Riga, Salaspils, and Jūrmala

Today’s programme: Riga again, plus the surroundings.

After breakfast, the two of us walked to the central market. The pavilions occupy former zeppelin hangars — fish even have their own dedicated hall. Apricots at two euros; a watermelon over one. Sizeable markets.

We then drove out to the Salaspils Memorial, standing on the site of a former Nazi concentration camp (1941–1944). Huge sculptures, a number of smaller monuments; one of the monuments emits the sound of a heartbeat. The place holds a proper, contemplative atmosphere.

From there we walked through an exhibition of Soviet aircraft. The older gentleman at the entrance didn’t speak much English — but on hearing where we’re from, he switched to Russian. We did learn it at school once, he reminded us. The display wasn’t polished; more like a storeroom of old things. But it had its own charm, and seeing a Mi-6 helicopter in person was a real event.

Then, to the beach! West of Riga lies the town of Jūrmala. There’s a two-euro entry fee just to drive in. The first thing you notice is the flowers along the road — real effort has gone into landscaping, and everywhere we drove looked immaculate.

We made it to the beach, the kids managed a quick dip, and then the rain came. We sheltered in a snack bar, at least picked up something to eat. Fortunately it soon eased and we set off to walk the town.

We strolled a section of the beach — a small section; the whole thing runs 24 kilometres — and reached the centre with the obligatory city sign and a bronze tortoise (a symbol of long life). From there we drifted into Dzintari Forest Park: playgrounds galore, walking and sports trails, and a tall lookout tower. You could spend properly long here.

Tomorrow: a longer drive, and we say goodbye to Latvia.