Here are our hosts enjoying the meal: Gunars, Christine, Unda and Arnes
Dagnis, Olesja, Anna, and Laimons:
And here are Olesja and Hazel keeping warm in the cool evening:
Hazel had shared a sauna on Saturday evening with Anna, which is their weekly ritual for Saturday nights. Ronald and I had expressed an interest in trying a sauna as well, so Laimons stoked the fires for us Sunday afternoon and once the dinner was over we took our turn enjoying this wonderful (and steamy) tradition! It was really fun and relaxing. This is the entry to the sauna, on the right, and the private area where we could come out and douse ourselves with cold water after sitting inside. We did this five times, according to the instructions of our hosts.
Later in the evening, we returned to see Unda and Arnes once more before they returned to Riga on Monday morning for their work and study. We offered our various thank you gifts to the family and were able to see all the boys modeling their new Albert Lea Tigers caps (a gift from Todd). Here are Rolands, Arnes, and Gunars:
This morning (Monday) we began a day of sightseeing with Anna and Laimons. We were joined by another member of the congregation named Mareks, who served as our second driver and capable translator. He was a Rotary exchange student in high school, and spent a year in Missouri. Ronald and I rode with him and really enjoyed hearing about his work as an electrical engineer and sharing stories. Our first stop was to see a very old water tower that exists on the site of a psycho-neurological hospital. 
Then we made several stops along the beautiful Gauja river (pronounced something like GOW-yah), which meanders across most of Latvia. 
We also visited a very old church - first built in the 13th century. I believe the town was called Travika? It has been damaged many times over the years due to fires and wars, and the current condition is from a renovation in the 1930s.
We had a guided tour of the church building, including the crypt (no longer in use) and the bell tower. I also had the chance to play the organ, which dates from the 1850s.
We toured their Parsonage, which is undergoing repairs and renovations. They have spaces in use for Sunday School and also use a larger room for worship during the winters, since the sanctuary is so difficult to keep heated.
Following this we went on a tour at a very large tree nursery.
Large, well-managed forests are a prominent feature of the landscape when driving around Valka. Timber is one of the most abundant natural resources of Latvia. It is a very common way of heating homes here in Valka. In addition to providing a variety of plants and bushes for landscaping, this tree nursery grows the saplings that help regenerate the forest for the logging industry. We literally saw millions of young trees here, growing on pallets. In about 80 years, they will grow into the large trees you see in the background. Right now there only about 3 inches high.
And of course, all those trees come from seeds! The state forestry service operates several pinecone drying facilities in order to get the seed. We visited a building that used to house one of these drying facilities until 1965. It now serves as a museum and educational site. It was quite interesting to learn about the process. About a bushel of pine or spruce cones will go into each of 24 cylinders, to be heated from belowfor about a week, rotated twice a day, until they open up and their seeds are released to the floor below. The newer drying plants now complete the process in a single day, enough to provide 45 million seeds each year.
We made a number of other stops as well with our very capable guides! One was a settlement of older houses, now used as a set for historical film making. These houses use reeds from the riverbed as roofing material:
We also stopped at a beautiful lake that could have been transplanted from northern Minnesota or Wisconsin:
And then one more stop at the Gauja. The riverbanks are very sandy - like an ocean beach - and the annual spring floods result in an ever-changing path for the river. We visited one site were there was once an oxbow in the river. About twenty years ago the river cut a new path, cutting off an old road and creating an island. It was a lovely spot and provided a nice hike into the woods to see the various flowers and evidence of beavers. Here is our group (minus Ronald, who was our photographer): 
In the evening, we returned to our respective host homes for supper. Todd, Ronald and I enjoyed a couple of walks with Gunars and Rolands around Valka. This included a visit to their newly renovated art school for students 9-14 years old. It is a wonderfully spacious building, filled with light and creative energy.
Ronald and I have still not had the opportunity to meet our hostess, Liga, and are unlikely to before we go. She continues to be away from Valka, visiting her mother who is seriously ill. We are praying for them both and hoping that things will turn out alright. I hope you will pray for them as well.This is our last night in Valka. Tomorrow we will get to do a walking tour of Valga, the other half of the city that lies in Estonia. Then we will see Pastor Girts again, seeing another of his congregations and then riding with him back to Riga and Dagnis' home. I'm not sure of our plans from there, but we will be flying out of the Riga airport at 2:40 in the afternoon on Wednesday for our journey home.
This has been a long and wonderful journey. These last days have offered some quiet for reflecting on our many experiences. We are anxious to share them with our friends and family at home!
Fun photos and commentary. Can't wait to hear more about the old church (and the crypt!) The bbq looked fabulous. We will pray for your friends there and your safe travels home. :)
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