Hotel Skoda Plzen

... 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 seemed to have developed a taste for beer on this trip (partly b/c it's too hot to drink wine!!) and no tour to Czech republic would be complete with a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery...<br> <br><br>The town of Pilsner is fairly nondescript (ie/ it has no redeeming features, other than a summer installation of a pilsner beer garden and a bouncy ...

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 ...

... time mind you) giving me an uncomfortable stare along with several stray dogs scavenging in the garbage. I was nearly in tears because of the lack. We were staying at Solni Pension located right in the center of town; however the train station is at least 1km from the town square. We had no idea which direction we were supposed to walk in and there was no one in sight to ask for directions, minus the drunken men. While wandering ...

My goal for the day was to do as little as possible.. I figured what better way to accomplish this goal than to visit the famous Pilsner brewery. After wandering aimlessly for awhile.. trying to figure out how EXACTLY to cross 4 lanes of highway to get to this treasure trove of beer magnificence.. I finally decided the best way was to just run to the islands between the roads ...

... the way back to Prague from Chesky Krumlov, the tour guide pointed out the beautiful rosy color in the sky. She said that this color only appears at Christmastime. It is like a dusty rose color and eventually moves from the east to the west. Truly beautiful with a snowy landscape beneath it. Christmas for us was a real treat. Prague is a beautiful city, but it is especially magical at Christmas. For one thing, Christmas doesn't start in September. Hardly any decorations were up ...

... yesterday is slowly drying. (We did laundry in the kitchen sink and had it hanging all over the rooms.) Another breakfast at home then on to the #9 trolley to downtown. We had hoped to take the Gray Line Bus tour but it was sold out. Instead we got on the Red Line of the Metro and went across the river to the castle area. We had a wonderful walk around the area. Decided against going into the castle because that will be part of the tour tomorrow. Lots and lots of people, even ...

... the world where this ceremonies of all ceremonies is performed, the messiah of the mother's milk, THE ORIGINAL PILSNER!!!!!!!! It was then that i was to discover the true reason for my journey, for the brewery updated it's brewing techniques in 1992 with the implementation of steel vats, and the way the Original Pilsner trademark had been worded, it was at then made redunant. Unable to lose such a valuable commodity, the brewery must continue to ...