Hotel Continental Plzen

... tasty.<br><br> Our trip through beer land at an end, we climb into the van to go to the Koneprusy caves. They are living caves with three levels but we can only visit 2 levels. Lots of steps, around 500. My legs are quite irritated that I went through the whole cave. Thought to give my hip some rest today by going on a tour. Opps. Forgot walking in caves is never restful for arthritis.<br><br> Fun day

... 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 ...

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 ...

... lake, but it was still a beer fairy tale complete with a life-size beer chess board. After taking us down into the basement where beer is still fermented in gigantic wooden kegs we were allowed to try unfiltered and unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell straight from the wooden barrels... it tasted like heaven. With each sip you heard a choir of angels singing, you may think I'm exaggerating but I implore you to go try it for yourself. You ...

... and I confirm the stop we are at. I come to the conclusion that I should just sit on the train and wait. So as I am just sitting there a younger girl speaking broken English tells me that I should get off the train. I am confused as hell but I decide. She then quickly runs onto a bus (there were 2). As soon as she gets onto the bus it drives away. I have no way to ask questions, I just get on the other ...

... we took the metro to Vysherad which is the site of the original 10th century castle and is located high above the Vltava. We walked the castle walls and ended up at the magnificent church of Sts. Peter and Paul. The church was started in the 12th century and has undergone many renovations over the years, but it is still magnificent. The whole interior is painted and decorated. The paintings are in the late 19th century style. The day was beautiful and cold, so we didn't ...

... day's impressions: Still a gloomy city with very adept petty thieves. Despite what the books say, many of the shopkeepers and clerks in stores are very nice and helpful. The transit system is amazing. Graffiti is everywhere! Unlike Chicago and NYC, you hardly hear an automobile horn. The women are stylishly dressed, but not as extreme as in Florence. The cobblestone streets play hell with walking. (FM twisted an ankle.) Henna rinse is the color of choice. 24 October, Friday ...

... on this land, the Pilsner-Urquell Brewery, home of the original Pilsner..... My diary entry for the 21st September, 2001. To be brutally honest, what could i tell the folks back home that would have them convinced that i wasn't a roaming alcoholic, who in there right mind would make such a journey, what explanation could i offer, for "i think it sounded like a good idea at the time" would certainly not suffice. Under bleak skies ...