Latvia (Day 6) Part 2 - Day Trip to the Baltic Sea

After lunch today, a few of us hopped in the van and headed north to Kolka, a small village located at the convergence of the Bay of Riga and the Baltic Sea.  Along the way we saw some amazing old churches and beautiful countryside.  As we approached the Baltic, we wound our way through forests of cedar and birch trees and through great fields of wheat and hay.  At one point, we watched the farmers mowing and baling hay.  Walking through the fields behind the machinery were storks looking for lunch. 

As we passed through Valdemarpils, we saw a couple of the older girls who had attended our camp walking along the road.  We stopped and asked if they needed a ride and they got in.  They were hitch-hiking to Rojas (pronounced like my dad pronounces Hawaii, except with an 'R') to go to the beach for the afternoon.  The people here walk almost everywhere they go and they have no fear of hitch-hiking.  The American in us made us very concerned for their safety, so we dropped them in Rojas on our way to Kolka.

When we got to the Baltic, we walked about a half mile out to the point, where the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea meet.  The waves in the picture below are where the waters of the two come together. 

The beach was pretty clear and the water was not terribly cold, so we waded out and got pictures in the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Riga.

Here is a short video to show you how far we had to walk to get from the Baltic Sea to the Bay of Riga.

When we got back to Talsi, we took a walk through the town and saw a few of the sights.  The Lutheran church here in Talsi was built in 1567, just 50 years after Luther hung his 95 Theses on the door of the Church in Wittenburg. 

The school is teaming with kids tonight as they are saying their goodbyes to the kids that we brought with us.  Tomorrow morning at 7 AM, we head for Lithuania.  Pray for that God prepares the way for us as we go.