The lady of the house greets visitors in a folk costume, offering an educational programme in the local Žemaiši language.  She talks about herbal teas and how to find the herbs and brew them.  Along with the tea, the lady offers homemade cheese, bread, pierogi and honey.  The guesthouse is on the banks of Lake Beržoris, not far from Lake Platelys.  The Žemaitija National Park is nearby and easily reached on foot, by bike, by boat or by car.

This is the first national park in Estonia and the Baltic States. Perfect for a day trip out from Tallinn for a hiking trip and nature watching. It was established in 1971 to protect the area that is along the Bay of Finland – the shoreline, forests, swamps, meadow biotopes, species, natural monuments, rocks, waterfalls, cliffs and cultural monuments such as ancient cemeteries, castle hills, baronial estates, fishing villages, etc.

This route leads through the Curves of Daugava nature park, which is an area that was once to be flooded for the construction of the Daugavpils hydroelectric power plant.  The central artery in the park is the ancient Daugava River valley, and the specific here is eight grand curves with a length of 4-6 km.  The highest banks of the river are at the so-called Daugava gate, with the mighty Ververi and Slutiški cliffs.  More than ½ of the territory is forested for hiking, nature watching, berry picking and mushroom hunting.  The Daugava River valley has one of the greatest diversities of flora -- >800 different kinds in all.  This is also a multinational environment with Lettigalian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Belarusian traditions and heritage.  The Slutiški village, which is unique in Latvia, is popular among tourists.

Route information from Latvijas Lauku forums

Šī vairāk ir uzskatāma par vēsturisku vietu, nekā tūrisma objektu, jo muižas pils atrodas avārijas stāvoklī un apskatāma no ārpuses! Mūsdienās redzamais muižas komplekss ir veidojies 19. - 20. gs. mijā, bet muižas pils (vēlīnais klasicisms) - 19. gs. pirmajā pusē. Vēlāk tai piebūvēja neobarokālus torņus abos ēkas galos. Vienā no tiem atradās kapela, otrā – bibliotēka. 19. gs. tika uzsākta ainavu parka un dendrārija izveide. 19. gs. beigās pilī norisinājās plaši remontdarbi, un tās īpašnieki – Kerbedzu dzimta ēku līdz pat 1. pasaules karam atvēlēja māksliniekiem. No 1920. - 1975. g. muižā darbojās pamatskola, tad ēkas kā noliktavu izmantoja kolhozs.

The Baltic Way was a unique demonstration at the Baltic, European and global level.  Never before had the residents of three countries joined hands in a single chain to link the capital cities of the three nations – Vilnius, Rīga and Tallinn.  The historical event occurred on the evening of August 23, 1989 and involved some two million people to recall events that had happened 50 years before – the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that allowed the two superpowers of the day, Germany and the USSR, to divide up spheres of influence in Europe before the new world war.  The Baltic States lost their independence as a result of the pact.

The chain of demonstrators was some 600 km long, marking out the Baltic Way from Bauska to Rīga and then on to Sigulda, Cēsis, Valmiera and Rūjiena.  The route was known and used in the 14th and 15th century, or even earlier.  Testimony to this is given by the mighty castle hill at Mežotne and the ancient port alongside it.  The Bauska Castle was an important fort during the age of Livonia and, later, one of the residencies of the dukes of Courland.  Sigulda was well fortified on the banks of the Gauja River, with three stone castles nearby.  It was also a health spa.  Līgatne is important in industrial terms because of the paper factory that is there.  Āraiši is another ancient trade crossroad with a lake castle, ancient church, castle ruins and a famous windmill.  Cēsis is one of the historical diamonds of Vidzeme with its old town, the old and new castle, and the majestic views of the ancient Gauja River valley at the cliffs of Ērgļi.  Valmiera boasts of his St Simon’s Church, the Dāliņš stadium, its own theatre and the youthfulness of its own university college.  In Rūjiena, there is a monument to the Bugler of Tālava, which was carved by Kārlis Zemdega and installed in 1937 to commemorate the liberation of Rūjiena.  The monument survived all of the years after the war.  The engraving, “the bugler had to die, but the Latvians heard his call,” is very much in line with the Baltic Way on August 23, 1989.

Atrodas Labraga – Apriķu ceļa malā. Kāds nostāsts vēsta, ka to 1896. gadā cēlis vietējais muižkungs, kurš vēlējies, lai viņa meitas laulības notiktu baznīcā. Dievnamā atrodas altārglezna "Kristus pie krusta un Sv. Marija Magdalēna", kas gleznota 19. gadsimtā (autors T. Šprengels).

Lauku sēta ar pirti atrodas Merkys upes krastā, ciema nomalē meža tuvumā. Piedāvā programmu "Griķu ceļš no sēklas līdz galdam", iespējams nobaudīt tradicionālos ēdienus. Piedāvā arī nakšņošanu.

Pirms dodamies tālāk – Skaistkalnes virzienā, var izmest nelielu loku līdz Lejeniekiem, kas atrodas skaistā vietā – Mēmeles kreisajā krastā, 6 km austrumos no Bauskas. Latviešu dzejnieka Viļa Plūdoņa (1874. – 1940.) memoriālais muzejs dibināts 1968. g. viņa dzimtajās mājās „Lejeniekos”. Zemgales daba un vecmātes stāsti būtiski ietekmēja nākamā dzejnieka daiļradi. Šeit nokļuvušie var apskatīt ratu un etnogrāfisko priekšmetu kolekciju, izstaigāt Plūdoņa taku vai apmeklēt dzejnieka un viņa radinieku atdusas vietu netālu esošajos kapos. Bērniem noteikti jāiegriežas “Zaķīšu pirtiņā”.