Translated material
Look at both
Ventspils in many ways the complete opposite of Pskov
Ventspils in many ways the complete opposite of Pskov
Oh you, flounder,
Not in the wobble
Look at both
Look at both!
And when he said "four"
I got a bruise under the eye ...
Three, four ...
Three, two, once!
Alfred Bester. “Look at both!”, The lyrics of the group “Strange Games”
The fact that once the duchy of Courland was the smallest state that took part in the European colonization of America and Africa, there are few reminders in the Latvian Ventspils. The most noticeable reminder is the large two -story shopping center "Tobago" on Lyeleys Street. But that from here, from here, from the Latvian Ventspils, you can go to Tobago Island, even to Gambia, that you willingly believe. The sea here is felt not only on the shore, although swimming in it is not the greatest pleasure. In the thirty-degree heat, the water temperature in the Baltic Sea at the end of July this year did not exceed 10-11 degrees. The hotter the air became, the colder the water was made. An additional motive to go on the water to the warm seas. At least for Tobago.
Open boundaries
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Today it seems that Ventspils was built right in the Botanical Garden. There are so many flowers that it becomes clear that it is not just the Flower Capital of Latvia, but something more. Flower city, or something. That is, a city in which everything can be of flowers: cows, basketball balls, a clock, a duck family, fish, people, air over rainbow fountains ... There are no incredible antiquities here, but this only played into the hands of local designers. They began to equip what there, including completely Soviet working outskirts with Khrushcheb. With Soviet heritage, they began to fight here not by demolition of monuments to revolutionaries, but with the help of the arrangement of unsightly houses and courtyards.
A branch of the city library - an air three -story building in which there are no visible stairs and elevators, makes a strong impression. The new library is arranged so that you, without straining, in a circle without any steps, rise along the available book shelves until you find yourself upstairs, in the hall for children.
But the very idyllic picture still does not add up. Open boundaries call on the road. Latvia is gradually empty. There are more flowers (like storks in the fields), and less people become. Among those who remained, there are many Russian -speaking ones, and among them there are many who receive information mainly from Russian sources. For them, Vladimir Putin seems to be the most peaceful of the world leaders. Moreover, one tourist-litho, who came to Latvia from Panevezis, told me for a long time how he was outraged by the war in the southeast of Ukraine. "When will Putin finally bring troops to Ukraine?!" he exclaimed in the end. I could not help him. I was not dedicated to Putin's plans. I hope never.
Ventspils is a city in general, but incidents in it still sometimes happen. One of them just recently happened to the guest from Pskov. For no reason, a completely unfamiliar person approached him in the courtyard of the guest house and in front of small children inflicted his strongest blow to his face. Then there was everything, as it should be: blood beat with a fountain, etc. ... Fountains in Ventspils work uninterruptedly.
And the point is not that this happened in Ventspils (a drunken tourist from Latgaly turned out to be the attacker). It is important how doctors in the emergency room reacted to what happened. Upon learning that the patient has no Latvian citizenship who did not find assistance. "But what about insurance?" - The question was asked. - "This is Russian insurance, it does not work with us ..."
You need to look abroad in both, otherwise you can miss something interesting, for example-a blow to the head.
In the end, for 100 euros spent through the cash register, the doctors still made an X-ray of the nose, after which it was proposed to the next morning to go for 200 kilometers to Riga-"because there is no ENT doctor in Ventspils." True, a little later it was said that there is still an ENT doctor in Ventspils, but one. And, if you are lucky ... about 200 doctors leave Latvia annually - to richer countries (Germany, Sweden, Norway).
However, there are no pronounced anti-Russian or anti-Russian sentiments there, and everyone understands the Russian language perfectly-both in restaurants and in stores. The Russian language sounds everywhere. And yet I do not exclude the fact that after such a publication I can no longer see the Latvian visa (after all, they did not give me a visa in the Estonian consulate in April 2014. more precisely, they gave, but, as in mockery, only for one day). Then, in April 2014, at the last moment I was helped out by the Latvians, although the Latvian consulate was very interested in why I was on the black list of Estonia?
How do I know why I got. Such things in consulates are not explained. Another thing is clear: Russian nationalists urge me to get out of Russia forever, and the European Union is in no hurry to give out even a one -time visa.
What remains then? Tobago Island? But I don't need to go there. The inhabitants of Courland in the middle of the XVII century strove for Tobago. Ventspils, which was part of Courland, has become the largest center for the construction of ships. At that time, 44 military and 79 trading ships were built there. From Ventspils, the Kurland Fleet went to colonize Gambia and Tobago.
The eyes of cows
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Tobago became Courland after the English King Charles I, who largely owed the Duke of Courland, Jacob Kettler, paid not with money, but by the island.
With the fourth attempt to master Tobago, he is a new Courland, began. On the island, which once opened by Christopher Columbus, the city of Yekabpils (now Plimut) arose. Courlands held out on Tobago until 1690. Fifteen years later, the former new Courland was chosen by the Pirates of the Caribbean. No, I don't need to go there.
Today's Ventspils is best inspected on a bicycle. Bicycle paths everywhere. There are so many of them that in a rare Scandinavian city there will be so many. But for running or Nordic walking, no less opportunities. A great path of the stadium, not to mention the parks and the sea coast. The long road in the dunes calls. Lighthouses invitingly blink on all four sides.
On the day of my arrival, the stadium was more lively than usual. The Ventspils football club played a reciprocal button match with the Swedish Malmo in the preliminary round of the Champions League and lost 0: 1. But the residents of Ventspils always have hope for their basketball club. It is impossible not to notice the basketball hall. Near him the next cow "grazes", putting a curious nose in the basketball ring.
Ventspils has long successfully fit into the world parade of cows, which was held all over the world-in New York, London, Hong Kong, San Paulo, Stockholm, Dublin, Brussels, Sydney, Tunisia, Izmir ... In most large cities, the parade comes and leaves, but for a small city on the River Venda, which flows into the Baltic Sea, this parade stretched out to this parade. years. Statui cows here of different types, colors and “professions” appear in a variety of places. On the beach, the sea station, in the children's park, on the embankment at the port, by the bus station, just on the streets ... cow-chamber, cow-cow, cow-an oil pipe ... Small, large, giant cows ... The first at the bus station I was met by a policeman cow. There were no documents. The inhabitants of Ventspils seem to be used to looking at themselves from the eyes of the cows. This is a pretty ironic look.
But they are not limited to frozen cows. On the central streets of the city surrounded by forests, you can find foxes, hedgehogs and other forest residents. And these are not monuments.
And with cows in Ventspils, only anchors can compete. Anchors on the streets and in the open -air museum were placed no less. They look like sea fabulous heroes, who finally went ashore. For anchors, which have been rusted for a long time at the bottom, a new, also ceremonial life began.
Anchors - separately, and ships, ships and people - separately. When the anchors are torn, people can take to the other end of the earth.
One of the most noticeable places of Ventspils is an eight -hundred -year castle. In Soviet times, to get into it, it was necessary to become a border guard or border violator. There was a border part. Now it is not necessary to become a border guard or violator.
Another attraction of Ventspils is the Big Band. I heard him by accident - and could not pass by. The sound was rare, not at all restaurant - despite the fact that the musicians played in Alus Darz, that is, in the Street Garden Street restaurant. The composition of the Big Band, rather, youth, but sounded excellent. The sound was not a beer at all.
Ventspils in many ways the complete opposite of Pskov. Not so much distance between us, so as not to pay attention to it. Kambala is not in the wobble, and nothing can be done about it. But there were times when the English kings fell into debt, and the Courland dukes were ruled in St. Petersburg. These times have long passed, but Ventspils is still blooming, especially in the summer.
Alexey Semenov