After a few days of exploring Riga, we decided that we wanted to see a different side to Latvia. We headed to the central train station to see where took our fancy. We saw that the next train out would take us to the beach at Jūrmala. We hurriedly paid for 2 extremely cheap return tickets and ran for the train.

After just 35 minutes we had arrived and we went straight to the beach. We had been hoping for a little more snow in Riga but Jūrmala certainly made up for it!

We walked along the frozen beach with barely another person in sight. The frozen ice cracking under our feet. The shards were so big and clear like glass. We have never seen a beach in true winter. The waves had frozen at the edge and we wanted to see the water’s edge.

That’s when it happened…

Claire in all her best efforts to see the water’s edge went straight through the ice and into the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea. In February. Up to her waist and flailing around trying to get out. Drenched up to her waist, she waded out and we both realised we were an hour away from the hotel and the temperature was sub-zero.

We high tailed it back into the centre to look for a clothes shop. It was getting dark and nearing the end of the day but we were fortunate to find somewhere open. We burst through the door, Claire dripping wet and explained what happened. The shop owner was horrified but got towels out and suitable replacement clothes. A few Euros lighter we were soon on our way back to Riga. We are extremely grateful to the kind lady in that shop, very grateful.

Moral of the story, don’t get too close to the frozen waters edge and don’t walk around in sub zero temperatures in wet socks with no shoes on, your freeze to the ground!