Near-boarder kilometres.

Forest morning filled us with immense joy. It's amazing how seemingly simple things can inspire us. Here we breathe moist forest air, step on mossy cushions, look at plants of the lovely forms, and hugging trees growing up to the sky.

Perhaps realizing that our journey is about to come to an end, we did not want to leave the forest, so we enjoyed a long winding trail that led us into a completely different world, where it is so usual for people to live, where civilization had built its corridors, where society lives under, we can say, greenhouse conditions. We were approaching Daugapils.

But before reaching it, we met a lot of people that diligently were looking for mushrooms, which, we hope, they found and collected with joy and gratitude. Here is a portrait of a funny man, who expertly told us what to pick, what is better not to eat :)

 

 

In Daugapils we arrived on a purpose. Of course, I wanted to see the city, the second capital of Latvia, which we were not familiar with. Plus, we had an interview with a local newspaper. We wanted to share our thoughts about the journey even a little before the finish.

Daugapils city is special. It is definitely not Riga, it has its own beauty. Russians probably will be most comfortable here, because you can hardly hear Latvian language. It is not surprising, since the city is close to the border, that this border erased by time, if they were there at all.

In the afternoon, we met a young journalist, who was not familiar with what we are actually doing here, so he was surprised twice. We shared everything in the hope to inspire someone.

After a short rest in the main hotel, the room we were given by the Daugapils department of culture (we are very, very grateful!), we walked around the city. I must say that it was very strange to feel myself again in the walls of the city, in a concrete jungle, where apply completely different life-rules.

Life in the city is beautiful, but still we enjoy the two poles of life - close to wild conditions, and in the warm embrace of civilization. So walk, please, in the woods, it's quiet and peaceful there, and you can hear yourself better too.

The sun was shining, and it meant that we can still go. We went on.

The objective was to go as far from the city as possible, in order to find a lodging for the night, the last night of our trip. We felt some kind of responsibility towards ourselves. Therefore we were breathing every minute of the evening sun, carefully looking for a good place for a farewell bonfire. We found it. Unexpectedly, but we did it.
There was a lake shore that was shrouded by trees. There we found a nook. It was clear sky with bright moon and stars. With the heat of the fire we made we carefully warmed ourselves up. And gratefully happy went to bed. Sleeping bag.