Courtyard By Marriott Pilsen Plzen

... of old time beer making equipment, and beer bottling equipment and capping. We also got a small coin which was used in payment in olden times. Workers with this coin were entitled to a beer. We turned in our coins to get a nice beer. As we were running behind, our guide asked if it was ok for us to eat here as well. We each got a nice bread bowl full of goulash soup and then a plate of bread ...

... I would - as they were pretty impressive, but then you all know how to use google!!<br> <br><br>We then had a tour of the fermentation tanks and details of the vital ingreadients (water, malt, special yeast and bacteria...). The tour concluded in obvious fashion - with a taster straight from the keg, poured by the most photographed man in Plzen!!<br>

Today we went to the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzen. Pilsner, the type of beer, originated here, where Pilsner Urquell was brewed from local crops and local mineral water. The tour was awesome. We saw the traditional brew kettles and the modern ones, as well as a very modern new packaging plant. We also tasted some unpastuerized beer directly from fermenting barrels.<br>

... we camped at this weird, seemingly abandoned hotel. After we ride miles out of our way to get there this lady tells me in broken few words and mostly hand gestures that we can't stay there it's only for people of an association. I'm not sure if it was my puppy dog eyes or my deadly looks but in the end she let us camp out back. It was kinda weird because we were the only ones there.

We finally made it to the Czech Republic after a delightful delay of German bike touring. We waited an extra day to cross the border so that we could early in the day....just in case anything went wonky....only to find the border crossing unmanned. No papers, no stamps, no inspections, no officials, no nada. Czech Rep. is a different world...sorta like going from the US into Mexico, and pretty much what you might expect from Eastern Europe. Pastoral landscapes, small villages, and old ...

... 5L Pilsner Urquells. We got bored there and stumbled around until walking through an alley and finding Zach's Pub. Here the beer was all of 75 cents for a half liter of Gambrinus which is just as or more delicious than Pilsner Urquell; no need to say that I barely remember the walk back to the pension after experiencing Czech pub life to the fullest. We planned on staying in Plzen for two nights but when we woke up in the morning ...

... like the unfiltered beer (actually gave it away), but it was a nice thing that they let you try it (unfiltered beer is supposed to be the freshest, purest beer but they can't sell it because it only lasts 2-3 weeks). After the tour, we ate in the restaurant at the brewery, which was actually quite good, though over-priced, bought cheap steins as souveneirs, and ran (literally ran) to the bus station across town to catch the 6 pm bus.

Our arrival to Plzen was synonymous with some very sad news from home. My Grandpa Allan had passed away. He had been suffering for some time with various illnesses so although the news was devastating, I know he had a long and wonderful life and all the family have many happy memories of the time we shared with him. As a tribute, we visited a traditional Czech restaurant that night and strangely ...

... remains. From Budejovice we went to Chesky Krumlov. This town is a little bit of 13th century heaven! It is now a UNESCO protected site (as Prague is). It is exactly as you can imagine. It is located on a peninsula with the Vltava (Moldau) running on three sides. The town is dominated by the Castle and its towers. The streets are lined with 13-century houses. Many are graced with beautiful frescoes and reliefs. The colors are wonderful, ocher, greens, and cream. We had a ...

... his wallet. After a half hour's search of the rooms, we agreed that it wasn't there. A trip back to the local shops yielded no results. Neither of us enjoyed our sandwiches. We spent the afternoon at the police station (after having followed many strange directions) where they were no help, trying to contact Master Card and Visa, and Landmark Credit Union. We made call after call to numbers on our credit cards for emergencies outside the U.S. We got nowhere and used up our phone ...