Duke Jacob of the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale was on the throne from 1642 until 1862, and during that time the duchy rapidly expanded ship building operations, opened the first factories and improved agricultural output.  Jacob's ships plied the seas to export goods, to establish colonies in Tobago and Gambia, and to bring sugar, coffee and spices back to Europe.  This was the age when potatoes first appeared in Latvia, though it took a couple of centuries for them become beloved.
A great delicacy in Kurzeme is lamprey from the Usma River.  It is served in soups, baked or smoked.  During the season, there will be dishes of garfish, smelt or Baltic herring, while sprats, herring and salmon are available year-round.  Rye is used for rye bread, sourdough bread or carrot buns, and barley is used for various porridges.  Local ladies will be happy to teach you how to prepare local dishes.
During the Summer Solstice, a special cheese is almost universal, while on a daily basis, there are other tasty cheeses from cow and goat milk.  Local meat and fowl dishes are popular, sometimes potted in clay pots together with vegetables.  Side dishes include pumpkin, vegetables, root vegetables, mushrooms, beans or grits with sinfully tasty sauces. Taverns will offer wild game during the hunting season, including venison, beaver and rabbit.
Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy pie, honey cakes and poppy seed pastries that are still prepared according to a Medieval recipe.  For dessert, have some blackberry dumplings or a dessert made of rye bread, honey, lingonberries or cranberries, and sweet cream.  Slake your thirst with aromatic herbal teas with honey.  Enjoy homemade wine, tasty beer or a glass of something stronger.

A beautiful part of the Rēzekne-Dagda-Krāslava road – along two km or so, you can see Lake Rāzna and Mākoņkalns hill, which is 10 km away on the other shore of the lake.

Traditionelle Spielzeuge von verschiedenen historischen Perioden und Völkern.
Eine Spielzeug- und Pupenwerkstatt.

This tour includes a walk along the Baltic Sea coast Lithuania through the Curonian Spit from Nida to Smiltynė (see a detailed description under tour No. 9) and continues further north from Klaipėda to Šventoji located at the Lithuanian/Latvian border. Klaipėda and Palanga are popular seaside resorts with lots of pubs, hotels, street cafés and musicians. Klaipėda is the only port city and the third largest city in Lithuania. Šventoji is also a popular seaside town located next to the mouth of the river Šventoji. Between Klaipėda and Palanga, the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route leads through the Seaside Regional Park (Lithuanian: Pajūrio regioninis parkas). It was founded for the protection of coastal and marine landscapes, biodiversity and local cultural heritage. The most famous place of the seaside is the Dutch Hat (also called Dutch Cap, Dutchman’s Cap or Holland’s Cap) – a 20 m high cliff, which used to serve as a landmark and guide for seafarers and fishermen.

The shadowy cellar of the estate is a great place to hear about how homemade wine is made. You can taste rhubarb, black currant and strawberry wine along with local goodies such as cheese. Local farmers provide the ingredients for the wine.

Alūksnes novada saimniecībā "Pauguri" kokamatnieks Jānis Vīksne izgatavo koka virpojumus - cibiņas, pulksteņus, pildspalvas, spēles, šūpoles un citas saimniecībā noderīgas lietas. Iespējams iegādāties kokamatniecības suvenīrus - dekoratīvus un praktiskus virpojumus no koka. Senlietu muzeja apskate - seni galdniecības darba galdi, ēveles, āmuri, sirpji, grābekļi, sējmašīna, pulksteņi, trauki u.c. Saimniecībā ir izveidota skatu platforma, no kuras paveras skats uz Hānjas augstienes ainavām Igaunijā, kā arī atpūtas vieta vasaras piknikam ar galdu, uguskura vietu un skulptūrām.

Four-star hotel and restaurant of Vecgulbenes manor is located in a beautiful historic place, in a renovated horse arena building that was the largest closed arena in the Baltics.

Takas sākums atrodas Vidagā, vietā, kur uz Vizlas celts vēsturiskais akmens arkas tilts. 1,2 km garā taka bez marķējuma ved gar pašu upes krastu līdz pat ietekai Gaujā. Redzami skaisti dolomīta atsegumi, nelieli krāčveidīgi ūdenskritumi un iespaidīgais Žākļu dižakmens.

This tour is suitable only for experienced hikers. The itinerary circles the Suurupi Peninsula where the dense forests conceal the military heritage of different eras. The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route meanders through overgrown and rocky seacoasts, birch groves, along former pioneer camps and sand-stone cliffs protecting coves with sharp capes. At the end of the itinerary, one of the most astounding outcrops of the Estonian littoral rises before your eyes – the Rannamõisa Cliffs, which gives views of Kakumäe Bay and Peninsula and the towers of Tallinn’s Old Town

This estate is an unexpected surprise in this place and date.  Work on the castle began in themed-18th century, and it was rebuilt one century later.  During the first half of the 20th century the castle hosted an elementary school, and during the Soviet occupation it was an apartment building.  Today the castle has been reborn in terms of form and content in the direct and indirect sense.  The Mountain Holiness Community works here.  During the summer, there are children's camps and other events.  The old stairs, window shutters and brass door hinges are all original.  A church is being built on the site.  The Renaissance-style garden can be visited.  Contact the estate in advance for a tour of the interior of the castle an church in the company of local residents who will tell you all about the history of the estate and its garden.  300 m to the south-west of the estate is the Brukna Castle Hill, which is hard to see in situ and even harder to access.