Explosions in the Persian Gulf, but Liepāja remains peaceful - local experts rejoice in their choice

While residents of Persian Gulf countries are counting explosions and fleeing from blasts, locals in Liepāja are peacefully drinking coffee on Roņu Street and rejoicing in their choice of residence.

"This morning I only heard one explosion - the neighbor was trying to start his old Moskvich again," says Gunārs from Karosta. "But that's just our daily routine. Not like over there in Doha - those people don't even know what real morning adrenaline is."

Compared to Riga, where residents worry about every loud noise, Liepāja folks are experienced. "We've been living here since Soviet times - you can't surprise us with explosions," laughs Maija from Vecliepāja. "Besides, our beach is much more beautiful than any Persian Gulf resort."

Local experts acknowledge that Liepāja's strategic location between the Baltic Sea and... well, mainly the Baltic Sea, is much better than being somewhere in the middle of desert. "Here you can at least go to the port and watch the ships, instead of watching where the next rocket will fly," philosophically notes pensioner Jānis, who takes his morning walk along jūrmala every day. Meanwhile, in Bahrain and Qatar's capital, residents are still trying to figure out whether what they heard was an explosion or someone just slammed a door too loudly.