Family Guest House Razlovi Harrachov

... plus a large hop warehouse fire and the worldwide hop supply was dwindling while growers had to replant. Now the hops are back and it isn&#8217;t quite a crisis anymore.<br><br> We are finally down to the cellars after going past the large copper covered tanks where the beer is mashed and hops added. Down here we are treated to a new beer. It has not yet been filtered and pasteurized but boy is ...

... 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>

(76 miles) Slowing ourselves down has really helped us go longer while feeling like we are riding less. Today we entered the Czech Republic and found out that the roads are not as nice and little towns are run down. It's interesting the change. Everything is much cheaper here as well. We find ourselves dodging potholes more and eating out more. However so far I have taken less pictures ...

7/29/2007 WOW! What a hell of a ride Prague and Berlin was. I honestly don't know where to begin. It would be extremely difficult to put the exact experience into words. I met people from all corners of the globe, some just for a chat, some just to walk together and to never see again and some that will be lifelong friends! My days were spent walking, covering every inch of both cities. From the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge and the Straromestke nam to Brandenburg ...

... they are harmless, I am completely disgusted that these little mites were ever on my body, chomping away. I wasn´t even going to write about it, but then I thought hey, it´s all part of the experience!! I just hope they go away before Portugal... not exactly a great bikini look! OK, so PRAGUE!! Another amazing city! It seems they all are! Prague has its own vibe. A mixture of small town meets big city. Some streets are completely packed with people ...

Arrived in Karlstejn on the "City Elephant" train at 1.20pm and walked 2km to the Karlstejn Castle. Went on the 2.30pm English tour of the castle which took about an hour. No photography allowed inside the castle. Took in the views over the town before walking back to the train station and catching the train back to Prague.

... with the electric poles still there. Now it's an ideal cycle lane through the couunty. A vast improvement! There is nothing growing down the path due to heavy pesticide use. It's such recent history you can feel it in the air. The locals no dount even more so, as their memory of strict border restrcitions and death to those who try to venture over must be all too clear. The wine tasting was a bit hit and miss. It's more a white then red wine area, and I'm not big ...

... Rio is a state of mind. If that's so, then I look forward to checking that out some day. For sure! The streets are cool to wander around as well. Lots of cobbled alleys and so on. Though some dodgy people too. I think this may be the place where I am most aware of my surroundings as far as being careful and safe on my own go. Not many other places have I worried about being out at night on my own as I have here. Would love to wander around at night here, but I ...

... Bazaar that starts next weekend, but generally it is nothing like the States. The public transport is warm, but the trip up the escalator at the Metro can be a very chilly experience. The down drafts are horrendous. The escalator trips are long. Many remind me of the one at the Cathedral in D.C. Escalators move VERY fast. I can't believe it. Some people hesitate to get on and just get pushed from behind. All in all the public transportation system is the best I have ever seen ...