You asked: what is the best bar in Purvciems?
Friends, a short one from me on this sunny Saturday,
A quick google search, “best bar in Purvciems” yields no results. This post intends to remedy that by sharing a few favourites, ‘from the inside’… well, one, to be exact. Yes; I’ve been living in Purvciems for two months now, and beer has featured not infrequently. I am at that very strange little bar in Purvciems, now, in fact. I think it deserves a recommendation. There is a great big Soviet apartment block is staring down at me. From time to time I see a dedushka come out on to his balcony for a smoke. There is something about this region which is reminiscent of Chernobyl; the remnants of a lost empire, now covered over with abundant trees, new languages, the supermarket “Minska” having, just a few years ago, lost that no longer esteemed name. Two ‘lively’ Russian men have just arrived and sat not far from me. It is fair to assume that is not their first beer. They are looking at me, trying to figure out if I am a foreigner. No: I’ve spent long enough in this area to know how to look local. Don’t smile. But be happy, at the same time.
The sun was beginning to set as I walked here, and I paused many times to remark on the strange beauty of this place:
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Convinced?
The bar I am at is called “Kafejnīca, bārs Ezītis miglā”. It is fairly described as the ‘safe option’, in these parts. As you walk to Ezītis, you may see, further down the road, past the market, kebab shop, veterinary clinic, and hair salon, another bar. It’s not listed on any mapping service. To my suggestion, with some local friends, that we should check it out, I was warned never. It is, I’m told ‘too local’.
But Ezītis itself is clean, the beer is cheap (around 4 eur), the food nice, and on Sunday’s there is Latvian Bingo. Attendance hovers around 3-4, so even if you don’t know how to count in Latvian, you’ll have a shot at winning. And truly, the view is something else:
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Next time you’re in town,
Or if you’re looking for something truly off the beaten track,
Look for the Echidna!
Пока пока,
Laef, currently studying at Liden & Denz, Riga.
