no industrial equipment in his work, and the kiln is fired with firewood. You can watch as he creates dishware on a foot-powered potter’s wheel and talks about the firing process. You can work with clay and purchase finished products.