On Saturday, October 3, I hoped we could go back to Karlovy Vary and visit an area called Diana. It’s a park that offers trails, a mini zoo, a butterfly house, a restaurant, and a lookout tower, among other things. I wanted to go there for most of those things, but I especially wanted to see their peacock, Frosty, in the mini zoo. Frosty is so named because he’s white.
I had seen pictures of Frosty and was enchanted by his unusual look. Frosty is not your typical Indian peafowl. Aside from the peacock, the mini zoo also has a petting zoo, which includes goats, mini pigs, and ponies! I know I’m 54 years old, but I turn into a little kid when there’s a petting zoo.
After breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a jacket or sweater with me. The weather had been warm when we left Germany, but I worried about cooler temperatures, especially on the later segments of our trip. So we decided to visit Karlovy Vary’s Globus.
I’ve written about the Globus chain before. It’s an enormous “hypermarket” that is so big it puts Walmart to shame. I actually hate visiting the one in Wiesbaden, because it’s so huge and overwhelming. I almost always leave there feeling exhausted. But, on this particular Saturday, Globus was a successful stop. We managed to find some Il Santo flavored mineral water, sold by Chodovar, that I fell in love with in 2009, but can never find outside of that region in the Czech Republic. We also found a bottle of ten year old Ararat brandy, Chodovar beer, and a birthday present for Bill’s grandson.
I did NOT find a suitable jacket at Globus, but I did find one next door at the Decathalon Store, which is a chain that specializes in exercise and outdoor wear. I got the sense that they didn’t see too many Americans at the Decathalon Store, as the cashier, a teenaged girl who spoke English, beamed at us when we thanked her.
After we went to the Globus, we made our way to the city… and promptly found that parking was practically impossible to find. The weather was beautiful, with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. Consequently, there wasn’t a parking spot for love or money in the city. Then I realized that the lack of parking also meant the city would be positively teeming with people, and that would be quite annoying for both Bill and me. So, although I was sorry to miss seeing Frosty, we decided to go elsewhere.
We set off toward a smaller spa town called Mariánské Lázně, which we remembered from our 2009 visit to Chodovar. We thought maybe we might have better luck finding parking there, and could walk around the town. On the way there, I took lots of photos. The drive was on an enchanting two lane road through forests and mountains. I even saw a deer grazing in a woodsy meadow on the side of the road.
A sign for a trout farm. We have these in Germany, too. They’re kind of sad, but they do offer fresh fish!Can you spot the deer?
Alas, it was the same story in Mariánské Lázně. It seemed like everybody was out and about… not that I could blame them. October 3rd was a really nice day for sightseeing in the Czech Republic. I did manage to take a few photos from the car… I think this town is one I’d like to see more of. Maybe if we come back to this region, we’ll stay in Mariánské Lázně, instead of Karlovy Vary.
So we kept going through Mariánské Lázně, and started looking for a place to have lunch, mainly because Bill really needed to pee. At one point, we thought we might have found a spot, but it, too, was lacking parking. Bill ended up having to pull over on the side of the road to pee. But at least the scenery was beautiful. Look at these views!
After awhile, we found ourselves on a familiar road… It was the one that led to Chodova Plana, which is where Chodovar is. There are two restaurants at Chodovar, so we decided to see if we could have lunch there. At first, it looked like we might be out of luck again, but then Bill drove around to where Chodovar’s cool cave restaurant, Ve Skále, is. Much to our delight, he managed to score a parking spot! Soon, we were walking through the “cave” entrance to the dining room, still familiar after 17.5 years!
In February 2009, we stayed at this hotel! It was nice then… and probably still is, today.
Below are some photos from Ve Skále… which really saved the day, and filled us up for the rest of the evening! I had duck, with delicious Czech style potato dumplings and red kraut. Bill had trout again…
This is the way to the restaurant…These beer glasses were studded through the entrance.Those dumplings were surprisingly good, but I could only eat one or two. I don’t know how people eat four!Chodovar is now making Il Santo cola!
Ve Skále was a great place to stop. It’s a unique restaurant with good food, huge portions, and excellent beers and other beverages. If you speak German, and happen to run into a staff member who can’t speak English, you’ll be in luck. Our waiter spoke English very well and was super cute, too.
When I used the restroom, I realized by their familiar pleasant aroma, the staff had stocked the soap dispensers with the brewery’s own cosmetics. I remembered buying them on our previous visit, and was delighted to stop at the gift shop on the way out and get more. We also got a six pack of 1.5 liter bottles of Il Santo Hoppy, which is a non-alcoholic drink the brewery now makes.
I’m pretty impressed with how much the “Beer Wellness Land” has grown since 2009. They now have a pool, whirlpool, Kneipp therapy, and a couple of specialized saunas. Unfortunately, Chodovar’s Web site still really sucks. But they DO have some great products– from drinks to shampoo! I wish it were easier to get their products from Germany. So far, I’ve only found them offered priced in euros on a site that sells truck parts! Make no mistake, though… they smell great, even if they are made of beer!
After we ate at Chodovar, we headed back to our hotel on the outskirts of Karlovy Vary. Since we were no longer exploring, it didn’t take long at all. I still got a few more fall photos…
We decided to have a couple of beers for dinner, instead of food… Then, we headed back to our room for our last night in the Tower Room. In the morning, we’d be rising early to make our way to Stary Smokovec, Slovakia…
Chateau Cilheny’s salon. There’s a piano in there, and one rather “ballsy” young woman we ran into at breakfast with her friends, was playing it.I sure don’t miss the spiral staircase! But it was a unique room…
Unfortunately, I have brought back a souvenir from our trip. Bill and I are both sick with nasty colds (or some other icky virus). So, for today, I’m going to stop here, and maybe tomorrow, if I’m not dead, I’ll write about our all day travel to Slovakia’s gorgeous High Tatra Mountains. See you then…
Our long awaited fall vacation began on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The first stop was Karlovy Vary. I chose it after agonizing over a couple of other cities I’d had in mind. I had based our trip around visiting Slovakia, a country I first visited in 1997, but had never really explored in any meaningful way.
Prior to this year, I had only visited Zilina, Slovakia in 1997, because I was meeting a couple of friends there for a train trip through western Europe. One of them was at the university in Zilina, getting training in Information Technology. Although I did get to spend a couple of days in Zilina, I wasn’t really there to do any significant touring. Bill and I did spend a few hours in Bratislava, back in 2015, but again, it wasn’t really much of a proper visit.
Once I had decided to go to Slovakia, I needed to figure out stops that would break up the trip. Slovakia isn’t that close to Germany, if you’re driving. Bill and I also don’t have the stamina we once had. I had originally considered stopping in Gorlitz, which is a German city right on the Polish border, but then I discovered other areas near Gorlitz that I wanted to see. I knew two whole days wouldn’t be long enough to satisfy me if we went there on the way to Slovakia.
That’s when I remembered lovely Karlovy Vary, a spa town that is also known as Carlsbad. Karlovy Vary is in the western Bohemian region of Czechia, but there was a time when it was annexed to Germany. Bill and I had visited Chodovar, a brewery, beer spa, and “wellness land”, for a long weekend back in February 2009.
I remembered venturing out to Karlovy Vary and Plzen on that trip, mainly because Chodovar is located in tiny Chodova Plana, and there wasn’t much to that charming hamlet, back in 2009. They have expanded the resort quite a lot since then, and in 2026, it might be interesting enough to spend the entire time there. But in 2009, we definitely needed daytime excursions. So, one day we went to Karlovy Vary. The other day, we went to Plzen.
In 2018, we visited Plzen again, and discovered garlic soup, as well as a very cool open air museum dedicated to communist era planes! I remember liking Karlovy Vary more than Plzen, back in 2009. Now that we’ve been back to Plzen, I definitely appreciate that city more than I did in 2009. But we were long overdue to see Karlovy Vary again, if only so I could get some pictures and taste the famous spa waters that flow there.
I booked us the Tower Room at the Chateau Cihelny, a bucolic property adjacent to several golf courses, located just outside of the city. Bill and I don’t care about golfing. We like unique properties, especially if they aren’t obviously part of a corporate chain. This hotel had the appearance of offering us a chance at peace and quiet. It also had a wellness area that I found attractive. As it turned out, we never got around to hitting the spa. Aside from the chateau, there is also a less expensive lodging option on the grounds that seemed more geared toward families.
On October 1, 2026, after Bill dropped Charlie and Noyzi off at the Hundepension, Bill and I loaded up the Volvo and headed east toward Czechia. Since Karlovy Vary is relatively close, we didn’t get started on our drive until late morning. I’d say it’s about a four-and-a-half to five hour drive from Wiesbaden. Below are a few photos from the drive.
An example of a play area for kids in a German rest stop.Nordsee for lunch!The borderAlmost at the border…Now we’re in Czechia! Notice the different spelling.
We arrived at Chateau Cihelny in the late afternoon. Bill and I were both kind of tired from the drive, and the chateau turned out to be further out than we had anticipated. There is a tiny train stop near the hotel, but it had very limited service. Still, the property was very pretty, so we weren’t too upset about missing the city on the first night. We went into the hotel to check in, where we were met by an affable young man who spoke great English and had a droll sense of humor.
While we were checking in, the guy told us that we’d booked a very special room, but it was going to involve climbing a lot of steps. He was not lying about that! There is no elevator in the Chateau Cilheny, and I had reserved the Tower Room, which is a very unique and interesting room. You might even call it spacious… The room is in the chateau’s “tower”, which makes it different from the other rooms in the hotel.
The Tower Room, pictured below, has a spiral staircase in it. You have to climb those steps to get from the sitting room to the bedroom and bathroom. Bill counted thirty narrow steps. It was a bit of a pain… but again, the room was very unique, and offered a nice balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds. There’s also another spiral staircase in the bedroom, but that just leads to a locked, boarded up window. There is no point in climbing those, unless you just want some extra exercise.
Steps to the bedroom and bathroom.Huge bathroom. There is a step leading down into the bathroom that tripped Bill at least once.Sunken tubStaircase to disappointmentBut it did give me a chance to take an aerial view of the bedroom.ViewDoor to the balconyViewCheck out the fancy towerAnother view
To even get to the Tower Room, one must climb several long flights of stairs. There’s a bench and sitting area on the second floor, which came in handy for us as we went to our room. It’s definitely a place where you can get a workout, especially if you’re on the third floor, and staying in the Tower Room, which requires even more stair climbing. Who needs a Stairmaster?!
Below are some more photos from the hotel. I thought it was a very tastefully decorated place. I especially liked the art on the walls.
I rested on that bench more than once!
We decided to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. That also required a walk down steps, as it’s located in the basement of the chateau. The food and service were very good, and on the first night, they were playing excellent Generation X friendly music. Bill had trout, and I had pork knuckle that was removed from the bone. Along with the pork came delicious, fresh pickles that went down easy… especially with the Pilsner Urquell beer.
This was sooo good…Bill liked his trout, too.Apricot filled dumplings with Schmand.Apple struedel
After dinner, we went to bed. The mattress wasn’t particularly comfortable, but I was tired and drifted off. A couple of hours later, I woke up desperately needing the bathroom. I realized, as I was sitting on the toilet, that I really didn’t feel well. Let’s just say stuff was coming out of both ends, although fortunately not at the same time. I was afraid that maybe I got food poisoning or something, but it turned out that wasn’t the issue.
Bill got up when he heard me vomiting. He asked me if I was okay. I was perfectly fine, once everything was purged. I later looked up pickled vegetables and learned that they can upset the stomach if you aren’t used to them. What a shame! Dinner was delicious, and I truly enjoyed the fresh pickles. I probably should have just tasted them, though, because I think that’s what didn’t agree with me.
I went back to bed and managed to fall back to sleep. The next morning, we enjoyed our first breakfast at Chateau Cilheny, and a trip to the city, where we tasted the water and visited the Becherovka Museum. I’ll write more about that in the next installment.
Greetings, blog readers. The weather in Germany is positively awesome right now. The sun has been shining, and it’s been warm, with the slightest chill in the air, signifying that autumn is well on the way.
Bill got home from his latest trip– a super short jaunt to Brno, in the Czech Republic. He was there for just two nights, and had to fly to Prague, and then drive 2.5 hours to Czechia’s second largest city. He didn’t get to see anything there, because he was staying on the outskirts, in a non-descript, unexciting area.
Then, he had to leave Brno at about 3:00 AM, to ensure that he’d make his return flight to Frankfurt yesterday. I think these business trips are getting very tiresome… but the work Bill does is important and interesting. Sometimes, it’s even fulfilling, or culturally enriching.
We’ll be leaving for our road trip to Eastern Europe on Thursday, and we have one stop in Czechia– Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad). One of the Czech officers Bill met on his most recent trip told him we should pay a visit to the Becherovka Museum in Karlovy Vary. I hadn’t even considered that, but now I think maybe we’ll try to do that. I do like that liqueur, and God knows, I enjoy booze tourism.
Last night, we had another wine stand, hosted by the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany). Our neighbor, Pete, who ran an unsuccessful campaign last year, was behind the grill cooking sausages. We said hello to him, and the friendly guy standing next to him, helping to man the grill.
I didn’t go to the previous wine stand, because it happened while Bill was in Budapest, and I was taking a break from drinking. Besides, since my German is Scheisse, people don’t really talk to me. However, when Bill and I are together we do get to talk to people. Such was the case last night.
We were first greeted by a guy we met over the summer, who has a lovely dog named Stella. I think she’s a sheltie or a miniature collie. Stella stayed home last night, but her master had a chat with us. We told him about our upcoming trip, and he told us he’s going to Norway for three weeks. That will be cool… LITERALLY!
He ate pizza and hung out with a couple of his other friends, while Bill and I partook of pork sausages. We don’t usually get the sausages at the wine stands, because they are served in rolls that don’t really fit them and are a little challenging to manage. But we didn’t have anything readily available for dinner, and I had kind of been craving a bratwurst.
They also had the beef sausages, which I had at a previous wine stand. The beef varieties are also good, but I think Bill and I both prefer the pork ones. And I tried the roll below, which was covered in poppy and sesame seeds. It was delicious. I could have just had that and been delighted. The sausages and bread were a bargain, at just nine euros!
I suspect our new friend probably likes to see us at the wine stands. I’m not naive, though. I’m sure part of the reason he likes us is because we always get there early, and usually, no one ever sits with us. So that means there’s almost always a place for him to sit and eat pizza with his buddies. 😁
I really enjoyed the bread… I forgot what it’s called. I’m sure the birds were happy for the fallen seeds.Prost!
After our dog loving friend left, we were greeted by Boris and Gaby, whose names I’ve finally memorized over years of hanging out at village events. This couple is older than we are by a couple of decades, and they don’t speak much English. But they are fun loving, friendly, and eager to communicate. I always enjoy seeing them, and with a little effort, we can chat.
I dare say it’s good practice for us and our German skills, and for them and their English skills. 😁 And it’s a valuable reminder to regular people that just because our POTUS is trying to alienate everyone, that doesn’t mean all Americans are in agreement.
Gaby and Boris brought a friend with them. She didn’t speak English, either, but she lit up when Bill told us we were going to Karlovy Vary. It turned out she was born there. Gaby was a little confused, but then her friend reminded her that Hitler had annexed that part of the Czech Republic, so when she was born, it was considered part of Germany. Again– it was called Carlsbad, back in the day.
We told their friend that we had been to Karlovy Vary before, but only for a day trip. In February 2009, we visited Chodava Plana, a little hamlet where Chodovar Beer is made. We were there to try out the spa at their Beer Wellness Land, which has really expanded in the 17 years since our last visit!
I would definitely be up for another trip there, especially since our visit was spoiled by Bill’s asshole ex boss and narcissistic war buddy, making contact with him to tell him that he’d “pulled strings” to get us moved out of Germany a year early. 🙄 At the time, I was really pissed off… but as you can see, we have more than made up for that lost year. And war buddy later got very publicly fired after abusing troops, and was forced to retire early. 🤭
I like to remind myself that people who are narcissistic assholes usually get exactly what they deserve, in the long run. The thought of that keeps me warm and helps me sleep at night.
We decided to leave when it got noticeably colder, and Bill and I both realized we needed to pee, and didn’t want to use the public WC. So we said goodnight to our local friends and headed home. Bill needed to go to bed after his very long day.
I’m not sure what we’ll do today. The weather is still beautiful. In earlier years, we might have gone out to enjoy it. Today, we’ll probably get some household chores done before we take our long anticipated trip east.
Wiesbaden is a real treat, though! I do enjoy living in this neighborhood. I think it’s my favorite of all of the places we’ve lived so far… and happily, at this point, it’s the place where we’ve lived the longest.
So, in my last travel post, I mentioned that I was planning our next dental side trip. If you are a regular follower and actually care about my posts (I don’t like to assume), you might already know we’ve done a few of these trips. Basically, they entail going down to Stuttgart, seeing our fabulous dentist down there, then taking a few days off to explore.
Bill and I love planning these breaks. These dental side trips give us a much appreciated break from Wiesbaden, and provide content for my travel blog… which is not as popular as it used to be. Of course, thanks to the pandemic, and the fact that we both had to get some work done last time we went to Stuttgart, we haven’t broken much new ground on the last few excursions.
We moved to Wiesbaden in late 2018, so prior to that, we had no need to do “excursions”, since we still lived in the Stuttgart area. In May 2019, we went down to Stuttgart to get cleanings and see Elton John perform, supposedly for the last time, but I believe he came back to Stuttgart again after that show. We never got around to coming down for cleanings in the fall of that year, because Bill was very busy at work. Then came the pandemic…
Our next journey to see the dentist occurred in August 2021. I got the bright idea to book a few days in Baiersbronn, which is a small town near where we used to live, famous for its many excellent Michelin starred restaurants. We stayed in a nice resort, but that only made me curious about an upgraded experience at the Bareiss Hotel, which is where we went last fall. We spent lots of money and ate wonderful food, but what really sticks out to me, besides the friendly goats and ponies, is the Bareiss Hotel’s incredible pool complex. I’d go back there just for that!
In the spring of 2022, we visited Sessenheim, an area of Alsace, France we had not seen on our many prior visits to the area. We stayed in an awesome little hotel that had its own Michelin starred restaurant, and we bought lots of new French pottery. We mostly decided to go to France because its COVID rules were much less obnoxious than Germany’s, but that was a great trip, anyway. I love Alsace!
Now that the pandemic panic has somewhat passed, it’s time to branch out a bit, and go further afield. As I revealed in the previous post, the Czech Republic won the coin toss. Folks, I think it’s going to be a really great trip. I think we’ve got a good itinerary shaping up.
Although Esslingen won the coin toss for local lodging in the Stuttgart area, I couldn’t find a hotel that was particularly exciting. I ended up booking us at Hotel La Casa, which is a boutique hotel in Tübingen. If you search this blog, you will see that we’ve spent a lot of time in Tübingen. We lived near there during our first Germany tour (2007-09), and visited often when we last lived in the Stuttgart area (2014-18). We have also dined at Hotel La Casa on three occasions.
Even when we lived down that way, I was keen to stay at the hotel one weekend. I actually thought about putting our dogs up and just doing a weekend at Hotel La Casa, even though we lived about 20-30 minutes away from the town. I liked the staff, the restaurant, and the hotel’s interior design. Now that we live in Wiesbaden, we have the excuse to book a stay. Plus, Tübingen is just a really cool town.
One of many iconic shots that can be taken in Tübingen… It’s a very beautiful city!
Once I booked that hotel, though, I realized we might have a slight problem. In retrospect, I should have listened to my friend, Susanne, who had suggested a visit to Schwabisch Hall, a very beautiful town about an hour north of Stuttgart. I decided against it, because traffic around Stuttgart is a nightmare, and I didn’t want to be stressed about getting to our appointment. But Schwabisch Hall is actually more conducive to getting to the Czech Republic, as it’s just off Autobahn 6, which is the route we’d be taking under normal circumstances. Staying in Schwabisch Hall would have been more convenient (and I do plan to stop there sometime– maybe in the spring!).
Tübingen is south of Stuttgart, so to access A6, we’d have to drive about an hour north, and that might involve dealing with more traffic. It would definitely require backtracking, which I wanted to avoid if I could.
But then I got to thinking… We really have no agenda. The one place I do want to visit in the Czech Republic is Brno, which is pretty far east. There’s nothing to say we have to access it via A6. We can always get there using a different route.
Then I remembered that in 2008, we went to Passau, Germany for my 36th birthday. I had been there before, in 1997, when I was coming home from my Peace Corps stint and spent a month hopping trains all over Europe. I knew nothing at all about Passau in 1997, and just got off there because I was tired of being on the train. I ended up loving the city. It’s very pretty… and it happens to be exactly halfway between Tübingen and Brno. Below are a few shots from our 2008 trip to Passau. I love the cathedral there, and it’s mighty pipe organ! And I love the confluence of three rivers: the Inn, the Ilz, and the Danube.
Then I remembered that October 3, which is the day we’d be traveling, is a German holiday. And I wanted to get out of Germany for the holiday, because things tend to be closed on German holidays, although restaurants, tourist attractions, and hotels aren’t. I’m as excited about German Reunification Day as anyone is, but I’ve been here for nine years (this time), and I already know how Germans celebrate that day. Besides, what better way to celebrate that day than going to a former Eastern Bloc country? Why not cross back over the eastern border for a chance of pace?
In the late 1980s, Bill actually used to help guard the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. When we visited there in 2008, he got visibly nervous as we approached the border, which, of course, was wide open! I remember stopping to change money and get a vignette, and two sexy Czech girls started cleaning the windshield of our Toyota RAV 4. I said to Bill, “I think you are expected to tip them”. He did, and we were on our way to a very memorable exploration of southern Bohemia.
The Czech border circa 2008. Bill was so nervous, even as two pretty teenaged girls cleaned the windshield for us.
I briefly considered maybe staying in Austria. I stayed in Linz back in 1997 and found it kind of boring, but we went back in 2008 and discovered a great Biergarten there. But other than the Biergarten, on our last visit, I still found Linz kind of boring. Other travelers’ reports confirmed that it wasn’t just me; there are more exciting places to be. So then I remembered Cesky Krumlov, which is a VERY charming town east of Passau.
Bill at said Linzer Biergarten… I’d love to go back to that place, but October is kind of when a lot of Biergartens tend to close, anyway. And I’m sure there are things to see in Linz, but there are more exciting cities nearby.
Funny story about Cesky Krumlov. We visited there in 2008, too. The owner of the hotel where we stayed in Passau had recommended it. The day we were there was my birthday, and it happened to be when they were having their annual Five Petalled Rose Festival. We ran into many locals dressed in medieval garb, and there were games going on. I took an awesome photo there that remains one of my favorite pictures of all time. I thought we’d stumbled into a theme park! I had no idea the festival was happening. I remember thinking the town was very charming, and I would have liked it even if the festival hadn’t been happening. The fact that it was going on only added to its charm.
From Cesky Krumlov, we went to nearby Cesky Budejovice, which is where the Czech Budweiser is made. 😉 I remember having lunch there and thinking I’d like to stay in that town. Below are a few shots from our 2008 trip. I wasn’t as much of a shutterbug in those days. I also used Microsoft computers, which aren’t compatible with my Mac.
For our upcoming visit, I found us a cute hotel in Cesky Krumlov that gets excellent reviews. We’ll stay there for two nights, then move on to Brno, which is maybe three hours away. I found another hotel in Brno that isn’t quite as cute as the one in Cesky Krumlov is, but has a lot of amenities. It’s located on the outskirts of town, but from what I’ve read, a lot of Brno’s charm is found outside of the city itself. Since we’ve never been to Brno, we’ll stay three days there, then move toward home.
At this point, I’m tentatively planning our last stop to be two nights in Prague. We last visited Prague in November 2008, as part of a trip we did to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. In those days, we had a lot less money, but thanks to Hilton Honors Points, we were able to score two free nights at the Hilton Old Town Hotel. I remember they brought us sparkling wine and strawberries because we were there on our actual anniversary. I also remember they had an awesome old school pool that was DEEP. But I think this time, we’ll stay somewhere different.
I still came home with tons of cool souvenirs from Dresden, Poland (Bolesławiec), and Prague. I’m hoping we can find some art for the house. Last time we went to Prague, I bought a painting at an art gallery with an Armenian proprietor! I got to speak some crappy Armenian with him. I had (and have) forgotten a lot. Below are a few shots from Prague. It was COLD during our visit!
I can’t book the Prague hotel yet, though, because we have to make sure Noyzi can stay an extra night at the Hundepension. I don’t expect it to be a problem, but you never know. I gave some thought to stopping at the Chodovar Beer Wellness Land in Chodova Plana (very close to the German border), but recent reviews of the place make it sound less than enticing. I’d like to go there, though, if only to pick up some beer and their awesome flavored mineral water. Last time we were in the Czech Republic, we found some at a grocery store, but there wasn’t much of it to be had.
Chodova Plana isn’t far from Karlovy Vary, which is a great spa town overrun with Russians (last time we were there, anyway). We bought two paintings from a talented Russian artist, last time we were there. The town of Chodova Plana itself, though, is pretty desolate, other than the brewery, beer spa, and hotel. Prague offers a hell of a lot more to do, plus they’ve now got beer (and wine) spas, too. That wasn’t the case in 2008.
From Prague, we can reach Wiesbaden in about six hours, barring terrible traffic. I think it’s doable… If it turns out Noyzi can’t stay another night, maybe we’ll stay somewhere a little bit closer to home. Brno isn’t super far from Prague. I think it’s only a couple of hours’ drive.
Hopefully, we can finalize these plans over the weekend. Bill is coming home from his latest trip today. I look forward to seeing him, as it’s been a very quiet, boring week here in Wiesbaden. On the other hand, my liver has gotten a break, as I have mostly been teetotaling. I had two beers last night, but they were my first since Saturday.
Anyway… I love trip planning. I hope to do more of it… at least until the next war or pandemic sidetracks everything. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to stop by the border of Slovakia, so I can get a new mug to replace the cracked one we bought in 2015. 😉
My husband Bill and I just got home from a long weekend near Plzen in the Czech Republic. It was not our first visit to the area, but it was the first since 2009, when Bill and I celebrated President’s Day weekend and Valentine’s Day in Chodova Plana. Chodova Plana is where Chodovar, a brewery and “beer wellness land”, is located. We had really been looking forward to visiting Chodovar and enjoying a soak in one of their beer baths, which we learned about while watching a drinking show called Three Sheets. It was my very first visit to a beer spa. I have since become something of a beer spa connoisseur.
I remember that trip very well because Bill had just gotten back from from a TDY assignment for EUCOM. Just before he got home to pick me up for our trip to Chodovar, Bill received a cryptic email from his narcissistic former boss, who had tormented him for six months in Iraq. The guy had asked Bill how he was liking Germany. Bill said he loved it here. The guy then said that sometimes the Army takes you in places you don’t expect to go. Indeed, that cryptic email set off a series of moves that would keep us hopping through three states over five years.
After our fabulous weekend in Chodova Plana, during which we visited Karlovy Vary, Plzen, and Marianske Lazne, soaked in beer, got massages, and bought art from a Russian painter, we found out that we would be leaving our Germany assignment prematurely. Bill had been requested by name for his next assignment at FORSCOM, which was at that time located at Fort McPherson, near Atlanta, Georgia.
We knew we would not be in Georgia for long, since Fort McPherson was slated to close in 2011. Indeed, we were only there for 16 months before we moved to Fort Bragg for 28 months, then spent a year at Fort Sam Houston. Then, Bill mercifully retired, and we wound up back here in Germany. If we’re still here in August, and I’m sure we will be, this will have been the longest period we’ve spent in one place since we got married in 2002.
You might say that visit to the Czech Republic and the email that preceded it even inspired me to start blogging. It was when we were living in Georgia that I started thinking about how my best laid plans had gone horribly awry and I wound up an “overeducated housewife”. I no longer really complain about it, though. I have a pretty good life, at least right now. I’ve gotten to see and do some pretty cool things because I’ve followed Bill around for the past fifteen years.
In any case, since we’ve been back in Germany, I’ve made a point of getting away as often as possible to see places in Europe I either want to see for the first time or revisit. The Czech Republic was one of our favorite places when we lived in Germany the first time. We barely got two years out of our first stint here, yet we still managed three visits to the Czech Republic. Although getting there takes the better part of the day by car, it’s pretty much all autobahn. And though the Czech Republic still has plenty of remnants of its Eastern Bloc past, its people are warm, friendly, and downright cool. Plus, if you love beer– and Bill and I do– it’s a must see country. The Czechs drink even more beer than the Germans do. In fact, they drink more beer per capita in the Czech Republic than anywhere else in the world! Plzen is also the city that birthed a very popular beer style, the trusty pilsner.
I’m surprised to admit that we’ve been back in Germany since 2014 and this past weekend was our first time back to the Czech Republic since our return. And… it was all we’d hoped it would be! God willing, we will get to stay here a bit longer so we can visit a couple more times. There’s a lot to see and do in the Czech Republic and, for you bargain hunters out there, it’s pretty damn cheap!
Just before he left to go pick up some groceries at the Real, Bill informed me that over our three nights in the Czech Republic, we spent a grand total of $635! That figure includes what we spent to rent a freestanding house, two extravagant lunches, groceries, gas, excursions, and lots of beer! Granted, the weather kind of kept us from doing a whole lot, but we did enjoy ourselves for not much money. So if you’ve been wondering about the Czech Republic and want to go somewhere besides Prague, stay tuned to this series. I’m already dreaming up more trips to this formerly forbidden place.
But I won’t be traveling by plane… especially not one of these!
Checking out Czech beer in more ways that I ever thought possible
Feb 16, 2009 (Updated May 15, 2009) Review by knotheadusc in Hotels & Travel
Rated a Very Helpful Review
Pros:Fun, very reasonably priced, beer baths
Cons:Glitchy online booking, not near public transport, slightly corporate feel
The Bottom Line:Czech out Czech beer at Chodovar! It does your body good, both inside and out!
This review will definitely NOT be lean n’ mean!Those of you who have been around for awhile may remember a now defunct shampoo called Body On Tap. Created in 1978 by Bristol-Meyers products, Body On Tap’s list of ingredients included beer, a not so secret ingredient that was supposed to make hair soft and shiny. I remember seeing the ads for that shampoo as a little kid and hearing the warning that I shouldn’t drink it! I always wondered if beer really did do such great things for the hair.
Thirty years later, I’ve just had the chance to find out about the wonderful things beer can do for my hair and skin. My husband Bill and I took advantage of President’s Day weekend at Chodovar Beer Spa and Brewery in Chodova Plana, Czech Republic. Let me tell you, the folks at Chodovar are onto something. Business is booming at their beer spa and when we were done there, my hair was definitely better off for the experience.
The Chodovar Brewery
The Chodovar Brewery, located just beyond the German border, has been around since 1573. In 1992, the Chodovar brewery became a limited liability company owned and operated by four partners: RNDr. Tomáš Zuckermann, Jiøí Plevka Sr., Jiøí Plevka Jr. and Jan Plevka. As Bill and I drove through Chodova Plana and the surrounding areas, we could see that many of the local bars and restaurants served Chodovar beer.
Though the Chodovar Brewery has been making “suds” for centuries, it’s only been in the beer spa business since 2006, when it started offering beer baths as a spa treatment. I learned about the Chodovar beer spa watching the Czech Republic episode of Three Sheets, a travel/drinking show that was aired on the now defunct channel MOJO HD and is currently available to be downloaded on iTunes. The host, Zane Lamprey, traveled to Chodovar for a beer bath as a means to cure the wicked hangover he got from drinking too much Czech beer and absinthe. Because Bill and I are living in Germany and we had already been to Prague and Cesky Krumlov, we decided the long weekend was the perfect excuse to try out this unusual mode of beer tourism.
The hotel
It’s safe to say that the Chodovar Brewery pretty much makes up the whole town of Chodova Plana. Luckily, the Hotel U Sladka, owned and operated by the brewery, is part of the Chodovar beer spa experience. The three star hotel is a fairly basic but very economical affair. There are currently 120 rooms. Singles, doubles, triples, and even quad rooms are available. Pets can also be accommodated for a small fee.
Bill and I booked a double. Our room was small, but very clean. It had a direct dial phone, television with about ten Czech channels and the hotel’s own brewery channel, and free Internet access (bring your own cable). The bed was the typical European type, two twin beds pushed together. It wasn’t the best bed I’ve ever slept on, but it was comfortable enough. There was also a very cheap minibar stocked with Chodovar products (beer and mineral water). Beer was priced at 20 Czech crowns ($1) and mineral water, including a delicious orange variety, was 18 Czech crowns (about 90 cents).
The bathroom had an excellent shower with great water pressure and a knobby floor that massaged my feet. There was a towel warmer and two soap dispensers full of Chodovar’s own shower gel… made with beer, naturally! Bill and I came home with a whole range of Chodovar beer cosmetics: shampoo, shower gel, balsam, bubble bath, and even the makings for our own beer bath.
Breakfast is included in the price of the room. It consists of a variety of delicious sausages and salamis, cheeses, hard boiled and scrambled eggs, breads and pastries. You can get a thermos full of Tchibo coffee or use the coffee machine, which makes espresso drinks and hot chocolate. Tea and juice are also available.
There is free unsecured parking in front of the hotel or you can park in the secure lot behind the hotel. The secured lot costs 70 Czech crowns a night (about $3.50), but the lot is locked and presumably very safe from criminals.
Booking the Beer Spa
The first thing to say about the beer spa is to make sure you book it in advance! The Chodovar Brewery has a revamped Web site that will allow you to book online. My advice is to skip the Web site and call the hotel directly. Bill and I decided to visit Chodovar a bit on a whim and requested a reservation ten days in advance. We tried to use the Web site, but got nervous when we didn’t get an immediate confirmation. We called the reception about an hour after we booked and were told that they hadn’t yet received our request through their Web site. We ended up booking our room and beer bath over the phone.
I didn’t actually get a confirmation from the online service until the next day. The receptionist didn’t realize we had already booked over the phone and wrote that the beer baths were fully booked through the weekend. She explained that they recommended booking the beer baths up to four months in advance. I don’t know if that’s really necessary, but I will say that there were no free appointments for the baths the whole time we were there. In other words, if we had just shown up at the hotel, we probably would not have gotten into the spa. It was a good thing we called and snagged our spot when we did. We had gotten the last available appointment on Saturday. It didn’t appear to me that treatments were offered on Sundays.
There are several single tubs available and one double sized tub for couples. Those who want to use the double tub may want to bear that in mind when planning a trip to Chodovar.
Our Beer Bath experience
Since the double sized tub was booked, Bill and I arranged for two single baths. The smell of fresh beer wafted through the air in the foyer as we rang the doorbell by the spa. We were welcomed by a very friendly spa worker who asked us to remove our shoes. She showed us to dressing rooms and asked us to completely disrobe and wrap up in a sheet. The dressing rooms have lockers and showers in them.
Bill and I came out of the dressing rooms looking like we were headed to a toga party. Another spa worker showed us to our individual tubs, which had already been prepared for us. She drew a curtain around us, leaving the one between the tubs open so we could share the experience!
Our large tubs were full of a warm, foamy, mixture of the spa’s own dark bath beer and mineral water. It smelled of beer, but not offensively so. I found the bath very pleasant and relaxing, as pop music played over the sound system and other couples took their places in their own beer baths. One thing Bill and I both noticed was that we floated a bit! While we soaked in our baths for 20 minutes, we each sipped a .33 liter glass of non-pasteurized Chodovar beer. Supposedly the beer works as a digestive. All I know is that after drinking that beer, I really needed to pee before I got out of the tub!
After 20 minutes, a spa worker pulled the plug on our tubs. We wrapped up in our sheets again and she led us to a dark, quiet room where there were a number of lounges separated by soothing lamps. We laid down on the lounges and the spa worker swaddled us in a fleece quilt, where we were supposed to rest for another twenty minutes. The spa workers served us another glass of beer, which made me have to pee even more! I ended up getting up a little early so I could go relieve myself.
My impressions of the Beer Baths
The extreme need to whiz kind of dampened my ability to relax during the beer bath treatment, but I’d definitely do it again. The bath was very relaxing and fun. And ladies, I recommend letting your hair get wet. After my hair dried, it was incredibly soft and shiny. My skin also felt soft and smooth.
Massages and other spa stuff
Bill and I booked massages, which are also very much in demand. At first, the receptionist told me that because they were booked, we could each only get so-called “simple” massages, which last for 20 minutes. But then she told me that a time slot for a 50 minute “complex” massage was also available. Bill had never had a massage before and was a little skittish about it, so I took the complex massage while he stuck with a simple one. In addition to simple and complex massages, there are also lava stone and foot massages available.
The first thing to know about massages at Chodovar is that they involve almost completely disrobing. The second thing to know is that the Europeans have a lot fewer hang ups about nudity than Americans do. Bill got his massage from a lady, while mine was given by a young man. Neither spoke much English, though the lady did speak a little German. The man who gave me my massage saw me in nothing but a pair of undies, which frankly made me feel a little bashful. However, he was very professional and gave me a very thorough massage. He was also quite pleased when I gave him a tip. The last thing to know is that the pervasive scent of human body odor pretty much trumps the scent of the beer bath… or at least it did when I had my massage. Luckily, my nose shut off halfway through the treatment.
In addition to massages, Chodovar also offers what they call “remedial packs”, which basically involves being wrapped up in malt draff. Bill and I did not try this treatment, though we thought it sounded interesting.
Dining options
I mentioned that the Chodovar Brewery is pretty much the only game going in Chodova Plana. We also couldn’t help but notice that the management seemed very big on marketing and looked like they’d taken a few corporate cues from Anheuser-Busch (now owned by InBev). In any case, there are two restaurants run by the resort. There’s Stará Sladovna (Old Malt House), which is in a brick house located right across the secured parking lot, and Ve Skále, which is about 250 meters from the hotel and housed in an 800 year old cave-like rock labyrinth that used to serve as a beer cellar. Ve Skále also houses a very small museum and gift shop, where patrons can buy Chodovar’s beer cosmetics, apparel, and other paraphernalia.
Both restaurants serve traditonal hearty Czech food, which means lots of meat, poultry, potatoes, and gravy! And there’s also plenty of beer on draft, as well as mineral waters and bottled non-alcoholic brews. Ve Skále is definitely the more unique option, but it’s a little bit of a hike from the hotel that I didn’t find very pleasant in the frigid cold. If the weather had been warmer, it would have been a nice walk.
Be advised that smoking is allowed in both restaurants and seating is such that you might find yourself sharing a table with people you don’t know. Both restaurants feature long tables with benches and chairs. During our two occasions dining at Ve Skále, Bill and I shared our table. The first time was with a young Czech man who seemed very intent on showing his date how smart he was. The second time was with a German man from Berlin who seemed surprised to find Americans in Chodova Plana. We did not share our table at Stará Sladovna.
Food is very reasonably priced. For example, our first night, we ate at Stará Sladovna and had two good sized entrees and four beers between us. We left the restaurant very satisfied and only spent about $25. But as it’s a brewery, we did find that the servers really pushed the beer! We didn’t find that a bad thing since neither of us had to drive anywhere afterwards. We also noticed that the male members of the staff really appeared to enjoy the brewery’s product. My beer gut definitely had lots of company.
Things to do around Chodova Plana
At this writing there’s not that much to do in the town of Chodova Plana, though I’ve heard the management has big plans for expanding Chodovar’s facilities. Brewery tours are available every day at 2:00pm, but Bill and I decided to skip it since we figured it would either be conducted in German or Czech.
Luckily, Chodova Plana is within driving distance to several decent Czech cities. After our beer spa treatments, we drove to Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), which is about an hour away from Chodova Plana. The drive to Karlsbad from Chodovar is very scenic. You drive through a lovely evergreen forest flanked by a rushing stream that winds its way to a large lake. We thought the drive was especially gorgeous since there was a lot of snow on the ground. Karlsbad is a well known spa city and we saw lots of people using little ceramic pitchers to capture and drink spring water from fountains scattered around the downtown area. The architecture in Karlsbad is very beautiful and one can purchase spa wafers and Becherovka liqueur there as well as take in a massage or spa treatment at one of the many outlets. Shopping also appeared to be great there.
On Sunday, we drove to Plzen, which is also roughly an hour’s drive from Chodova Plana. Plzen is not as beautiful as Karlsbad is, but it is a place to go if you’re into beer. We ended up touring the Pilsner Urquell beer museum and ate lunch at the museum’s restaurant, where we got free samples of Pilsner Urquell beer. Plzen is also a good spot for history buffs. It did my heart good to see a huge memorial thanking American soldiers for liberating the city on May 6, 1945.
After our brief visit to Plzen, we drove back to Karlsbad, where we bought a painting from a Russian artist who was selling his wares on the street. The artist lives in Prague, which is also within a reasonable driving distance.
The area also offers excellent opportunities for hiking and viewing wildlife. We spotted birds of prey, herds of deer, a couple of foxes, and, on the way into Plzen, two rather discreet prostitutes. If you like castles, old churches, and museums, you’re also in luck.
In conclusion
We had an awesome time in Chodova Plana at the Chodovar Brewery– Beer Wellness Land. And our trip was very affordable. For three nights of lodging, parking, two beer baths, two massages, an array of beer cosmetics, and two beers and two mineral waters from the mini bar, we spent the Czech crown equivalent of $309! Factoring in food, beer, and the painting we bought, we spent a grand total of $570 on our three day weekend.
That said, there are a few caveats I will issue to American travelers. First, it helps to speak a little German if you don’t speak Czech. We only ran into one employee who spoke English, although English menus are available in the restaurants and some of the promotional materials are written in English. Second, the closest ATM is located about 3 kilometers from the hotel. The hotel does accept credit cards, though I read in another review that one of the restaurants doesn’t yet take them. Third, it’s best to have a car. The town is a bit off the beaten track and I didn’t spot any public transportation facilities nearby. And finally, while Chodovar’s Web site offers online booking, it’s probably best to call them for reservations. We found their online booking system to be a bit glitchy.
Overall, Bill and I had a fantastic experience and would recommend Chodovar to those who love beer, spas, or both!
While there’s no denying that some people shouldn’t drink alcohol and over imbibing can lead to health problems, there’s also no denying that booze tourism is a trend that’s been growing in popularity. Bill and I have definitely enjoyed some fun booze touristy spots in our travels. Here’s a list of some of the places we enjoyed the most.
Vinopolis– London, England (ETA: Sadly, Vinopolis is now closed!)
Bill and I visited Vinopolis in January 2009 over Martin Luther King weekend. We were living in Germany at the time, so it wasn’t too hard to get to London. I had heard about Vinopolis by watching Samantha Brown’s Passport to Europe. Knowing how much we enjoy tasting booze, we knew we had to make a point of stopping there. We tasted everything from Slovenian wine to Czech absinthe. Afterwards, we staggered to the Clink Museum next door and looked at all the prison memorabilia.
Bill tries out the moped through Italy’s wine regions…
I never thought I’d take a bath in beer, but I sure did when we visited Chodovar. I first heard about Chodovar when I saw it featured on Zane Lamprey’s drinking show, Three Sheets. In February 2009, I decided we needed to pay the place a visit. I neglected to bring my camera on that trip, but if you click the link, you can see plenty of photos of the pewter tubs where you soak in hops and sip beer. Afterwards, we relaxed in a dark room, then enjoyed massages. The whole experience was very reasonably priced. I think for the entire weekend, which included meals, parking, and three nights in the hotel, cost us less than $500.
We saw this museum on the same trip in February 2009 and it, too, was featured on Three Sheets. This museum offers a great history of Pilsner Urquell brewing and beer making in general. After you’re finished looking at the extensive museum, you can stop by the restaurant and sample the beer. We also had a nice lunch there.
This show is worth watching if you are curious about the Czech Republic and all the boozing you can do there. On a side note, I sat in the same tub at Chodovar Zane Lamprey is in.
We went to Asheville to celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary and were delighted to find a great beer culture there. There are a number of craft beers made in Asheville, many of which offer tours. If you prefer wine, you can stop by the Biltmore Estate, which offers tours of its winery and tastings. Bill and I took the tour and were very impressed by the quality of the wines sold there.
Living near San Antonio, Bill and I aren’t too far from Texas Wine Country, which is in the hills northwest of San Antonio. There, you will find a string of wineries offering surprisingly good products. One of my favorite stops is Comfort, Texas, which is where you’ll find Bending Branch Winery and Singing Water Vineyards… I’m sure there are more I’d love, but we haven’t visited them yet. In all seriousness, Texas Wine Country boasts 37 wineries. With San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels, and Fredericksburg all in the vicinity, there’s plenty of opportunity for non booze related fun, too. Of course, there are craft breweries in Texas too… and excellent tequila.
Okay, so the Museum of Beer in Lisbon isn’t all that exciting in terms of beer tourism. I mean, you wouldn’t go to Lisbon just to see the beer museum unless you were extremely hardcore. But if you happen to be in Lisbon, it’s not a bad idea to stop by the beer museum to learn about Portugal’s influence in brewing. It’s three euros a person to see the exhibit, which includes a sample. Then you can head to the bar where you can imbibe to your heart’s content.
Bill and I went to Scotland and visited two whisky distilleries. We also visited the Scotch Whisky Experience, which is pretty cool if you can’t go to the distilleries. Granted, the distilleries may be more authentic, but the Scotch Whisky Experience is right there in Edinburgh. On the other hand, we learned much about the scotch making process at Arran and Springbank distilleries. And the Springbank distillery was especially cool, since it offers one of the few examples of Campbeltown style scotch whisky. Campbeltown used to be a big whisky hub, but sadly a lot of the distilleries are gone now.
The Scotch Whisky Experience has an enormous collection of scotches…
Okay, so Hampton, Georgia isn’t exactly on most peoples’ tourism hotspots, but if you’re willing to get there, you may be in for a treat. Bill and I used to live in a town close to Hampton, which is where a local entrepreneur purchased the old jailhouse and made it into a craft brewing facility. You can take a tour and taste their excellent brews, which have really caught on in the Atlanta area. Bill and I can’t get JailHouse beers in Texas, but luckily we have friends who can send it to us. If you’re in the Atlanta area and don’t mind taking a trip south of the city, I recommend a trip to JailHouse Brewing Company!
As you can see, Bill enjoyed his taste of the Breakout Stout!
I’m sure there will be more posts on this subject as we keep traveling!
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