In fact there's not much in Kemeri at all, except for this (magnificent) ocean liner of an abandoned hotel/spa. Lured by the (otherwise rubbish) Rough Guide mention of an essentially deserted town we decided to take a train there on our last day. As the guide had been either wrong or out of date on every occasion so far I assumed we'd find the 'renovations' it mentioned complete and anticipated enjoying cakes of wild luxury in the fully restored glory of this Eizens Laube 1930's dream boat.
Instead our rather pathetic 'cafe?' question in the village shop was greeted with hysteria and I was very glad to have packed an emergency banana. Even the 'National Park' that the hotel and village lead to seemed to be essentially closed (I guess we could have climbed over the barriers) ... none of this really spoiled the day though.
The comparison between the gleaming white empty hotel and the odd patch of bulbs still pushing through in the extensive wilderness that was once the Spa gardens with a completely derelict tower block sanatorium plus numerous follies was fantastic. The only question is even when it is restored why (unless you never leave the building) would people now come here? Even if the spa waters could be encouraged to flow through the gardens again (and this looked a long way off when you peered down into the dark black streams full of ice and litter) will Latvians come back to this seemingly forgotten town?
