Cēsis Castle, Latvia

We began our Latvian exploration with a series of semi-ruined castles—-this trip was without offspring, but my kids could all pass on buildings with curtains (ie. roofed dwellings), but a good ruin can occupy them happily. I myself love both but a ruin is always fun. The first up was the Cēsis Medieval castle, starting about 800 years ago and around which in the 13th century a town was built. Over the centuries the castle shared its destiny with the city of Cēsis in battles with Russian, Polish and Swedish troops.

Repeatedly rebuilt and expanded the castle got its present architectural appearance at the beginning of the 16th century. Special note to those of you of our generation. This is the master bedroom (I think the terminology is apt in this case) which has an attached latrine. This castle did not allow much clambering over the ruins, but were otherwise stellar. Added plus--there is a generous discount for seniors in the Baltics! Bad news is that none of it is the least bit handicapped accessible.