Sunday, April 4, 2010

Disappointments in Plzeň

My daytrip to Plzeň continued after my visits to the Pilsner Urquell brewery and the Purkmistr brewpub. There were still two other brewpubs to visit in addition to the brewery museum and the Na Parkánu restaurant.

Before travelling to Plzeň, I had used Pivní Filosof's travelogue as my beer guide to the city. After taking the trolley bus back to the city centre from the suburb of Černice, it was already late afternoon. I looked at the watch and decided that I would skip one of the brewpubs. After looking at the maps, it looked as if it would take more time visiting U Rytíře Lochoty than the other places, as both Pivovar Groll and Na Parkánu were in walking distance.

Plzeň has several beautiful buildings. The Cathedral of St. Bartholomew has the highest spire in the Czech Republic, and the gothic cathedral is a beautiful sight. The same is to be said about the synagogue and town hall.

Even though the architecture was interesting, I was ready for a visit to the beer museum. Not far from the cathedral, I found it. But what a disappointment! The museum was closed.

OK, no problem, I thought. Let's try out the Na Parkánu restaurant next door instead. This is the only place in the world were you can find a kvasnicové version of Pilsner Urquell. During my visits to the Czech Republic, I have tried several kvasnicové beers, and I like them a lot. No such luck this time. Na Parkánu was closed.

All right, then I was off to Pivovar Groll instead. I located the building next to a large parking lot. To get there, I had to cross a road with very much traffic. Finally I was inside the brewery building, but again there was a problem. The little coffee bar on the ground floor was open, but that was all. The Pivovar Groll brewpub was also closed, and there would be no possibilities trying the LOTR beers on site this time around.

I was disappointed. Two of the city's sights for beer tourists had been closed, and I would have to make the trip back to Plzeň another time if I ever was to try Pilsner Urquell kvasnicové. But on the positive side, I had seen the Pilsner Urquell brewery and had a great time at Purkmistr. Both were really good experiences, so on the way back to the railway station I was not disappointed anymore. Instead I had an excuse making my next visit to Plzeň a trip with a layover. For instance at the Purkmistr hotel...

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