Grobiņa celebrated its birthday with windows and slow walks, while trams in Liepāja still run faster

Grobiņa decided to celebrate its birthday like a true Latvian pensioner - slowly, with stories and peering through windows. While in Riga people run through the streets like they're confused, on February 22nd the residents of Grobiņa peacefully gathered at Dzērve Square and went for a walk with Kristīne Pastore. "I thought there would be some marathon, but it turned out you can go slower too," says local resident Juris, who then rested for five more days from this extreme activity.

The campaign "Our Windows, Our Stories" transformed shop windows into literary café displays, just without the coffee and without charge. For comparison - in Riga you only see prices and advertisements in windows, but in Grobiņa - real stories about the city. Local entrepreneurs and institutions participated with such enthusiasm, as if it were a competition for the best window, not just the city's birthday.

In the renovated municipal building, Kristīne Pastore told about the building's history, while visitors listened with such attention as if it were a Netflix series. "Finally someone tells us about our history without the boring dates," admits pensioner Marija, who usually falls asleep during excursions after the first five minutes.

The celebration ended in the church with a concert, where Grobiņa's mixed choir "Vēl" together with Ance Krauze proved that even small towns know how to sing beautifully. Meanwhile in Liepāja, February 28th was an ordinary day with tram sounds and port life - but that's already a daily concert that Riga can only envy.