Thursday and trying to catch up with myself

The Dzintari Park Hostel surroundings looked a bit grim, it was half three ish and reception was supposed to be open, I'd tried the door, no joy there, walked around the place and through a window I could see someone's kit; back at the door I phoned the contact number given with the booking confirmation.  Hallelujah!  an answer, I gave my name and said I had a booking, got a babble of  Latvian back with several references to "Colleague" and the phone went dead.  Had the colleague taken my booking and shouldn't have?  Could the colleague speak English?

My phone beeped signalling a text  "Welcome dear guest the door code is ****A  Please to go in and wait, colleague there soon".

I had time for a swift look around before the colleague arrived.  A young guy of about seventeen arrived, looked at me and nodded; I nodded back.  The first thing he said was "I don't work here"
However, he continued raking through the desk looking at key fobs.  Eventually one seemed to satisfy him.  "This is you" he said, handing me the key to room ten!.  "We will find your room"  so off we go.  Half a minute later he's on the phone to his "colleague", I caught the words "Second floor".  Another rake around and back on the phone.  Colleague 1 tells him where the stairs are and we seem to be in business!!  I'm unpacked and preparing a meal when a squad of builders come in; a bit of banter and they reappear from their rooms clad in a towel and heading for the showers.

I was for an early bed but these guy's were remarkably quiet and I heard not a sound even though they'd breakfasted, washed up and driven off to work.

To the sea side!

Just look at them there flags!!  and I'm supposed to be heading along the beach going left!!

Even my bike is in hiding from the chilly blast.  The beach is a non starter, apart from the wind the beach is too soft to ride on

Heading for option two, the coast road.  Lots of fancy new hotels and apartments being built

There is still room for the old traditional buildings too

A bit like me, past its sell by date.  A shame to see timber work like that decaying.

Road works and a brand new cycle path being built

It will be great when it's done but for now it's ride the edge of the road!!

At one of these bus stop lay byes I was accosted by a gentleman of the road who spent the best part of half an hour pointing at my map and wittering away in Latvian, pointing up and down the road and pointing into the woods (I suspect he meant cross country as  Ventspils and Liepaja kept cropping up).  Another 20km of "Coast road" and my next bed for the night hove into view.

What a place!  Typical timber building and I was in it on my own.  However, wind, roadworks and time had to be taken into account to give me time to get to Kaliningrad and on into Poland within the time allotted on my visa.