clog blog: The home of Pilsner Urquell

Friday last week we took the train from Berlin to Praha, a journey of about 4 hrs and 40 min. It was a lovely trip mostly along the river Elbe and between hills. It had been very cold in Berlin and there were still piles of snow in front of houses along the way. The towns along the river Elbe look like lovely summer holiday getaways and somewhere we would like to come back and explore or just have a chilled break away.

Saturday dawned bright and clear (but very cold!) and we kicked off exploring with a visit to Prague Castle. There are quite a few things to do and see around the castle such as St Vitus’s Cathedral, St George’s Convent, Lobkowicz Palace and the Golden Lane. We didn’t go into any of the palaces as it was such a beautiful day we didn’t want to spend it indoors. We wanted to go into the Golden Lane but it was closed for renovations and will only be open in a year’s time. We did pop into St Vitus Cathedral though. It is a Gothic style cathedral complete with gargoyles for water spouts on the outside making it quite spooky but it is also very pretty with golden and tile mosaics. Inside the cathedral feels less gothic and is beautifully decorated with many stained glass windows.

We made our way to castle square just outside of the castle grounds where there are many more palaces such as the Schwarzenberg Palace with its scraffitto decorated façade. There was also a changing of the guard type procession going on with much trumpeting and beating of drums. We made our way to Strahov Monastery which was closed for lunch when we got there but we managed to peer through the door inside this beautiful monastery.

From the monastery, we walked down the famous Nerudova Street with amazing views over the city. The houses here have mostly been converted into gift shops for tourists and restaurants now but it still gives a feeling of the old Prague. We made our way past St Nicholas church and strolled over the statue-lined Charles Bridge. The building of the bridge was commissioned by Emperor Charles IV in 1357 when the previous bridge was destroyed by floods. The towers on either end of the bridge mark the beginning and end of the bridge and add to the scenery of the old part of the city.

The Old Town Square is home to the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn and the Old Town hall with its astronomical clock. We were there at 5pm when the clock chimed the hour and the dolls danced around, very kewl. We made our way back to Charles Bridge to experience the scenery at night with the street lamps on.

Snow was predicted for Sunday and we were not disappointed! It snowed on and off all day on Sunday but apparently it was too warm in the city (0°C) as the snow melted as soon as hit touched the ground and didn’t settle and cover everything in white. It was very cold but we enjoyed walking in the snow. I’m sure we will be over it by the end of next winter though!

On Sunday we visited Vysehrad, a fortified area with a Cathedral and cemetery. We enjoyed the view of the city from a different angle on this side of the hill. We made our way back to the old town and walked around the Old Jewish Quarter. There are many beautiful synagogues, old and new, which can be visited and the Jewish Cemetery. We skipped going inside and just enjoyed the atmosphere of a different part of town. We had one last walk across Charles Bridge while munching on traditional Czech pastries and drinking hot chocolate! Bron is going to turn into a pastry and hot chocolate soon and Justin is going to turn into a beer! It’s a close competition between Guinness and Pilsner Urquell.

On Monday Justin had the best Valentine’s Day ever when we visited Plzen, the home of his favourite beer, Pilsner Urquell. We were disappointed when there was no evidence of Sunday’s snow in Prague but were pleasantly surprised to discover the winter wonderland that awaited us on the train! The entire country side was covered in a fine layer of snow all the way to Plzen. It was very pretty but also very cold!!

In Plzen we only had time for a tour of the brewery, the highlight of Justin’s day, complete with a tasting of Pilsner Urquell. The beer they offer for tasting is unfiltered and unpasteurised and so still contains the yeast used for brewing which they say is ‘healthy’ because of the vitamin B content. Hm. I’m sure people drink it for other reasons! You can only get the unfiltered beer at the brewery and in one pub in town otherwise it is not for general retail. The tour itself was quite interesting and it was quite kewl to see the brewery and how it has changed or stayed the same since the first brew in 1842. We also saw the bottling and packaging plant where 120 000 bottles and about 35 000 cans are filled an hour. After a quick traditional lunch in the pub at the brewery we charged back to the station just in time for our train back to Prague. On the train on the way back we had a brief glimpse of Karlstein Castle which was built by Charles IV in the 14^th Century.

We really enjoyed visiting Prague and it is a city we hope to come back to, preferably when it is warmer! The hotel we stayed in was quite interesting. It is a boat hotel, or botel, called Vodnik. Initially we thought this would be cool but it was actually really cold! Apart from the leaking shower, leaking basin and tiny towels, we enjoyed the breakfast and views of Vysehrad across the river Vltava from our room. We watched the ice on the river moving along and break up. There were also many swans on the river and other birds which look like seagulls. For whatever reason they roost on the ice at night. It is quite funny to watch them land on the ice as they skid for a few metres before coming to a stop. It gets interesting when they are all crowded together and one wants to land in the middle!

It is quite interesting when you cross the border from Germany to Czech you know you are in a poorer country. The use of the land and the houses are completely different. Also in the city we saw many people begging for money and we were approached by beggars a few times. The trains and some tourist attractions also have stickers up warning people about pick-pockets. The people here seem less friendly but maybe it is just because of a language barrier, not many people speak a lot of English. Also, we stand out as tourists. Not because we are in the tourists spots or because we are wearing bright orange jackets and have a camera with us. It is because we wear hats and gloves!! The locals do not wear either, it is quite amazing in this freezing weather! There is a public transport system but it is not as well connected as London or Berlin are. But Praha and Plzen are very kewl cities and we highly recommend a visit!

Today (Tuesday) finds us on a train to Munich, a journey of about 6 hrs. There is still snow on the ground but less than on our trip to Plzen yesterday, must have only been a thin layer. Further out of the city the fields and trees were still mostly covered in snow but once we were in Germany there we only saw small piles of snow in some places. In Czech we saw a dam that was completely frozen over, it was quite amazing. Another dam was frozen except for a small patch close to the weir where water was still flowing over. There were also other dams partly or mostly frozen over along the way. We still find frozen bodies of water fascinating!

We will be in Munich for 3 nights before heading to Innsbruck for one night on Friday. On Saturday we head to Hopfgarten for a week of skiing with Michelle and Graham. Still no plans for after skiing but we will probably head into Italy. Guess we should start organising that soon!

Hope you are well and having a good week! Until next time.

PS: As you can imagine Justin took zillions of photo's! Below is a selection, for more see his facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=271909&id=520347650&l=4043b76543).