It was a bright, crystal-clear winter day, –15°C, with the sun shining sharply over the coast. Walking along the shore near Lapmežciema pier, the sea was completely frozen, a wide, silent sheet of ice reflecting the pale blue sky.

The wooden poles of the pier were thickly covered in ice, shaped by wind and spray into smooth, sculptural forms. In the sunlight, they glimmered like glass, standing quietly against the frozen sea.

Snow crunched underfoot, the air was clean and biting, and everything felt still. Winter stripped the shoreline down to light, ice, and silence – simple, cold, and unexpectedly beautiful.