Ventspils is an odd mixture of a huge industrial port, some lovely old wooden Baltic houses and a post-Soviet flair. The town leaders put in obviously big efforts to make the town attractive to visitors. There are big parks, a nice premanade along the river Venta, and a spotless apperance. But the there are only so many attractions and I believe I have seen it all having walked up and down all day (25.000 steps in 30 degrees).
There are two things that stand out though. The indusrial port on the north side of the river is huge. It is an oil terminal port, connecting Russia with a pipeline to an ice-free port in the Baltics. From many roads you glimpse some technical structure on the other side of the river. The other site worth seeing is the beach. It is about 5 kms long and you feel very much in Italy. Amazing
Ah, and I finally had a hair cut.
