Hotel Slovan 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

... in it's main square.).<br> <br>The brewery tour was 90 mins long and I'm sure the gentleman conducting the tour was the human muse for the creation of 'The Count' on sesame street, his hair didn't move, sadly there were no mirrors anywhere so I couldn't check for a reflection... He was a brilliant tour leader and was happy to answer any ...

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.

... charm, but with a patina of decay, the legacy of communism and several subsequent political unheavals. This country has one of the most fascinating political histories and we look forward to learning more as we explore. We are already crashing our way through Slavic Languages 101. I was getting a little cocky in Germany, where I was starting to get by pertty well after only a week, because there are enough similarities to English to start connecting dots. Well, THAT has certainly ...

... in circles I noticed a tall steeple rising above the skyline of Plzen, and it struck me that the tallest building in Plzen is the St. Bartholomew's Cathedral located merely one block from Solni Pension. It was like my guiding light and led us through the city into our pension. By this time I was drenched in sweat and demanded a beer immediately. We trudged around town until stumbling upon Dominika where we knocked back a few $1.50 ...

... hope chance was on my side.. it was.. or it was just toying with me. In either case, I managed the arduous journey to the promised land. It was worth the epic quest for the spoils of the campaign were legendary. As Peter Griffin said (Family Guy) " I felt like I died and went to heaven.. but then they decided it wasn't my time... so they sent me back to a BREWERY!" Most ...

... the weekend of the first Sunday of Advent. If they were up, they weren't lit. Most stores, except for Tesco (the old K-Mart) didn't put any decorations in their windows until then. Starting with this weekend, the city goes wild. Much of the city is pedestrian malls and these were all beautifully decorated. In the main squares, and there are many, they erect small stalls, about 8 feet wide and 6 feet deep. In the Old Town Square they must have had close to a hundred. Each ...

... time of year. The street entertainment was interesting. We saw an old man playing the saw and a trio of middle-aged men playing various instruments. Shops galore. It is still cold and blustery but no snow flurries. We decided to take the tram back to town. We got on it going the wrong direction, so we saw a part of town, the west side, where we have never been. After riding to the end of the line we transferred to one going the other way. It was fun. We got off in town and ...

... a small quantity the same way they have done for centuries before, us me the humble beer devotee, who samples such delight, fulfils an unknowing purpose, preservation of the Original Pilsner Urquell trademark. So as the tour comes to an end and we are shown the front gate, a warm grin passes my face, with the knowledge that i have contributed to one of the noblest acts ever bequeathed on society, the original Pilsner. Mum would be proud...... Grin