We spent the morning with a walking tour around Cēsis, starting in the Maija Park just behind our hotel; from here we did a circle around the castle, passing by the Russian-Orthodox church (Enlightenment of Christ Orthodox Church), the town square and St. John’s Church.

We eventually made it back to the castle. The castle’s history goes back around 800 years – initially a wooden fort, until in the early 16th century the works for the actual castle were started.

At the entrance to the museum we were greeted by a guide in medieval clothing – who was to walk us through the 800 years of history, showing us around the castle and castle grounds. He also added witchcraft to the mix, by showing us a great  multimedia presentation summarizing the castle’s history – and by teaching us, to always decline pesto made from parsnip weed.