An early flight of only a couple of hours took us to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. It was interesting to see from the air the Oresund Bridge which links Denmark and Sweden. In a few weeks we will cross that bridge.

We collected a rental car from the airport and were soon on our way. Rather than heading straight into the city, we had decided to spend the afternoon visiting Jurmala, a resort type beach area just 25km from Riga.



Jurmala is actually a string of 14 townships strung along the beach, and has a long history as the playground of Russian oil tycoons. Latvia has over the years been been under the control of a number of surrounding countries and was annexed by the USSR in 1940. Latvia only got its independence back from the USSR in 1991 but the impact of the Russian occupation can be seen here with deserted Russian hotels and apartment buildings. 

What stands out here are the large number of intricately decorated wooden villas. With towers, lacy awnings, and intricately carved details, the houses of Jurmala stand on large estate blocks a street from the water's edge. Many are in an excellent state, while others are in a state of disrepair. 

 
 
Also here are restaurants and spas typical of European coastal towns. We had lunch at a Restaurant - Pegasa Pils - in a historic building, followed by a walk along the long main street and down towards the beach. Amazing just how many of these very fancy houses there are, and also surprised at the white sandy beach. There were plenty of people here soaking up the sun to the sigh of the nearby pines.

Our hotel was just outside the central part of the city. And after dinner the late setting of the sun allowed us a peaceful walk through the surrounding streets. A lovely introduction to Latvia.