Day 13 - Licupe to near Ledmane

39km (399km) - 8 hours 20 minutes - weather, overcast then fine

A very long day. I am very footsore and weary. But the walking had its moments and I am at a very comfortable hotel (Lobes krogs - the pub beside the Lobe River) waiting for dinner. I avoided the sausages last night and there was little else of substance.

The 'last night' seemed to fizzle out earlier than I expected though when I got up at 4am to go the toilet, Lija was finally getting to bed. I left soon after 7am, without breakfast, which would not be till 10am. By the time I arrived at Taurupe, a shop was open and I bought some things for breakfast. As I was transferring water into my containers, a youngish guy asked me, in Latvian, 'Where is your bicycle?' I told him I was travelling 'pa kajam' (on foot). He asked me if I was English and asked me where I was going. I told him Liepaja. He said, 'Liepaja, you're stupid'. He then went off with his mate having purchased a couple of beers for their breakfast.
Am I stupid? What is the point of the exercise? I don't spend too much time agonising about those questions, except perhaps to explain it to others. If I had any doubt about what I was doing, I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning.
It takes a lot of physical and mental exertion to walk over 30kms day after day. If I lost the desire to complete the walk, I would have to stop.
I can't remember how the idea of the walk developed. It was probably last September, when we were last in Latvia. I bought a book of maps and a companion tourist guide.
After Christmas, Anna Zigure and her grandson, Aksels, stayed with us. I will explain her family's connection with Anita's in a couple of days time when I stay with her at her grandfather's home, Billites.
Anna and I roughed out a route from Zilupe to Liepaja, with overnight stops at Zaube and Billites. But why even think of such a proposal?
We had always planned a long holiday in Latvia this year because of the Song Festival and Anita's other plans. I was due for some sabbatical leave and was thinking about what I might do for 3 months in Latvia, particularly with the rogaining championships near the end of the period.
I can't precisely remember how the project developed, but the idea of an east-west walk was challenging enough to occupy me for some time, and would help me prepare physically for the rogaine.
The walk would give me the opportunity to thoroughly examine parts of the Latvian countryside. This is my seventh trip to Latvia and until now I haven't felt that I have made a real effort to explore outside Riga.
Andrejs Lanskis reminded me of the historical perspective - in 1944, the German advance into Russia had failed. The German army was retreating and a re-occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union was likely. Many families in the east of Latvia packed up their belongings and walked across Latvia to the west coast where they hoped to find sea passage to Germany or Sweden.
So, while Anita and Lija were busy, I would pursue my own project - getting fitter, learning more about Latvia and perhaps, in a personal way, acknowledging that a lengthy walk through the Latvian countryside was a way of honouring the nation that inspires my wife and two younger daughters.
Each day I look forward to the day's walking. Certainly, at times during the day, I imagine what I will do when I arrive at my destination, but I don't wish the day's walking was over. Though, the latter part of today got a bit trying.
Already, I have covered nearly 400kms. I like to establish and maintain momentum. If Lija hadn't been at Licupe, I probably would spent a second night at Gunta's. But now that has passed, I may try to walk straight through without a break.
It is the same during the day - I try to walk with a minimum of stops It is not everyone's style of walking, but it is effective in order to get places. The hours and kms roll by, and before you know it, you are well over halfway there.
Lija and Anita are at a camp reunion tonight for participants and parents. It is a tradition, apparently, to meet the next night, before the moment is lost. Anita knows a number of the parents - Egils is a European judge, Francis has been a magistrate in Adelaide, Girts is a doctor from Germany who 21 years ago diagnosed Anita's pregnancy with Jana and advised her not to ride a bicycle on cobblestone paths and Andra is a world-class viola player whose brother Peteris is a medical specialist in Melbourne and a part-time Geography teacher at Latvian school and whose other brother Davids is a Melbourne lawyer and the present head of the peak Latvian body in Australia.
Lija also has a blog for this trip. I wish I could access it and quote her exactly. She did mention in the blog that one of her aims for the trip was to develop as a 'real Latvian'. The last two weeks have certainly achieved that but have also given her great opportunities for personal growth. The camp journal (which Lija helped edit) records the names of participants voted tops by their peers in various categories. Lija was the person most would like to spend time with if they were 9m underground, the person they would turn to if they were upset, the person with the nicest smile and the person best described as 'milestiba' (love/beloved). Wow!!