When we heard there was a big ice sculpture festival in a small city about an hour away from us, we decided we had to check that out. This is the kind of thing we anticipated attending in the Baltics when we moved here! So one Saturday morning, we loaded up the van and headed to Jelgava for the twentieth annual international ice sculpting festival. The festival brings together 33 professional sculptures from 10 countries, and it was really amazing what they came up with. This year's theme was "dreams," and the entries and creations were very creative.
Jelgava straddles the river Lielupe, and the sculture gardens were on both sides of the river and a few blocks away at a city park. We parked above the river and started at the city park, admiring the circus-like atmosphere of the festival and the ice (it was really cold). Bri bought the kids some pastries and me some sausage and chicken. Here's Thomas trying something new:
We also bought some sweets and these nuts in a fruit condense that taste like a strawberry twizzler (we all tried it before we threw it away. ; ).
I love the babushkas and their head coverings!
We also bought some sweets and these nuts in a fruit condense that taste like a strawberry twizzler (we all tried it before we threw it away. ; ).
I love the babushkas and their head coverings!
In the park, the organizers had made a giant ice slide (did I mention it was really cold?), and our kids and half the kids from Jelgava were having a blast riding down this slide, standing up while riding down the slide, riding it backwards, riding it lying down, etc.
And an ice maze!
And an ice maze!
After Bri bought Rhea and me some hand-knit Latvian wool socks (it was cold!), we headed down the hill to the main event by the river. There, we walked along the exhibition, admiring the entries and seeing which ones had won what and where the sculptors were from (all over the world!).
After picking up some emergency hot chocolate (IT WAS COLD!!!), we crossed the large footbridge to the other side, where larger ice sculptures were set up in tents, and again admired the sculptures and the talent and imagination behind them.
By that point, we were COLD and decided we had got our money's worth out of the event, crossed the bridge, and made our way to the car. We then took advantage of one of the great benefits of being in Europe and stopped by McDonalds on the way home, picked up dinner, headed home, and GOT WARM! : ) We had a great time in Jelgava, and will go back next year for the twenty-first festival (with more socks, sweaters, jackets, scarves, gloves….). 
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