Ibis Plzen

... and sauerkraut. Didn't really care for the dumplings and sauerkraut but the goulash soup was great.<br><br> Then on to the brewery. Pilsner Urquell has been purchased by a conglomerate, the South African Brewers or SAB but Pilsner Urquell has also become their flagship as it is such a good beer. It was our misfortune to be there on a day when they were cleaning the lines in the bottling and ...

... 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>

(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 ...

... quite a hangover, we found out that the Solni Pension was sold out for the day, a fact that would have been nice to know before hand. So we quickly ate the breakfast of bread and vegetables and wandered around until we found a room at Pension City. We met this cool kid named Thomas who works at the pension a couple of days a week; he had nothing but hilarious words coming out of his mouth... "What do I think of the EU? ****ing EU ...

... process and taste unfiltered beer in the actual beer cellars. The whole Pilsner complex is basically a tribute to the drink. Because beer is so central to the Czech Republic (really Bohemia), it makes a great stop! We took the 10 am bus from the far western Zlicin station (serves domestic western Bohemia). Upon arriving in Plzen after the hour bus ride, we wandered throughout the town center and down by the river to the brewery ...

Destination 8:   km39'156 Zwischenhalt in Plzen, der Bierhochburg der Weltmeister im Bierkonsum. Soviel sei gesagt: 4 Bier zu 0.5l und 1 Pack Zigaretten fuer 8 CHF... Erster Kontakt mit Regen. Aber nur Gewitter. Tschechien macht auf mich vor allem im sehr schoenen Plzen, oder besser gesagt Pilsen, einen ...

... in the front row of the box. There were only two rows of chairs. It turned cold while we were in the theater so we headed for the Metro and home. Monday was a cold and blustery day. It started out beautiful and turned to snow by evening. We spent the day in the Little Quarter, Mala Strana, and Palace area. By the time we finished touring, it was dark and starting to snow. We took the tram back to the Old Town Square and the Christmas Fair. Just as we hit the square the ...

... Thursday Breakfast in the room. We can't find Silk or its counterpart or skim milk, so we had yogurt and fruit on our cereal. Took the tram back to town to buy more basics. We also took a look at the Tesco supermarket. It is in the basement of the store. Security is heavy. The aisles are very small and it is really hard to move around. The prices seem good if you are willing to put up with the crowds and the long check out lines. We also stood in line at the T-Mobile shop ...