Having moved more times in my life than I can remember, I never thought I would feel a connection to any one place. I was constantly being uprooted throughout childhood and I continued down this path in adulthood. I could never understand how anyone could stay in the same place, let alone the same house, for their entire life.
Then I visited Nurmhusen, my father’s family estate in Latvia.
Suddenly I understood how one could have a relationship with a geographical area, with buildings, with a certain place. I felt it almost as soon as I first arrived at the gates later, inside the old manor house, the feeling nearly overwhelmed me and I could sense the ghosts of my ancestors.
The last time I visited Nurmhusen (or Nurmuiža Pils in Latvian) was a year ago with my family. It was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday month as I had long wished to visit with all my boys and their partners. I have to thank the owner, Olegs Fils, for a delightful few days, without his efforts our stay would not have been as amazing. Special mentions also have to go to Aldis Denčiks who is so knowledgeable about the history of Nurmhusen and Jurijs Benko for his delicious and incredible menus. In fact all the staff were wonderful, friendly and very helpful.
This time on our tour of the manor house, which is being lovingly renovated by Fils, there were no ghosts. Just a vision of times gone by being preserved for future generations. I am continually in awe of the amount of work which is being done not only to the manor house but to the entire estate. But the highlight of our tour was the renovation of the chapel. It is so beautiful.
Nurmuiža Pils is a hotel and spa complex which anyone can visit. The rooms are exquisitely fitted out and the spa area is perfect for relaxing. They also are a fabulous destination for events, especially weddings. I wish they were just a bit closer to me so that I could visit more often!
In fact I fell in love with Latvia, or at least with the bits of it I have visited. Talsi, which is close to Nurmhusen, is such a pretty place and Riga is an amazing city. I always highly recommend all of these places to family, friends and acquaintances.
I’m not sure when I’ll be able to visit Nurmhusen again, especially with the chaos in the world today, but I hope that one day I will be able to.
