Hotel Villa Conti Pisek

... with good beer. They are still having legal problems because of it. But this Budweiser is MUCH better! The tour was great and our guide was so fun AND spoke English! We went into the locker where they store their more beloved yeast beer. They only sell it in the brewery restaurant because it goes bad so fast. She gave all of us samples and it was delish! After the tour, Brian and I had lunch in their restaurant which was just okay but again, the beer was good!

beer straight from the brewery, hurrah. ceske budejovice is such a pretty town = nice to spend more than an afternoon here this time.

slightly more exciting is the appearance of a washing machine and finally we have clean clothes.

going for an indian tonight as neither of us can eat any more dumplings or fried cheese.

... time for who would like second tastings straight out the barrels all four of our glasses came straight to the front before the tour guide had even finished the sentence (typical bloody Australians!). We were heading further west to the picturesque little town of Cesky Krumlov, and gave Mark and Mandy, who were travelling around by train, a lift through beautiful rolling countryside.

... with curried yoghurt and pita) and a veggie curry. Overall, pretty good but not nearly spicy enough!!!!! For dessert we shared blueberry dumplings (yes they love their dumplings in the Czech Rep) and a piece of chocolate, raisin and nut cake. Very tasty. All of this for under 25 dollars Canadian! The most amusing part of our trip was the second day, Easter Monday, when we wandered to the far end of town in search of a grocery ...

... have been dorming it out. Our parents live in an amazing old farmhouse built in the 1600oe, complete with typically low doorways and high exposed beamed ceilings. Every detail of the place was built by hands from hundreds of years ago. The whole thing makes one feel like a peasant from the middle ages. There is constant and exciting risk of head injuries. Our dad has multiple scars and deep divets in his bald spot from such head injuries in low doorways ...

... They were all except one STA Travel staff getting a freebe or partners of, getting half price. We met our tour leader, Katz, a soft spoken Aussie who said se used to be a banker in London but got sick of it. She is now doing her dream job. This is her last tour of the season. We had dinner at a trational Czech place which actually had some vege options and got to know each other a bit over plenty of beers and wine. Next day we had a walking tour ...

... on this trip which is telling me I know I made the right choice to come on this trip. It's costing me plenty, but so far it has been worth every cent. Today has been clear blue skies all day. To recap from where I left off. We arrived in Prague and went out for our first meal. As we were out in the suburbs of Prague there wasn't might choice apart from a tradition Czech ...

... guide book, and was on the way. After the first half hour, the going was thoroughly enjoyable, rolling hills of the good kind- shaped like gathering waves near the shore, with long, shallow down-hill stretches that give you time to gather momentum and rest before the short, steep uphills. I arrived in Jihlava around 2pm and went in search of the tourist information office. They were full of information, but not what I was looking for. A national holiday the day ...

... a place called "The Travellers Hostel". I had potatos with broccoli and cheese and turkish coffee, which was very nice and quite cheap (about 90k). It was really miserable weather so we wanted to stay indoors and took the opportunity to go to the tourist info and to an internet cafe and to look around a few shops. It kept raining and then thunder and lighting passed right overhead. We had dinner in a medieval restaurant, I had millett casserole with beans ...

... plate of cheese and meats plus a loaf of rye - all for under $10 for both of us. The mustard was very hot for me and may have kicked in my throbbing tooth again. Wish I had taken care of that problem back in the States. After lunch, we explored the Regional City Museum. Saw some really ancient stuff - bits of pottery and some iron pieces. There was a large model of the city - interesting. We saw a lot of church carvings, portraits of royalty along with family trees of the castle ...