"Unusual sensation, mystery" - as a rule, these are the only words that people who came to light from the Riezhupe caves, a tributary of the Venta, can utter. They say that if you make a wish in a cave, it will certainly come true. Maybe because the caves were dug at the intersection of positive energy flows. Churches are usually erected on such places.
In the hall of love and hope
We drove up to the place where the caves are located in the late afternoon. There was not a single bus or car in the parking lot. Is the excursion time already over? And yet we decided to try our luck and went to the caves along a winding forest path. The guide Inese was already going to close the entrance, and nevertheless, seeing the tourists who came from the capital, agreed to conduct an excursion.
Taking candles with us, we go into the cave. The passages are narrow and long, sometimes low. The fluttering candle flame scatters the light up to a meter. A bat hung on the wall ahead. We cry out in unison … Inese, laughing, says:
- Bats usually hibernate here. There are so many of them that we usually close the caves, and now they are few.
Having overcome the narrow passage, we go out into the spacious "hall".
- This is a "place of love", - explains the guide Inese and asks the correspondent to stand in the middle. - Think of something good.
Promotional video:
And then with a slight smile he notes:
- Your thoughts are bright.
The positive energy of the Riezupe caves attracts hundreds of people
Flowers around me. The newlyweds left them here. For 15 years, about two thousand of them have been here. Flowers in caves, even without water, remain fresh for three months - there is enough moisture in the sandy walls.
We go around a few turns and find ourselves in the next hall - Hope. Here in the sand we begin to look for pebbles - at the exit they tell fortunes to us.
- In the caves the air temperature is 8 degrees all year round, the humidity is also practically constant, - says the guide, illuminating the path with a flashlight. We are moving towards the third "cave" attraction.
Church - that's what it's called. According to Inese, this is a place with positive energy, so wishes made here will definitely come true. We lean against the walls to gain energy and strength. Inese asks us to say that we are the healthiest and most beautiful, which we gladly do. Then she puts out the candles and turns off the lantern. It's so dark around, even if you gouge out your eyes! It's getting creepy.
“Close your eyes,” our guide says. - Now slowly open and look up.
The ceiling, the height of which does not exceed a little over two meters, suddenly disappears somewhere and seems so far away.
Inese turns on the flashlight and asks:
- Well, how?
“Mysticism,” is the only answer we can say.
Finally, we have to go through the Sinners' move. To the one who overcomes it, according to legend, all sins are forgiven. You need to go without a guide. I start my journey first. With each step, the corridor becomes narrower and lower. It seems that we are going the wrong way. And for sure - there is a dead end ahead. Where to go next? Do you really have to turn back? I recall the ancient Greek myth about the labyrinth on the island of Crete, from where Theseus was able to get out only thanks to the prudently captured ball of thread. I sincerely regret that there is no ball with me.
With the candles I go closer to the wall and then I notice that this is not a dead end, but a sharp turn, behind which there is another corridor. Having made a dozen steps along it, we see that there is an exit ahead, at which Inese is waiting for us.
Although blindfolded, the
Guide and one of the hostesses of the sandy caves Inese knows all the passages and exits from the underground labyrinths
- Frightened? - Looking into our bulging eyes asks Inese. “But it's not scary at all, is it?
Inese is all radiant, it seems that she sees right through you. As if reading my thoughts, she begins to tell:
“The abilities for healing and clairvoyance in our family have been passed down from generation to generation. Once upon a time my grandmother said: the caves will return and the forests will return. Sand labyrinths existed here as far back as the century before last, but our family (the Stofrengen family) managed to get them back in 1993. We dug up the buried passages, put the walls in order. So do not be surprised that I can walk through the 400-meter maze even blindfolded!
The labyrinth, as you probably already understood, is artificial. It was dug by three generations of the Stofrengens. And not for idleness or pleasure - this is how sand was once mined, which was then used in construction, and around the 1920s it became clear that it could be used in the glass industry. Bottom line: Riezupe's sandy caves are the longest in Latvia today.
Now, with my mother and sister, we take tourists there. Moreover, no advertising has ever been done: stories about caves are passed from mouth to mouth. After walking through the labyrinths, many say that they have freed themselves from problems, forgot about their sores. The energy is really strong here, the sand from the caves can be used for medicinal purposes.
- Have you lost the stones?
We put the collected stones in our palm, and Inese begins to guess.
“Travel awaits you,” she tells me. - And you - a wedding. (This is for our photographer.)
- But I lost one stone, - our photographer notes.
- So, you will come back here, - says Inese. - Many come here again after a while. The magic of our land leaves no one indifferent.
Irina Perepelitsa