Digital Wanderer

We live as long as we fly

A Walk in Pilskalnes Siguldiņa

2007-09-17

photos trips nature mp3 music

Pilskalnes Siguldiņa is a hiking trail near the town of Ilūkste. Siguldiņa means "Little Sigulda", and Sigulda, in turn, is often dubbed little Switzerland. It's a kind of recursive imitation. We went there by car, that's just how it worked out.


Katya and Yulya

You can walk the trail three ways: looped 1.6 km, 4 km, or a one-way 8 km (i.e. another 8 km back). We went for the 4, because we had girls in heels with us. Although the girls, as it turned out later, were totally ready to walk 16 km.

A smiling girl in a pink coat leaning against a large wooden sculpture of a porcini mushroom in a green clearing. Trees and another smaller mushroom figure are visible in the background.
The mushroom theme is haunting my LiveJournal

A smiling girl in a pink coat peeking out from behind a large wooden mushroom sculpture on a green lawn. Trees under a clear blue sky are visible in the background.
Whoa, look at these shroomz!

A forest pond with blue water and patches of algae on the surface, surrounded by thick green trees on a sunny day. The view of the pond opens up through the tree trunks and foliage in the foreground.
Lake No. 1

The 4 km trail goes past 4 bodies of water, if I'm not mistaken.

 


Another angle

 

In a sunny forest, a man in a gray jacket and two women – one in a crimson coat, the other in a yellow jacket and denim skirt – pose between two thick tree trunks.
Edgar kindly drove us there and back

A fallen birch trunk lies among the thick green foliage of trees on the shore of a sunlit pond. Through the branches in the foreground, the blue surface of the water with light ripples and aquatic plants is visible.
The beavers have been hard at work, oddly enough for such a small lake

Three young people – a man and two women – are standing on a wooden footbridge in the middle of a dense green forest. Sunlight breaks through the foliage, creating spots of light on the bridge.
Occasional footbridges entertain the visitors

 

The entrance ticket costs a little over a dollar, so the enterprise isn't particularly profitable.

An old tree with a massive moss-covered trunk and thick green foliage, surrounded by a wooden fence in the middle of a forest.
Megaoak

This is a dižkoks, or in our terms, an ancient megatree. Carefully guarded by ministries and departments, hence the fence.


Beavers gnawed it down, humans spruced it up

An abstract wooden sculpture in the shape of a walking human figure is installed on a forest path. Birch trees and other deciduous trees grow around it, illuminated by sunlight breaking through the foliage.
From time to time you come across traces of alien presence

 

A brown dragonfly with transparent wings sitting on a wooden fence rail. Dense green vegetation and dark soil are visible behind the vertical slats and under the rail.
Dragon-fly. Got shy when it saw us and flew away

 

A frog peeking out from under a light, chopped log lying next to a thick log with dark bark, against a background of green grass and fallen leaves.
The toad got shy even faster

A brown lizard crawls up the rough bark of a gray-and-white tree, with a thin branch visible to its right.
Something newt-like, I'm not great at biology. Actual size - 10 cm

A winding forest path lit by sunspots, with a fence woven from branches on the left and a steep moss-covered slope on the right, where wooden stairs are visible.
The fences are cute, all-natural product

A forest pond surrounded by thick green trees under bright sunlight. Tall dense grass and sedge with sunlit tops grow in the foreground.
Body of water No. 2

 

Four young people walk single file through tall green grass against a background of dense tree foliage. From left to right: a woman in a red coat, a man in a gray jacket, a woman in a yellow cardigan, and a man in a black leather jacket.
On the right in the photo is John, caught up with us halfway through

Close-up of lush green moss growing on a mound. Its upper part is brightly lit by the sun, while the lower part is in deep shadow; earth, stones, and sparse plants are visible around it.
Lil' rock

 

A forest stream crossed by a large fallen log, surrounded by lush greenery and trees.
Lil' swamp

A small forest stream or backwater surrounded by thick green trees and bushes on a sunny day. In the foreground on the left is a bush of tall narrow-leaved grass, and on the surface of the dark water lie fallen leaves and the forest's reflection.
Lil' swamp-2

A serene landscape with a dark blue forest lake surrounded by a dense green forest, and tall coastal grass in the foreground under a blue sky with white clouds.
Body of water No. 3

 


Rowan?

 

Stacked wooden logs in a green forest illuminated by bright sunlight.
Chopped some firewoodz for whatever reason

 

Calm water surface framed by thick green tree foliage, through which sunlight breaks, creating glare on the water.
Body of water No. 3, new angle

 

Four young people standing on a wooden pier by a body of water surrounded by a forest on a bright sunny day.
The peeps

 

A large boulder almost completely covered with bright green moss, illuminated by sunspots in the forest. Around it are visible tree trunks and the forest floor with fallen leaves.
Lil' rock

 


Princess Alyonushga. And socks like that haven't been in style for a long time!



Body of water No. 3 again

 

A makeshift wooden footbridge with rough railings crosses a rocky stream in a dense, sunlit green forest.
The footbridge we didn't take, 'cause 8 km

A calm lake with greenish water peeps through dense thickets of dark trees and foliage in the foreground.
An angle of the endless bodies of water

 

A narrow forest path blocked by several fallen birches with white bark. Thick green foliage of trees and bushes grows around the path.
The beavers did their part, but the cilvēki (meaning humans) - haven't yet

 

A concrete path with metal railings, partially covered in moss, leads through thick greenery to a two-story brick house with a yellow roof. To the left of the path is a pond with reflections and a wooden pier.
Fording dry-land obstacles

 

A concrete path with metal railings, partially covered in moss, leads through thick greenery to a two-story brick house with a yellow roof. To the left of the path is a pond with reflections and a wooden pier.
Bathhouse

A wooden pier with a ladder descends into a quiet pond surrounded by a dense deciduous forest. The trees and wooden structure are reflected on the dark surface of the water with floating leaves.
Must be freaking awesome to swim among the fallen leaves. I love that kind of stuff

 

Three young people, two girls and a guy, are standing in a park around a carved wooden statue of a woman against a background of summer greenery.
A giant idol, or maybe not

A small floating house with a thatched roof sits on a pond, part of which is covered with duckweed. Green hills with trees under a cloudy sky spread out beyond the pond.
The main attraction - a floating house. Who's it for? For the tourists

A wooden duck house with a cone-shaped thatched roof floats on the surface of a pond partially covered in green duckweed. A grass-covered shore can be seen in the distance.
Close-up

We took quite a bit of time, since we were walking with no rush. Overall it was nice, and the weather was excellent.

And to keep you from getting too bored, here's some supposedly trendy music.  Reminds me of Guther, but the arrangement is more complex and overall it's not as natural. The girl sings oh so sweetly, and the lyrics are kind of cute. Actually, cute is the most fitting epithet for this music. Not that I'm a huge fan, but why not.
The Bird And The Bee
Ease of listening 5

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