Klinšu smilšakmens ieži veidojušies, ūdens straumēm sanesot smilšainas, mālainas iežu daļiņas. Tās lēnām nogulsnējās un sablīvējās, topot par vareniem dabas veidojumiem! Līgatnes pagrabu alas savām rokām radījuši senie iedzīvotāji. Šī neparastā vieta ļāvusi daudzām paaudzēm izdzīvot, jo alās bija iespēja uzglabāt nepieciešamās pārtikas rezerves. Alām ir nemainīga temperatūra, kas padara tās par drošu pārtikas produktu un dzērienu glabātuvi.

Ap 7 km garš lokveida pārgājienu maršruts (marķēts), kas ved pa dažādiem biotopiem – mežiem, mitrājiem un pļavām, mezdams līkumus pa stāvo pauguru nogāzēm. Takas malās ir izvietoti informācijas stendi un norādes. Rebases ainavu taka ir domāta tiem, kurus nebaida garāka iešana un orientēšanās pa ļoti dabisku un mazapdzīvotu apvidu.

To view the Daugava River from a different perspective, visit the Liepkalni bakery, which offers tours in a Viking longboat that is called “Lāčplēsis” and can carry up to 24 people.  The Daugava has always been an important transport corridor for many species and animals that arrived in Latvia because of that, as well as for people and tribes that lived along the banks of the Daugava River and the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Kadarbiku estate is located in Harju, in the municipality Saue, in the village Tula (Tuula). Agriculture started to work here in 1989, while the family company Kadarbiku Köögivili OÜ was established in 2004. Kadarbik farms specializes in growing and processing vegetables. The farm uses 500 hectares of land, which grows carrots, cabbage, beets and various summer crops. They also make juices and smoothies.

This location is important in terms of Latvia’s history, because during the 12th and 13th century, this was the administrative and spiritual centre of the Lettigalian tribe, with the ruler of Jersika being Visvaldis.  The castle stood on the shore of the Daugava at a height of 18 m, and this was a mighty castle hill.  The flat part of the hill measured 100 x 75 m, and it was surrounded by a barrier and a defensive wall made of logs.  People entered the castle via guarded gates beyond which there were residential and household buildings, as well as a small church.  Archaeologists have found the remnants of log buildings, as well as many antiquities from the 10th to the 13th century that speak to extensive trade relations with other parts of Europe, including ancient Russia.  In 1209, the forces of Bishop Albert fooled the people in the castle and sacked it and the ancient town that was around it.  Visvaldis’ family was taken hostage, and so the Lettigalian ruler was forced to become a vassal of the bishop.  The castle hill is privately owned, so please contact the owner before planning a visit.

The attractive potter is a member of the “Potter School,” and he uses knowledge from his ancestors. The “Malny Wylky” workshop offers a look at traditional pottery work, including a foot-powered potter’s wheel and a firing pit that uses firewood and the smoke technique. You can examine and purchase the finished products. Vēsma, in turn, is an oil painter and will demonstrate her artworks.

The Strūves Park is toward the northwest of Jēkabpils, on the left bank of the Daugava, and opposite the Ādamsona (Krustpils) island. The park was established in the 19^th century as a place where the city’s residents could relax and hold celebrations. It can be said with absolute certainty that this is a place of global importance, because the park contains a memorial stone to Professor Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struwe (1793-1864) from the University of Tartu. He was an astronomer and geodesist. The stone is at a place where Struwe completed his land survey of the Vidzeme Province of the Russian Empire. The meridian location which Struwe identified (and other points related to those locations are found in many other European countries) is on the UNESCO list of world heritage.

Ancient trade routes distributed not just products, but also knowledge, culture and everything that was new and unknown.  Pastor Ernest Glück, for instance, may have already started work on a translation of the Bible into Latvian when he travelled from the Daugavgrīva fortress near Rīga to Alūksne.  There he finished his masterpiece and planted two oak trees alongside the manse that are still there.  Glück also established the first school in Vidzeme for Latvian children.  He was a pastor, translator, author and teacher.  Thanks to him, the Hernhutian movement of brethren flourished in Vidzeme after the Great Northern War.  It directed spiritual and political development and brought Latvians closer to their national awakening.

Of great importance in the Path of Light is Piebalga, which became very important in terms of culture in Latvia.  Culture, science and even politics took on new meaning and sounds.  This is where Kārlis Skalbe, the Kaudzītes brothers, Jānis Poruks, Antons Austriņš and other major figures from the national awakening lived and worked.  The very spiritual aura in this place has not disappeared to this very day.

The fantastic Cesvaine castle has been renovated, and the narrow-gauge railroad between Gulbene and Alūksne is still rolling alone.  The ruins of the Marienburg castle in Alūksne conjure up visions of the hidden wealth of the Order of Templates and the young woman who was bricked into the castle’s walls.  No less intriguing is the story of Marta Skovronsky, who would rise to become Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.

The Madona Regional Research and Art Museum offers a look at the past and present, while the Ate windmill at Kancempji offers a look at more than 4,000 unique items from the history of our countryside, complete with buildings that are more than 100 years old.