Baltics - 13 June 2012 (1)

A Day at the Seaside

On Wide Train to Jūrmala

It was a free day today, so I had a lie in and didn’t stir until 06.40.  Ian and, eventually, Charlie, joined May and me for breakfast, which was a bit cramped.  There weren’t enough tables for everyone, especially when some people made places inaccessible.  The food was a bit disappointing, but I managed two slices of well-cooked toast, fruit and a hard-boiled egg.

Majori - Typical Wooden Building

We left the boys and got ready to catch the 09.02 train to Majori, which is part of the seaside resort of Jūrmala.  A return ticket cost just LVL1.95 and possible trains were already waiting on platforms 3 and 4.  It took a while to determine that we needed the train on platform 4.  This was the 09.02 and the first to leave.

Majori - Typical Wooden Buildings

We had quite a climb to get on the train, because the step from the rail to the platform is very low, but the train was as high as in the UK.  When we got inside, we realised that the train was much wider than in the UK.  Three people could sit comfortably on each side and the aisle was wider.  The seats were fairly basic, being just padded benches.

Majori - Modern Wooden Building

When the train pulled out, we realised there was a slight problem because the stations do not display their name at frequent intervals along the platform.  The guidebook said the journey would take 30-35 minutes, so we decided not to panic – yet.  When the guard came, I asked how many stations it was to Majori and someone translated for us.  She said seven, so May kept count.

After six stations, we asked a young guy in the next seat and he said there were three more.  He got off at Majori too.

Majori - Typical Wooden Building

Majori station lies beside the River Lielupe, which runs along the coast, effectively making Jūrmala into a narrow coastal spit.  The station lies on the tip of a large meander, beyond which are fields and a road and then a large lake – the Babītes ezers.

Dzintaru mežaparks - Street light

As we walked through the park to the main street, we saw Janet and Roberta, who had come by minibus.  Janet came from Australia and Roberta from Canada.  They were also sharing a room.  They pointed out the tourist information office, which was on the main road and not where it was marked in the guide book.  We went in and got some maps of the area.

Pegasa Pils Spa Hotel

Then we walked along Jomas iela, which was the main street of Majori.  Jūrmala is known for its art nouveau wooden buildings, so May was keen to see them, being an architect.  Jomas iela was full of them, some of which were restaurants and cafés and others were shops.  There was a row of what looked like wooden beach huts, which were stalls.  These were just being opened.  A girl was setting out handmade glass animals, which were really nice, but I worried that I didn’t have enough Lats to buy anything.

Sign for Majori Beach

We walked on to Dzintaru mežaparks, a park with some wooden houses around it.  Some had been fully restored and looked wonderful; others were slightly dilapidated or, in some cases, only good for demolition.  May was particularly impressed with the street lights, which were very modern and included a downward reflector to minimise light pollution.

Majori Beach

We walked round and eventually spotted the sea.  It looked very blue as it was a wonderful blue-sky day.  It took a while to reach it as some private areas were closed off, but we got there eventually.  The beach was covered in fine powdery sand, so I took my sandals off.  It felt good.  A few people were sunbathing and others stood right beside the sea.  A few brave souls stood on the sandbank which lay a few feet out to sea.  May was intrigued by the strange circular changing facilities on the beach.  These had a raised platform and walled off areas to hide in when getting changed.  There were a few marquees selling refreshments at the back of the beach, but there were no other structures.  This made the beach feel remote: just sand with trees to the left and sea to the right.

Art studio "Inner Light" - Tricycle

Art studio "Inner Light" - Driveway

We walked along the beach for a while and then walked up an access path to the road.  This was a very residential street, again with wooden houses.  Some were under construction.  We walked further than we realised and found ourselves at the very large Beach Hotel.  We turned left and headed back to Jonas iela.  On the way, we passed an art gallery, which had a penny farthing and lots of straw models of birds in the front.  The drive was made of circles of cut logs, with a narrow strip of grass and wildflowers in the middle.

We emerged into a park at the beginning of Jonas iela and walked along until we found a café with outside seating in the sun on the left-hand side of the road.  We settled on the kafejnīca Sonali, where I had a hot chocolate, which was very nice.