Latvia
4th – 11th September 2011
”Nature is the best classroom in the world”
I am very grateful to have been given a place by ARCH on a Leonardo di Vinci funded ICHI 5 project
nature exchange trip to Latvia hosted by the Latvian Natural History Museum.
I’m the Community Liaison & Education Officer for Borders Forest Trust - an environmental charity
based in the South of Scotland. Our vision is to create wild places for the benefit of people and
wildlife in the South of Scotland. We protect, restore and create woodlands and habitats, through
community involvement and we have numerous projects which focus on a variety of social, cultural,
economic and conservation themes. For example: youth training and volunteering programme;
community, arts and education; sustainable local timber products; orchard conservation/ creation
and wildlife conservation and site management, to name a few.
Exchange Itinerary
4th Sept: Travel to Latvia, visit Latvian Natural History Museum, sightseeing in Riga.
5th Sept: Bauska Castle, Mezotne Castle, Tervete Nature Park and visit to Sejas Farm and garden.
6th Sept: Talsi, Roja Fishing Museum, Evasi Nature Trails , Slitere National Park and Lighthouse and
Lauma Nature Park.
7th Sept: Kabile Nature Trail and Kuldiga sightseeing.
8th Sept: Koknese Castle ruins, Aizkraukle History and art Museum, Latvian garden of Destiny, Viking
boat trip and Pakalniesi Education Centre.
9th Sept: Pakalniesi Education Centre and Gauja National Park.
10th Sept: Visiting nature trails in Gauja National Park and Ligatne Nature Park.
11th Sept: Sightseeing of Riga and return to Scotland.
In participating in this programme I hoped to gain new, fresh, innovative ideas for interpreting
nature, which I could incorporate into my everyday practice as an environmental educationalist and
Forest School practitioner, and also share with the many local and national networks that I’m
involved with. I was also looking forward to meeting, sharing and learning from my fellow travel
companions (all of whom came from a variety of different environmental/ interpretation
backgrounds).
Throughout this report I intend to summarise: my highlights; the site visits and also detail some of
the cultural discoveries I made to help capture the essence of the wonderful forested country of
Latvia.
The contents of this report follows each day of the exchange and incorporates a mixture of elements
from my informal travel diary, followed (where appropriate) with more formal informative/ factual
material scribed on my return to Scotland (written in a more formal font!) to add more detail to my
diary entries.
Day 1: Trees as far as the eyes can see.
4.30am pick up….. Thank you Sheila (Archnetwork). Met fellow ‘red eyed’, yet enthusiastic travel
companions at Glasgow Prestwick airport. The flight was amazing – the clear conditions enabled a
fantastic bird’s eye view of Denmark and Sweden and on our decent into Latvia all you could see was
forest, edged with white sand beaches.
On our journey to Riga it was clear that we had arrived in a place where trees were very much a part
of everyday life - trees surrounded small, quaint timber houses (obviously falling trees are not a
major concern here!).
The day’s activities consisted of an in depth visit to the Latvian Natural History Museum, where we
met our lovely guide for the week Maija Malnaca. The museum housed a really varied range of
exhibits, which were displayed in a variety of fashions (some far more traditional (awaiting
refurbishment) than others). Certain areas of the museum had obviously been created or
refurbished very recently, for example, the fossil and prehistoric animals section. (This was my
favourite exhibition area, as I have a somewhat nerdy fascination of fossils etc.) In this particular
area, the space had been used very creatively (e.g. some exhibits were set into glazed units in the
ground) and there were brilliant innovative, interactive/ moveable exhibits and installations that
would appeal to children and adults alike.
Whilst we were at the Museum we learned about their Guide Training Programme over a delicious
coffee. After note: NB: The Latvians know how to make a decent coffee!
We were also taken on an early evening city tour. I must recommend Riga – it is a beautiful, green,
quiet and calm city with art nouveau architecture and stunning sculptures everywhere you turn. We
were all intrigued when we discovered a small bridge covered in padlocks from throughout the ages
- apparently it’s an old Latvian romantic tradition for newlyweds to walk over a bridge and attach a
padlock to seal their undying love.
The first day culminated in us enjoying cold beers on the hotels roof top terrace, whilst we all got to
know one another a little more.
Latvia has been labelled ‘The land of Forests’ by a famous Latvian author – with approximately 50%
of the land being forested with mixed species. The predominant species are pine and birch (both of
which appear to grow fantastically – super straight stems (NB: and the birch bark is absolutely pure
white!)) and other common species include spruce, ash, oak, aspen, hazel and alder.
The Latvian Natural History Museum’s Guides Training Programme – throughout our travels we met
a variety of qualified and trainee guides from this programme. NB: from a variety of different
disciplines. The key thing that stood out for me was the clear success of the project in empowering
people with the skills, techniques and confidence to lead quality, informative interpretational tours of
their specific project or site.
Day 2: Apples and orchards.
Today we travelled to a variety of destinations (NB: long distance views were pretty much impossible
due to the sheer density of the trees and the relatively flat landscape) and it struck me that there
were apples and orchards everywhere! Every house had at least one laden apple tree, orchards
occupied any spare ground, and even the main roads were lined with fruit trees. After note: As the
week went on I discovered that apples were up for grabs in pretty much every eatery and bar, e.g.
bowls on tables contained candles surrounded by extra tasty apples (free to scoff if you fancied!).
Magic and Folklore – It is evident already that the Latvians most definitely have a deep rooted
connection with; the environment; the medicinal, magical and culinary use of wild plants and they
also have many folklore stories and myths associated with the forests, wildlife and flora.
The highlight for me today was our visit to Tervete Nature Park, where fancy dressed fairytale
characters bring magic to the regular school visits (and our visit!) to the park. Whilst here, I took a
ride on a witch’s broom, having had a drink of herbal tea from her cauldron and sampling a local
rabbit poo (chocolate raison!)! This site is managed by the Latvian State Forest and consists of high
quality interactive installations (beautifully crafted small cabins/ sawmills/ rail tracks/ sculptures).
There are regular school educational visits and children’s camps (where the young people stay there
for 5 – 7 days, and take part in extremely exciting things like – night time walks(!) and feely boxes
with real creatures inside!! I was also impressed to hear about the national schools ‘Forest Olympics’
competition, where schools sign up to a series of challenges throughout the year, e.g. tree planting;
calculating the volume of timber; measuring tree height; nature tracking; lighting fires; using tools
and forest games. The final is held at Tervete and the winners get to go on a visit to Norway. There
are plans to bring this to Scotland! Watch this space.
Tonight we met (and were fed and watered) by an amazing, ‘very driven’ lady who has created a
spectacular garden, which wraps around her equally spectacular farm house. Being a qualified
Landscape Architect in my previous existence - I was stunned to discover that the flowing lines, well
placed features and great use of texture and all year round interest have been developed and pieced
together organically from her own imagination. At no point has she ever drawn up plans or anything
like that. Very skilled!
The food: by day 2, I can already say that - Latvian cuisine is far, far nicer than I expected! I knew to
expect dill and caraway (quite nice with the right accompaniments, e.g. caraway cheese and black
bread), but I didn’t realise that meat, particularly pork would be such a common offering. The
Latvians are most certainly hearty carnivores! Also, some translations on menus may not do some of
the local traditional dishes much justice, e.g. ‘Grey peas with lard’….
Tervete Nature Park has been under state protection for use as a recreational area for families since
1957. Within the 1,350 hectare site a huge variety of infrastructural and creative installations have
been created, e.g. a toy ‘people carrying’ train, a quality restaurant and visitor centre, and, a vast
array of excellently crafted sculptures and buildings (the first of these was carved in the early 1970s).
The park is highly regarded and particularly popular, having won a family recreation tourism award
in 2005, being on the top ten places to visit in Latvia list, and attracting over 70,000 visitors per year.
Day 3: The Seaside
Today we visited a coastal area of Latvia (Talsi) that abuts the most dangerous area of the Baltic Sea
(i.e. it’s very narrow and shallow for navigating with areas of exceptionally strong converging
currents). We visited a fishing museum (Roja), Evasi nature trails and white sand dunes and Slitere
National Park and Lighthouse.
The places we visited today were not particularly relevant to my line of work, however, it was
fascinating to learn about how the sea has shaped the land, the archaeology of the area and to see
trees/ forests teetering at the top of eroding sand dunes. It was also great to get the opportunity to
climb up a quirky lighthouse that overlooks native forest (rather than the sea!).
A wee highlight for me today was seeing a harrier of some kind and cranes flocked in their hundreds.
Day 4: Woodland wonderland
Today we visited a variety of places, but the highlight for me was experiencing an inspirational
woodland playground site owned by a Latvian craftsman, who lives by the motto ‘forest is in my
soul, my soul is in forest’. In the beginning, this woodland was designed as a fun place for his family
and friends, however over the years the owner has managed to create a small income out of the site
by opening access to members of the public and school groups.
Throughout the entire area there were interactive installations and things to do. For example: tree
houses; a ‘nature scrap-yard’ filled with a collection of tree and wood themed natural phenomena,
e.g. human shaped bits of wood etc; amazing hand crafted furniture; a woodland art gallery and
timber games everywhere you turned, e.g. chess, throwing games, hook a duck etc. There was even
a wooden (100% Plasma) TV for children to play in and a wooden ten pin bowling alley! It was
enlightening (and made me rather jealous!) to discover that brilliant installations and furnishings like
these (including many small pieces of kit) can be left safely in the woods at all times. The site
reminded me a little of Wooplaw Community Woodland in the Scottish Borders (the first community
woodland in Britain, established and purchased in 1987)…… which is also located in a rural location with the nearest community some 4.5 miles away). This woodland completely inspired me, and I
would love to see some of the simple (storable) ideas I discovered here - replicated in our local
Community Woodland sites and school grounds. In fact (after note), since my return, I’ve had a
meeting with a school who would now like a wooden outdoor art gallery developed in their school
grounds.
The night was spent at a Hostel with its very own hive and honey production family interactive trail. I
found this trail particularly enjoyable, as it incorporated stunning wooden sculptures to help tell
visitors the story of the life of bees. It was also possible to actually partake in some bee handling and
assist in the honey production process, as I also noticed that there was a building within the trail that
housed a large collection of bee keeping safety suits of varying sizes! Brilliant!
Day 5: Communists and Vikings
A day focussed on the theme of water, e.g. communist flooding programmes for the creation of
reservoirs; art and cultural museums telling the story of the lost landscapes and castles and the
changes in Latvian society post-communist rule…… and to top it off we went on a Viking Boat sailing
trip (complete with pounding Latvian (bagpipe’esque) music and wild boar seats).
After an exceptionally tasty dinner (including ‘hot tomato soup’ (side note: thinking or hoping this
meant with chilli, we asked if it could be extra hot…. the response from the kitchen was ‘yes it will be
hot from the oven!’…. funny!) we travelled to our accommodation and en route saw a wild elk (this
completely made my week!)…. oh, and an exceptionally cute young owl in the middle of the road
frozen in the glare of our headlamps! On arrival at Pakalniesi Education Centre we were given a mind
blowing ‘Latvian moonshine filled’ friendly welcome by our hosts (Inese and Mara).
Something else I have omitted to include so far is….. the gorgeous Latvian weather! So far, we’ve
only had one rainy day and the odd shower, but other than that, the temperatures and light quality
are soooo much nicer than the conditions we’ve been experiencing back home. It’s lovely to feel a
bonus bit of warmth. Winner….. happy days!
Aizkraukle History and Art Museum – was a particularly interesting place, with well thought out/
symbolic/ artistic exhibits that told the story of Latvia throughout the ages (i.e. encompassing the
early history, the loss of precious landscape through flooding of the land (for reservoirs) during the
Russian Communist rule and elements of Latvian culture and folklore right up to the present day). The
museum housed a wide range of Latvian artefacts, a traditional house lay out, original works of art
(predominantly impressionist) and also, modern day household items pre and post Communist
occupation. It shocked us all to learn that Latvia’s independence was only reinstated in 1991.
Day 6: Inese and Mara by day!
What a lovely, inspiring and hilarious day! The Pakalniesi Education Centre is a training centre for
forest owners, families and school children and aims to teach visitors about the ways and habits of
the local wildlife. NB: This is brought to life by the enthusiastic and extremely charismatic Inese and
Mara. For example, during the course of the morning we ran to different installations; visited the
animal cave (focussed on animal habitats); jumped around in a giant fish (interpreting food chains)
and had a go on their wooden carousel - whilst dressed in woodland themed fancy dress….. talk
about a memorable experience! We were all buzzing after this and I believe that that is because
we’d just experienced quality environmental education - led by skilled people! Above all the
wonders of nature, it is true to say that - the first step in connecting people with nature is to get
people engaged by providing positive, fun experiences. I also loved their use of humour and
imagination in their practice, ladies after my own heart! I think we were all sad to leave.
I really don’t think I’ll ever be able to think of Latvia and not smile when remembering our
experiences at Pakalniesi.
Day 7: Community Forestry
Our last official day was spent visiting sites in Gauja National Park and Ligatne Nature Park where
conservation, culture and recreation all intermingle. Here, recently planted forests adjoin virgin
native forest. I was amazed to hear that in these areas, the forest management plans are shared and
communicated to the local communities to enable appropriate access and exploitation of the forest
resource for firewood etc. Given that this is ancient woodland, and given that we don’t have such an
abounding natural native forest resource (whilst also not meaning to sound too negative!) I don’t
think it could or would ever be possible in Scotland. It really is a sign that forests and a respect for
nature is very much fixed in the Latvian mind-set. However, apparently tough penalties are applied
when the rules are broken. NB: the foresters have to turn a blind eye in some circumstances, e.g.
when elderly people that have always lived in or near the newly designated forests - take firewood
as they have always done!
The key things that stood out for me on our visits to sites in Gauja National Park were the brilliant
sandstone caves! I loved the folklore stories that were associated to their creation and I also loved
the aging (some dated back to the 17thC) graffiti carvings (now illegal) that covered their entirety. At
Ligatne Nature Park it was great to climb up a huge timber viewing platform and look down at the
tree tops. I also loved their large scale, multi material bug home/ habitat installation, far grander
than my creations to date!
We ended the day with a Saturday night Riga style! Immense. Again, I was truly inspired. As we
meandered around the lively (but as a country girl – in no way intimidating), well lit streets of Riga,
we came across a piece of eco-entertainment genius. In a small square, passers-by were free to jump
onto fixed bikes – which, when pedalled, powered short artistic film clips which were projected onto
an old church building. There was also an accompanying outdoor dance area, an old super-cool silver
campervan DJ Box and an outdoor bar serving beer and mulled wine. What a night! I will do my
utmost to find funding to replicate this or something similar in the Scottish Borders!
Day 8: The majority of us spent the morning recovering from the night before (including a big fix of
our last quality Latvian Coffee!) …… and then home.
This exchange was a fantastic opportunity to; see a large area of this beautiful and bountiful wild
forested country; meet the wonderful Latvian people (with a great sense of humour and impeccable
hospitality skills) and also travel with a fun and interesting group of people (new friends). I have
come back exhausted, but armed with loads of new ideas. Simply spending time with my fellow
travel companions was a very valuable experience, as we had similar interests, yet we all work in
varying professions. This enabled interesting interchanges and a valuable insight into each other’s
professional perceptions of things… i.e. opinions/ ideas and discussions.
Many aspects of the overall experience were so memorable that they will remain with me for life.
I IMPLORE YOU TO VISIT LATVIA!
Other worthy notes:
Many of the Forest/ Nature guides and people in power that we met throughout our journey were
women!
Sea buckthorn juice and puddings are delicious.
Horse Chestnut trees throughout the country are badly affected by Canker and, as a result, or
possibly as a means of attempting survival they have produced a bumper harvest of gigantic conkers
this year.
Beaver Damage – it was fascinating to see a very different form of tree protection installed – i.e.
quite heavy duty metal grills attached to newly damaged willow trees to stop any further beaver
damage! Seemingly, beavers can annihilate a mature tree very quickly, therefore the forest staff are
kept on their toes and react accordingly!
Things that I saw that I will most certainly be bringing home and trying to replicate and promote in
Scotland:
-
Woodland wooden nature art galleries.
Traditional timber games in woodland and school settings.
Large multi-material formalised bug homes
More fancy dress and role playing!
Multi-layered sensory installations – textures to walk on, different sound making materials
up high.
Bicycle powered fun entertainment and outdoor socialising opportunities for all age groups.
The Forest Olympics – let’s bring it Scotland! (more international networking)
Simple tree based trim trails and activity installations
The message that we need to be more connected to our woodland/ natural resources
More sculptures and better interpretative installations (less words – more physical and
cultural interaction possibilities!) in our woodland sites and community spaces.
I would very much like to thank all of those involved for an amazing experience. Special thanks to
Maija, the Natural History Museum of Latvia, to all of the guides and staff that we met on our
journey, to ARCH and Sheila for organising the trip (and doing loads of the driving!) and lastly to
Leonardo for the funding
Anna Craigen, Community Liaison & Education Officer, Borders Forest Trust