Jurmala, Latvia

We have a one-day layover in Riga, Latvia today, on the Summer Solstice. We are flying Air Baltic (operated by Uzbekistan Airways) from Tashkent to Riga, a 5-hour and 30-minute flight. We are on our way to a week in Sicily. I’ve been to the Baltics many times because of working in two CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) member schools. This is my third visit to Latvia. The two previous visits took place in March for basketball tournaments. This is the first time here during the summer. I chose to stay on the Baltic Sea coast in the village of Jurmala, a 30-minute drive north of the Riga city center. Living in a double landlocked country, I am craving the ocean. Juurmala was THE USSR summer holiday destination for top politicians and bureaucrats. Both presidents Kruschev and Brezhnev spent summers in the famous resorts and wooden houses that Juurmala is known for. When I stayed in Juurmala previously, the beach looked like the Arctic so I can’t wait to see what it looks like in the summer. 

We had a fantastic day in Jurmala. It is so much nicer in the summer! I knew Ocean and Nadia would love the shops and restaurants. I love the long beach and the mighty trees of Latvian forests. The town is not overcrowded and I think most of the tourists are either Latvian or Russian. Many people from Riga come out to spend the day in the resort town. I did hear some American English and I think there is a university group visiting here. We are staying in an apartment in town, called Wooden Villa. It is only a short walk to the beach and quite comfortable. The only downside to the trip so far is our baggage was checked through to Palermo so we had to go with what was in our carry-on luggage. Nadia and Ocean loved the cute shops.

The water is shallow for a long way from the sandy beach. It is not very salty and has warm and cold parts. As I get older, the simple things in life bring me more pleasure. Treading water while watching the seagulls and the vastness of the ocean on one side and the trees giving a backdrop to the beach was delightful. Nadia and I enjoyed an evening on the sandy beach. The sun did not set until 10:00 PM and I took my traditional sunset Solstice photo. I am always surprised that we do not make a bigger deal out of the longest daylight day of the year in the northern hemisphere. We seem to acknowledge a lot of holidays or anniversaries, but not one of the most important natural events of the year. Starting tomorrow, the daylight slowly gets less and less until the Winter Solstice in December, another big day. I think people should take time out to view the sunrise and/or sunset on the Solstices and Equinoxes and mark the occasion with family and friends. Humanity has lost something with our modern lifestyles separated from nature’s rhythms.

The food and view at the Lighthouse Restaurant were world-class. All of our dishes were gourmet-level seafood and I highly recommend it. I also discovered one of my favorite Latvian drinks, Riga Black Balsam has Cherry and Black Currant variations. It is nice over ice or ice cream in the summer or a straight shot in the winter warms the soul. It is a traditional, herbal liqueur made from mint, sage, dill, cinnamon, etc. It is similar to the Finnish salmiakki.

This visit got me thinking about the Baltics. I’ve visited all three, Estonia once for a CEESA Educators Conference (also in March) and Lithuania four times, once for an interview, once for the CEESA Educators Conference and once for a basketball tournament, and once for a principal/AD meeting. Estonian is a Finnish language and they are similar in culture, appearance, and temperament. Lithuanians have a long association with the Polish and I am surprised they kept a separate identity. They are tall and handsome and were one of the last groups to adopt Christianity, so pagan and worship of nature is kind of popular there. The Latvians are more similar to the Lithuanians than the Estonians. They are good at hockey and I sense their country has more Russians than the other two. All of the Baltics remind me of the topography and fauna of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Lots of conifers, snow, and bodies of water.