THE MIDKNIGHT GARDEN: Home to The Serpent Priesthood & Knights of the Red Order.

Chilling out on the ferry with a lovely espresso, then an interesting first glimps of a seemingly far away Estonia…

DAY TWENTY THREE: Wednesday 1st May 2024: After a peaceful two hour journey in a modern well laid out ferry with all expected amenities on board, we arrived upon the far away shores of Estonia. I had never been so far from home before and so near to the  Russian border too, that i truly wondered what adventures lay before me…

Church of St Nicholas of the Waterfall. Harju County. Estonia: This Medieval fortified church was possibly built soon after the city of Tallinn was established in 1230 CE. The pulpit (Tobias Heintze), with it’s Baroque iconostasis (17740) , a painting entitled ‘The Entombment of Jesus’ (Otto Zoege von Manteuffel), as well as wheel crosses set in the church wall and churchyard. All worthy of a look, sadly the church was closed but i did ‘squeeze’ a photo through the locked wrought iron doors. The actual area around the church and the countryside was beautiful and peaceful  with it’s carpet of flowers and flowing river of pure clean water.

It truly was a tranquil spot

Grail Bloodline connections of Karl Neville:

• Sir Simon Woodchurch. 23/08/1241-06/05/1317. Woodchurch. Kent.  22 x Great Grandfather.

SA Ajakeskus Wittenstein. Jarva Maakond. Estonia: A sunny drive through beautiful Estonia found us at this interesting castle ruin, now a local museum and arts site, which included an outdoor theater. There was a good info board which i will post below informing that construction of the castle of the Livonia Order in Paide started under the leadership of the ‘Grandmaster Conrad von Mandern’ in 1265. Later on when this defense was no longer needed it became a park and outdoor museum. It was a very pretty well-cared for park in a lovely area.

DAY TWENTY FOUR: Thursday 2nd May. Rest Day! A short stay-over in Estonia, for a well-deserved rest day in Tartu. Then to leave the area to travel onwards into Latvia.

DAY TWENTY FIVE: Friday 3rd May. Driving into Latvia:

“A riddle of time was given to me
A riddle of time near the deep blue sea
For i was to see that which no-one else saw
The riddle of time on a sandy shore…”

Driving through Estonia to Riga Cathedral

Then time for a lovely lunch just outside the cathedral!

Riga Cathedral was huge, set in a lovely square with many historic buildings all around and a very popular place with tourists. I took so many photos, it was a challenging deciding on what to share here! The cathedral is also known as The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, and is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of Riga. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Latvia and has been featured in many paintings and photographs. It is often called the Dome Cathedral. It was built near the River Daugava in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany. It is considered the largest Medieval church in the Baltic states. More info can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga_Cathedral

Grail Bloodline connection of Karl Neville:

• Peter Clarke 16/09/1291 – 21/01/1368. 20 x Great Grandfather. Woodchurch. Kent.

Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum: To be honest there was not much there to be photo worthy as such, not because of the subject matter, but i think for many visitors it was a place for contemplation and for being with their personal memories.  Though i did find this in one of the exhibits which i rather liked:

A two night bungalow stay in Zubites, Latvia.

DAY TWENTY SIX: Saturday 4th May. St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. Tukuma. Tukums. Latvia: We spent two nights in Riga and headed out to this Russian church on the Saturday.The Russian influence is very pronounced in this area, in the buildings, the churches, the culture and the peoples; were were after all not far from the Russian border. The church was built in the year 1871. Its interior design is luxurious and unusual. In the church you can see several icons from the 18th and 19th centuries. Particularly noteworthy is the Virgin Mary icon of the year 1971 with an icon setting. The church was ‘over seen’ by some very protective ladies whom ‘bustled’ around splendidly being ‘in charge’! But the interior was truly amazing!

Grail Bloodline connection of Karl Neville:

• Henry John Clarke 05/10/1900 – 14/10/1982. Edmonton. Middlesex. Great Grandfather.

Then time for coffee, lunch and a nice wander around.

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH: Courland, Talsi. Latvia: It was such a lovely drive to get to this lovely whitewashed church, through some very picturesque, almost fairy-tale like landscape. The church was hidden up a windy hill surrounded by rather quaint and old rural buildings, it was all very charming. It was originally built in 1567 and then several times after that. It is believed, very appropriately, that the name ‘Talsi’  is derived form an old Livonian word meaning ‘secluded place’. The church stands on a hill and dominates the old town. Sadly we could not get inside, so enjoyed the beautiful scenery just outside.

Read more about the church here: https://visittalsi.com/en/where-to-go/talsi-en/talsi-evangelical-lutheran-church/

Talsi itself is famous for its beautiful landscapes, lakes and unique architecture, old wooden houses with tiled roofs blend perfectly with nature.  The city has a great promenade along Lake Talsu (Martinelli) for walks at any time of year. This is a boardwalk leading you around the lake with a fountain in the middle of the basin.

Read more about Talsi here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talsi

DAY TWENTY SEVEN: Sunday 6th May. Cathedral-Basilica of St Peter & St Paul. Lithuania: So another day and as we  left Latvia and made our way towards Lithuania, the countries seemed to be magically flying by underfoot or beneath our wheels! The exact date when the first Gothic style church dedicated to the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul was built here is unknown, but it was first mentioned in written sources in 1413. The first parochial school in Kaunas at the St Peter and St Paul church was mentioned in 1473. The construction works were concluded only in 1624.  It is now a Roman Catholic Cathedral of epic style and proportions, despite suffering from military campaigns and renovations.

It is also a site on the popular modern day pilgrim trail ‘Camino el Santiago’ trail and is the largest Gothic church in Lithuania. I will write more about the pilgrim trail in the next quest write up, the trail is marked by the iconic ‘shell’ symbol that one sees near certain sites. However the use of this symbol at these sites is very much connected to Craft in a way that has nothing in connection to this modern day path and the interpretation of it. The cathedral itself is beautiful inside with lots of stunning paintings, artworks and decor of a symbolic Craft nature.

Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaunas_Cathedral_Basilica

The area that surrounds the cathedral is very popular with tourists and pilgrims alike, with its town square, old streets and lots of cafes, bars and shops to browse around. Infact a lovely delight.

A two night stay in Latvia

DAY TWENTY EIGHT: Monday 6th May. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary: The first small wooden Catholic church in Palanga was built around 1540 at the behest of Grand Duchess Anna Jagiellon. Another cross-shaped church with a tower and a belfry was built in 1590 at the initiative of the then rulers of Lithuania.In 1767 the wooden church was reconstructed and stood for 140 years.

Inside the church are the most beautiful and symbolic windows, adorned with meaningful Craft symbology. The church is set in well cared for grounds with some unusual items to see including some very old stones, some wooden sculptors and a mysterious guardian cat patiently keeping vigil (or is it something else?)

See more info below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Assumption_of_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary,_Palanga

Grail Bloodline connections of Karl Neville:

• Sir James William Clarke: 09/12/1485 – 02/08/1544. Forde Hall. Wrotham. Kent.

Palanga Sculpture Park. Lithuania: One can easily spend well over an hour here wandering around this beautiful park admiring all the amazing sculptors displayed here. Palanga Sculpture Park which was established in 1982 in the city centre, is an open air museum, open 24 hours. Presently , the park is decorated with works of the famous Lithuanian sculptors Kazimieras Kisielius, Bronius Vyšniauskas, Leonas Strioga, Bronius Zalensas, Alberts Donatas Belevičius, Vaclovas Krutinis, Aloyzas Toleikis, Antanas Žukauskas, and Daliutė Ona Matulaitė. There are also sculptures by Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas, a famous Lithuanian artist who worked in exile, and multiple valuable works by sculptors from Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, and Armenia. Here you can also play a game of giant outdoor chess. A peaceful park with stunning flower displays too, amongst which the sculptors are set.

And so we bade a fond farewell to Lithuania to board an overnight ferry to Germany. We had two inside cabins booked, departure was 10pm to arrive in Germany at 5pm the next day.

DAY TWENTY NINE: Tuesday 7th May: Arrive in Germany for a two-night stay in Fereinhaus, Hemoor, Germany.

DAY THIRTY: Wednesday 8th May. Kirchengemeinde Basbeck/St Michaelis. Henmoor: The present church building is the third one at this site. The first one was built from 1647 from 1669. It became the church of the new town (Neustadt) which was created in 1625. The church was set in beautifully manicured grounds, but sadly shut, it was a stunning day though and we had a nice look around.

Grail bloodline connections of Karl Neville:

• John Clarke 18/09/1746 – 07/06/1789. Farway. Devon. 5 x Great Grandfather.

Johannes-der-Täufer Church. Loxstedt. Germany: With stories of glowing priests and moving objects this church is worth a visit, but it was shut when we were there, but a lovely little church set in natural surroundings.

 

DAY THIRTY ONE: Thursday 9th May, leave Fereinhaus, Germany for a two night stay in Ostend, Belgium, near the sand dunes and sea.

DAY THIRTY TWO: Friday 10th May. Yser Towers. Diksmuide. West Flanders Belguim: Built in 1828 CE for the ‘Flemish Movement’ at that time in 1917. By WW2 Hitler invades Belgium 10th may 1940. Yser Towers made into a Nazi icon and the ground was made for  main Nazi ceremonies. It was demolished in 1946, only to be rebuilt on the original foundations in 1952, completion in 1965 CE, the re-labelled a ‘Peace Gate’

Then time for coffee, cake and shops in the photogenic town of Diksmuide, Flanders.