Riga – Cena – Bauska – Pilsrundāle – Mazmežotne
- An excursion and bread baking at “Caunītes” farm
Homestead “Caunītes” welcomes visitors who wish to enjoy a Latvian atmosphere and company. The historic layout of the buildings and courtyard have been preserved. Everyone can bake their own loaf of sweet and sour bread or soft pretzels in the wood-fired oven. Bread baking is the main activity; however, visitors can also participate in other programmes – they can grind the grain using a hand mill, weave rag quilts, engage in embroidery using Latvian symbols, sing, participate in games, play wooden board games, make puzuri (traditional Latvian Christmas decorations), masks, wax candles, learn traditional Latvian dances and celebrate annual Latvian festivities.
- A visit to Bauska Castle
Bauska castle is a medieval castle built for the Livonian Order; in the 16th century it was expanded to accommodate for the needs of the court of the Duke of Courland and Semigallia. It is located on a strip of land – a picturesque place where the rivers Mūsa and Mēmele meet to create the Lielupe River.
- Visit the “Vaidelotes” farm
“Vaidelotes” promotes the Latvian lifestyle, considering it to be the future of the farm. Its owners, Arnolds and Daira, together with the family, manage 365 ha of land and grow cereals, beans, peas, herbs and teas. In addition to that, the hostess bakes coarse wheat flour pīrāgi, buns, pastries, makes porridge and welcomes guests. Latvian dishes on offer.
The Rundāle palace ensemble is the most outstanding monument of Baroque and Rococo architecture; it was built between 1736 and 1740 as the summer residence of Ernst Johann von Biron, Duke of Courland and a favourite of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The palace was designed by the famous Russian court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The Rundāle palace ensemble is made up of the palace, with its inner courtyard and the semi-circular stable and cart-house buildings, surrounding a vast carriage courtyard. All the aforementioned along with the regular part of the park – the French garden – is surrounded by an artificial canal. Beyond that lies the forest – the hunting park of the palace.
- Dinner and accommodation at Mazmežotne Manor
