We left Vilnius early and made a short stop in North
Eastern Lithuania at the Hill of Crosses. This site has about 100,000 crosses and
is an historical architectural monument, it is a unique composition of folk
art. It is said that first crosses were erected here by the next-of-kin of the
rebels that fell in the 1831 rebellion. The Hill of Crosses attracts people
with its peace, spirituality and sacred nature and was visited by Pope John
Paul II. After exploring this site, we crossed the border between Lithuania and
Latvia and drove to Rundale Palace in the Zemgaie Region. Rundale Palace is a
baroque palace built for the Duke of Courland in what is now Latvia. In 1735
Duke of Courland Ernst Johann von Biron bought land in Rundale with an old
medieval castle which was demolished and replaced in 1736 with the castle that
exists today. We toured the interior of this lovely Castle and the adjacent
gardens...a very nice stop. We arrived in Riga, Latvia by midafternoon.
I have not commented recently, but I am following and loving every post! Such an awesome trip you are sharing with us, it is really appreciated, all the photos and descriptions!
ReplyDeleteThanks Seadog67