Chasing the ancestors

Monday, May 11.

How kind and helpful everyone has been! We shared our interest to visit the old Greste ancestral town with some of our new friends from the Foreign Ministry here. With great pleasure we received an offer to be taken there today. Aiga, who is a former Ambassador to the EU Parliament, has to work. However, her husband Valdis has taken the day off today. He is driving us to Smiltene and places around. This is the only day they can help us as they are both flying to Strasbourg tomorrow on business.

Smiltene is the small town near which the first recorded Grestes are know to have had farms – the Hill farm and the Valley farm. Even if we do not find the locations (which we doubt to be able to do in one day), I want to see the area and breathe the air. We are also hoping to pick up some other archival threads from the local officials.

The unassuming Smiltene.

Valdis is a most obliging man. We get on excellently immediately. No wonder. He is a structural engineer and shares most of my values regarding building and the environment. We head straight for Smiltene which is about two hours away. It is not a particularly remarkable town. We aim for the modest municipal offices where there is an information centre. I front up and tell them why we are here. The young man behind the counter is doing his best but his job is mainly to steer tourists. However, overhearing our conversation is a young lady who happens to have a special interest in history and ancestry. Obviously she cannot help us on the spot but we exchange emails. The start has been made.

The town's municipal offices.

The old Grestes are likely to have worshiped here.

It is unlikely that anything more than ruins remain of the Greste farms. Small holdings have been amalgamated for more intensive and efficient operations.

It is suggested that we visit the lady who looks after the register of births, deaths and marriages next door. She understands our problem. She is not offering any immediate answers, largely because I have not brought enough factual information about my ancestors. However, she refers us to a history book on Smiltene as well as gives us a number of Latvian web sites where a lot of records are available online. I feel we have struck gold, even though they cannot point to where the old Greste farms were. We will have to pick up a few threads later. In the meantime, we drive around the outskirts conjecturing where in the landscape the early Grestes might have farmed. It is typical rolling Vidzeme countryside.

Notwithstanding our special interest in Smiltene, Valdis strongly recommends that on the way back to Riga, we should visit Cēsis, the larger town nearby which is considered to be the pearl of Vidzeme. It is indeed a beautiful small city, not least of all for its very old Livonian (Crusader times) castle ruins but also the very fine recently built theatre. 

The place happens to be closed to visitors today but we persuade the manager / caretaker to make an exception which in the end he does quite gladly. Without going into much technical detail, it is indeed a very excellent example of theatre architecture for its versatility as well as overall design. The older façade has been kept but the rest is new. We are told that the concert hall as a venue for a range of events, especially music, is one of the best in the land. It deservedly attracts a lot of visitors from far and wide.

The intimate organ hall.

After our inspection, we have lunch in the excellent adjacent restaurant.

Our host has persuaded that we have enough time to enjoy some of the old town, especially the very impressive ruins of what at the time (in the days of the Crusaders) was the mightiest of the Livonian (ancient Latvians) fortresses. Visually it is indeed a much cherished neighbourhood. The folks of Cēsis deserve a lot of credit for the great restoration and conservation work that has been done. Let the images speak.

This nobleman made extensive improvements and developed the attractive park.

These immaculately shaped granite cannon balls could apparently have been hurled up to 2km.  Who knows where they landed or ever hit the target.

Medieval tournaments are enacted on this green. The oldest Lutheran church in Latvia is in the background.

This is the oldest Lutheran church in Latvia.

As we are still making good progress, Valdis obligingly chooses back roads for their scenery to make our way back to Riga. It is a charming landscape all the way. He then suggests that we do a final small detour to a locally much loved piece of seaside and sand dunes. It is a great view over the bay of Riga.

We are soon back at Valdis and Aiga’s apartment. It is a most interesting and imaginative design inside an old factory, on the top floor – a most attractive inner city apartment. The whole building has been made into residences. They are both such charming hosts. Aiga has prepared a beautiful four course meal. We are honoured that she has taken so much trouble as she has had to work. To top off another perfect day, Valdis drives us home.

We are so lucky to have been received so generously in Riga.



P.S. Forgive me if the horizons are not quite horizontal at times. The preview screen on my camera has lost its brilliance. Sometimes I can hardly see what I am photographing. I just point and press.