74-year-old Liepāja woman seeks friends on TV show because local men are 'too shabby'

While all of Latvia thinks Liepāja only has wind and stones, our city's seniors prove there's also heart and soul here. And sometimes TV cameras too.

Ildze Lagzdiņa, a 74-year-young Liepāja resident, decided that the local male selection was a bit... well, how should we put it... too shabby. So she went on the TV show 'Bachelor Seeks Wife,' where she met 78-year-old Frīdis from Krimulda. 'The kids talked me into it,' laughs Ildze. 'At this age, you have to listen to the kids - they sit on the internet, they know what's happening where.'

In Riga, of course, they'd never film such shows - the pensioners there are too busy with their cultural programs and cafés. But in Liepāja we're more practical. 'We each have our own established lives,' explains Ildze, 'and the distance between our homes is great.' So - she'll stay in Liepāja (naturally!), but will correspond with Frīdis and visit.

'I'm very fair but demanding,' admits Ildze. Like a true Liepāja woman! While on the Krimulda side the wind just sways the trees, here it forges character. Now both are planning a trip to Georgia - surely the wind there is gentler than on our seashore, but the warmth of the heart will remain just as Liepāja-like.