We got word yesterday that Noyzi is booked at the Hundepension from September 30 until October 10. That allowed me to book the last hotel for our big Czech tour after we see the dentist. This dental discovery excursion is definitely the most ambitious one we’ve done yet. Just to recap, we’re planning:
I was actually planning to book the Aria Hotel in Prague, having seen Samantha Brown’s Passport to Europe episode about Prague. She made that hotel look like it would be such a fun place to stay! But, I changed my mind last night, when I did a search on Booking.com and noticed that Hotel Nerudova was listed first, and it had great reviews. I was dazzled by the photos, but what really gave me pause were the consistently glowing comments about how friendly the service was. It’s also a family run place.
I decided to check other sites and noticed that on Expedia.com, Google, and TripAdvisor, Hotel Nerudova got similarly great reviews. But they didn’t have a lot of reviews, which made me wonder if they’re new. I see now that the hotel was closed during the pandemic and had fallen into disrepair until it was bought by Jan and Sarah, the husband and wife who now own it. I did read that the hotel was fully renovated in August 2022, and they only have ten rooms/suites.
According to their story, the hotel used to be known as Hotel Santini until the pandemic. The building dates to the 1500s, although the original house was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt in the 1700s, and renovated starting in 2002. That must have been a very exciting undertaking, as they found original features such as frescoes, wooden ceilings, and an original porcelain cocklestove.
The only thing making me hesitate was the parking situation. The hotel’s website said there was off site parking available at 15 euros per day. I worried a little about that, and would prefer a secure parking garage. There was another highly rated hotel that offered a garage, and I almost booked the other hotel for that reason. However, I just couldn’t shake the desire to try Hotel Nerudova 211. It was in my head. So, I took the plunge, and I think I booked this room.
Immediately after booking, I got a welcome message from the hotel which included information about parking. That was reassuring. I wrote back to let them know we’d be driving, and they told us to send them our license plate number and they’d put us in a registry to allow us to park near the hotel on the street. I asked if they needed the information now, or closer to October. They quickly responded that we could do it at the reception. Such quick responses are a really good sign. We had a great time when we stayed at the Old Town Hilton in 2008, but I think Hotel Nerudova will definitely be more charming, memorable, and personal, which I definitely love!
Hotel Nerudova appears to be at a very good location. It’s very close to the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and Prague Castle. As an added bonus, Bill also spotted a sex machines museum nearby. I’m sure we’ll make a point of stopping by, if it’s open while we’re in town. 😉 Or maybe we won’t, since there’s a lot to do in Prague, and it doesn’t look like that museum gets the best ratings. It looks like people think it’s overpriced for what it is. I’ll probably want to visit it anyway, though. I love weird museums.
We will probably visit one of the beer/wine spas for treatments. I haven’t had a good beer spa visit in ages, and we have never been to one in Prague. When we visited in 2008, the spas in Prague didn’t exist. We went to Chodovar Beer Wellness Land for our first beer spa experience. Actually, looking at the link I shared, it appears to be the same system used at Hotel Moorhof and Hotel Diana in Austria.
There’s another beer spa in Prague that offers a wine spa treatment. We might do that one for a change of pace. I doubt the ones in Prague can hold a candle to the beer pools of Starkenberger Brewery. Unfortunately, I think the beer pools have stopped operating in the wake of the pandemic. I’m so glad we had a chance to have that experience when they were still working. Swimming in a vat of warm beer wort is an experience I will never forget!
Anyway… even if we end up doing things that are less sinful in Prague, we’re sure to have a great time. Prague is a fabulous city on so many levels. I especially look forward to buying some new art for the house!
I think this trip is going to be so much fun! I’m really looking forward to it, probably more so than I usually look forward to travel. We always have a great time when we visit the Czech Republic, and we’re long overdue for another visit.
As for the rest of the summer, I’m not sure if or when we’ll go anywhere. I’d kind of like to go to Austria for a few days, but I don’t know if we’ll manage it. For the next three months, it looks like Bill will be doing a new temporary duty involving finance. The good news is that he won’t have to travel when he’s doing the finance job. The bad news is, he’ll probably be pretty busy. Or maybe not… He’s a multi-skilled, multi-talented man, though. Case in point, below is the breakfast he made us this morning, minus the made from scratch biscuits that were still in the oven when I took this photo.
In fairness, I did kind of teach him how to make cheese souffles. The orange juice is fresh squeezed!
Today, it’s raining a bit, so I don’t know if we’ll venture out. We’ll see. Anyway, it’s time to write a post for my main blog, so I’ll check y’all later. 😉 I’m excited about this trip, though, and I think we’re going to have a blast!
The featured photo is a screenshot from Expedia of the room I booked.
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!
Ahh, Valentine’s Day… a greeting card holiday that has caused quite the angst in many a young person. Since I haven’t been young in awhile, I’ve made it a point to try to do things on Valentine’s Day. My husband, Bill, is very obliging. Most years, he brings me chocolate, a mushy card, and/or flowers. We also usually go out to dinner. I’ll put on a relatively pretty dress and fix my hair. He’ll put on fancy clothes I bought him for Christmas. We’ll hit the town and try to be fancy.
“When in doubt, pinky out…”
Last year, our Valentine’s Day celebration took place at Refugio, a restaurant at Hotel La Casa in Tübingen. I remember we had originally made other plans for Valentine’s Day dinner 2017, but I was swayed by the ads I kept seeing on Facebook for Refugio’s event. They were having a concert with a virtuoso pianist and singer, plus a set dinner. Last year, we had to reserve in advance and the hotel mailed us actual tickets to the dinner. I remember having a pretty good time, even if I don’t always have the best luck with “set dinners”.
Fast forward a year. It’s Valentine’s Day again. Somehow, we let our plans get away from us. Bill was too busy to bring me flowers, chocolate, or even a mushy card. Two days ago, I visited Hotel La Casa’s Facebook page and noticed they were doing another Valentine’s Day dinner, albeit with less fanfare than last year’s celebration. I asked on Facebook if they still had reservations open. They responded that they did, so I asked Bill if he wanted to go. He said yes and emailed them a reservation request for 7:30pm.
Last night, Bill came home from work and changed from work clothes to… work clothes. I changed out of my nightgown, put on pantyhose and makeup, and curled my rapidly greying blonde hair. The dress I wore last night was a purple velvet number I bought for our latest Scottish cruise. I decided I should wear it instead of the black dress I usually wear when we go out. Bill doesn’t like it when I wear black on Valentine’s Day. I will admit it was nice to wear something different, although that dress doesn’t show off my cleavage, which might be my most alluring feature. I threw a wrap over it– a pretty red silk/cashmere one that Bill bought me on a business trip to Vicenza. The same guy was probably selling them in Stuttgart. I have to admit Bill did pretty well with that purchase.
We headed to Tübingen, arriving on time for our reservation at Hotel La Casa. This was our third visit to the hotel’s restaurant. I keep thinking I’d like to book a weekend there, since it’s a charming boutique/spa hotel. Even though we only live about a half an hour from Tübingen, I know I’d find plenty to do. Tübingen is a great town and one that is close to our hearts, since we lived very close to there when Bill was in Germany with the Army (07-09). Before I was an annoying blahger, I was a bored housewife who had lots of fun times in Tübingen.
Things got off to a reasonably good start. We parked in a nearby garage and walked a couple of blocks to the hotel. A friendly receptionist welcomed us and took our coats. We were directed to a four top table in the lower level of the dining room. Our table was in front of a very comfortable couch like seat. I remarked to Bill that the chairs looked like they might be new (although I see from previous reviews that they aren’t). They were very luxurious and comfortable, even though I shared the “couch” with the lady sitting at the next table. There was a cylindrical pillow dividing her space and mine. The concept reminded me of an order divider one finds on conveyer belts at grocery stores. I kind of liked it, since I’m territorial.
Although the seating was very comfortable, the person who set the table kind of made things difficult for me. You see, the “couch” also had a barrier of sorts on the outside, which meant that in order to access the place set for me, I had to awkwardly scoot across the couch. Likewise, if I wanted to get up to use the ladies room, I had to scoot the other way. It wasn’t unlike trying to get out of a window seat on an airplane, although at least I didn’t have to climb over anyone to do it. Every time I slid across the couch, my dress and panty hose shifted and I just knew I’d end up with static shock.
Our table was also located right next to a very tasteful divider that blocked the way to the ladies room. Had that divider not been there, it would have been easy to get to the restroom. Although I was really tempted to just duck past it, I decided to be classy and walk past the small fountain in the middle of the dining room, up the stairs, past the pianist and bar, down more stairs, and then down another flight of stairs to the restroom. Fortunately, I didn’t wear heels last night, so it was no big deal.
Bill takes in the scene. I was momentarily amused by the unicorn horn like napkins on the table. I did refrain from putting one to my forehead, which is a good thing. A tuxedo clad gentleman sitting behind us kept shooting us looks. Or maybe he was just looking at the pianist.
A server brought us some bread and we ordered two glasses of champagne and some sparkling water.
We enjoyed the bubbly with the amuse, a heart shaped savory bread with a bacon wrapped date and a goat cheese spread that was hidden under the petals of the flower. The amuse wasn’t bad.
Service was rather leisurely. Well, for us it was, anyway. I’m sure the servers didn’t think it was leisurely at all, as four of them looked after everyone in the restaurant. I don’t think they had a full house, but the dining room was fairly busy. They probably could have used at least one more set of hands. I finished my champagne and kind of wished for a glass of white wine to go with the next couple of courses.
Meanwhile, the pianist was playing a curious selection of hits. He’d play a romantic song, then lapse into “Just a Gigolo” or a James Bond theme. I noticed the adorable elderly couple next to us were really enjoying the pianist’s musical stylings. They burst into applause when the pianist stopped for a break. I mostly enjoyed the pianist too, at least at first. More on that, later.
After the elderly couple applauded, they got up to leave and bid us a pleasant farewell. They were so cute. I hope if Bill and I make it to true elderly status, we’re still going out and enjoying dinners on the town like that couple was last night. It was lovely to see, and probably my favorite part of our evening.
Our server brought out the first course, two sea scallops on vegetables with a heart shaped “frame” of smoked salmon. The scallops were “speared” with lemongrass, in the style of an arrow. I enjoyed the scallops and the horseradish themed dressing that came with them. This wasn’t too bad. I did order a glass of white wine at this point, which the server promised he’d bring for me. I finished this course before the wine came… (and have actually only now noticed that the salmon was arranged in a heart shape.)
Then came course two, a tomato soup with “trout chips”, a soggy heart shaped piece of bread, caviar of some sort, and a basil leaf. It wasn’t bad, but really didn’t blow my mind… and I also finished it before my wine came. I had to remind the waiter to bring it. And then when he brought the wine, it also didn’t thrill me. It was a very buttery, locally produced grey burgundy that was slightly effervescent and kind of mediocre. It wasn’t bad, but I like my white wines crisper.
Before dinner started, we made sure to tell the waiter that I can’t eat mushrooms. He said he would make sure my main course didn’t have them, which led me to believe that if we hadn’t asked, I’d be presented with a plate full of fungus. I know it sounds silly, but mushrooms are the one food that make me want to run screaming from the room. They give me the creeps (long, ridiculous story that makes me look even crazier than I am). Anyway, more than once, I’ve been unpleasantly surprised by fungus on my plate. I didn’t want that to happen last night. We made very certain to confirm and our waiter assured us it was no problem.
The main course, beef filet with vegetables and a heart shaped puff pastry garnish.
Bill’s dish was the same as mine, which immediately made me nervous, since the waiter had originally indicated that mushrooms had been part of the dish. The beef was covered with a an unappetizing light brown sauce. It made me suspicious. I asked the waiter again about the ‘shrooms. He said there weren’t any. Bill tasted the beef and said he couldn’t taste the nasty little parasites. I tried the beef, too. I don’t think there were mushrooms in the sauce, but unfortunately I was so turned off by the thought of them that I couldn’t really enjoy the main course. I ate maybe a third of the beef and half of the vegetables. In retrospect, I should have asked the waiter to hold any sauces. I’ll remember that for next time.
On the positive side, the waiter did pour us a lovely Italian primitivo, that was very nice on its own. I wish I’d thought to take a picture of the bottle because that was a wine I would love to drink at home.
“The Winner Takes It All” is a beautiful song by ABBA with a melody that lends itself to piano. However, it seemed an odd choice for Valentine’s Day.
And the appropriately jazzy “Moon Over Bourbon Street”, is also a little creepy…
While we were finishing the main course, I noticed the pianist’s song choices were getting a bit strange. I can’t be sure, but I think I heard mashups of pieces that included “Moon Over Bourbon Street” by Sting and, curiously, “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA. I was especially perplexed by the ABBA song. I happen to love “The Winner Takes It All”; it’s a beautiful song with a lovely melody. However, although the song itself is moving, the lyrics are about divorce and the loss of love, so I wasn’t expecting to hear it on Valentine’s Day! Ditto the Sting song, which is romantic and interesting, but it’s basically about a lonely vampire who is tormented by his urges to destroy the things he loves.
Dinner ended with a dessert panoply, which we shared. There were two scoops of gelato– strawberry and mango, I think. Two frozen chocolate mousse bars, fresh berries, a rather dry, heart-shaped chocolate brownie, and what tasted like a strawberry mousse. The gelato was a little soft, like it had been sitting out a bit before it reached our table, but it could be they just had the gelato out of the freezer for easier scooping. I was glad the brownie wasn’t a lava cake. The whole thing was capped off by a heart shaped piece of white chocolate.
Around this time, I was starting to get a bit antsy and, if I’m honest, kind of annoyed about how dinner turned out. I also felt a little guilty, since not enjoying Valentine’s Day is truly a first world problem. For many years, I didn’t even have anyone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with. Now I have a sweet husband who is willing to indulge me. Yes, I know sometimes I’m an asshole. We all have our moments. Unfortunately, then Bill and I started talking about my hair, which is now natural and rapidly going grey. Bill saved the conversation by reassuring me that he loves my hair. The neurotic moment mercifully passed and we decided to call it a night.
Bill called for the check, which came to 179 euros. He paid our waiter, who reminded me to take the rose in the vase, which I did. After a quick visit to the restroom before our drive home, we stopped at the coat rack. Normally, a staff member gets your coat for you, but I guess they were busy. So Bill and I helped ourselves and, as I was struggling to put my coat on, our waiter came over to say goodbye without offering assistance. That was no big deal, I guess. Maybe you could say it sort of capped off my overall impressions of the evening– a big “meh”.
But at least the rose is pretty!
And my hair does look blonde in this photo, which was taken last night… so I’m going to resist the urge to break out the hair color.
I did notice a couple of patrons ordering from the regular menu. Or, at least it appeared that they did. I never think to ask about doing that, especially since having worked in restaurants, I know that kind of screws up things for the kitchen. Sometimes it’s hard to go from server mentality to guest mentality, even if you’ve been out of the business for a long time.
I’ll be the first to admit that my attitude sometimes sucks. I certainly wouldn’t say last night was a disaster. In fact, having once worked as a waitress in a nice restaurant, I should have realized that if you really want to have a good time at dinner, it’s best to avoid eating out on popular holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Those are the days restaurants have “special menus” that can lead to disappointment, since you don’t necessarily have a choice in what you’ll be eating. Those days are also when people tend to go out to eat, which means service can suffer.
Since this was our third time eating at Refugio and the first two times were good, I can truthfully say last night was probably an aberration. No one can bat a thousand every day. As always, it was a treat to be out with Bill, who is my favorite person. That, in and of itself, makes any Valentine’s Day a success. At least he was home and not deployed or TDY, right?
This weekend, we are going to the Czech Republic, staying in a town very close to Plzen, which is an excellent venue for beer lovers. I probably like beer even more than I do wine, so I’m expecting to have a good time. We visited Chodovar, a beer wellness land/beer spa/ brewery in the Czech Republic in February 2009 and, for many reasons, had an unforgettable experience. So I suspect we’ll make up for last night this weekend, if all goes according to plan. I don’t know if we’ll manage to hit the beer spa (or a wine spa, for that matter), but I’m sure we’ll find great things to do. And this time, I won’t forget to bring my camera, like I did last time.
Now that Bill and I have experienced three different European beer spas, I think it’s time to compare them. Although we’ll probably visit other beer spas while we’re living in Germany, the three we’ve done so far have been sufficiently different that it makes sense to write about them now.
I know a lot of people wonder what possible benefit one could get from soaking in beer or a beer/water mix. Having now done it three times, I can honestly say that after each soak, I have had soft, shiny hair and smooth skin. In fact, I have a sore on my back that was slow to heal and I have noticed that it seems to have finally scarred over after this weekend. Was it really the beer that did it or just a coincidence? I don’t know. The main reason I like to go to beer spas is because I am a hedonist and I love beer. And hell, it’s just a lot of fun!
The first beer spa we went to was Chodovar in Chodova Plana, Czech Republic. Our visit was over Presidents Day weekend 2009, which also happened to be Valentine’s weekend. We were very lucky to be able to book the beer baths there. If I recall correctly, we managed to snag the last available appointment. At that point, Chodovar had only been in the beer spa business for three years, though the brewery has been making suds for centuries.
Chodovar’s beer spa was the cheapest of the three we’ve attended and that’s probably still true today. However, I noticed some differences between the experience in Chodovar and the experiences we had at the Landhotel Moorhof and the Starkenberg Brewery. First off, the Chodovar experience is less private, though you’re supposed to bathe in the buff.
There are several pewter tubs in a room and sheets are drawn around them for privacy. That makes it practical for the proprietors, who can offer beer baths to several people at the same time. However, the mood is markedly different, since you hear people giggling and splashing in their tubs as they drink beer. It’s more of a fun experience than a relaxing spa experience. Also, after twenty minutes in the tub, the water cools down a bit and you’re ready to get out. Then you go rest in a quiet room, swaddled in a thick blanket as you drink another beer.
After we had beer baths, Bill and I had massages. I had a “complete” massage, which was about an hour’s worth of kneading and rubbing done by a young Czech man who spoke no English and actually watched me undress. Ultimately, he did a very good job and was professional, but it was a little weird and awkward. Bill had a partial massage on his back done by a woman who spoke a little German, but no English. Again, a good massage, but a little awkward.
When Bill and I did this in 2009, we each had our own tub, though they were located side by side. There is one double tub at Chodovar, but it was booked. In a way, I think maybe I might prefer having a separate tub. Younger, hornier folks might beg to differ. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera when we went to the Czech Republic for our spa trip, so I didn’t get any photos. Suffice to say that I’d happily visit Chodovar again, though I think I’d rank it third in my list of beer spa experiences thus far. I do see that they’ve expanded since our last visit, adding a pool and wellness area that looks very inviting. Maybe it’s time to book another trip! For a picture of the beer baths, click here.
Our second beer spa experience was at the Landhotel Moorhof near Franking, Austria. The Moorhof’s beer spa is very different than Chodovar’s. First off, the Moorhof’s beer spa doesn’t seem to be a focus of the hotel’s marketing. Yes, they advertise it and even offer beer cosmetics for sale, but it doesn’t seem to be the main reason people stay there. I was surprised by that, since the Moorhof is in a rural area that isn’t saturated with touristy activities.
The Moorhof beer spa experience is more private and seems more health focused than Chodovar’s. There is one room with three beer baths and one that has just one bath, making it perfect for couples. At the Moorhof, we wore bathing suits, although if we hadn’t wanted to wear them, we probably could have gone without them. I think I would have preferred not wearing the suit, since the hops mixture used in the spa gets all over it and it’s not so easy to rinse out. I liked that the spa tub was more like a hot tub than a regular bathtub. The jacuzzi action was noisier, but at Chodovar, you hear cheesy pop music and giggles from other people. At the Moorhof, you hear the motor of the spa and your sweet one’s loving words. Or maybe you hear dirty jokes, as it was in my case.
After the beer bath, we rested in a straw bed for a half hour. That was pretty nice, more comfortable than I expected it to be, and I preferred it to the communal experience at Chodovar, where several people were resting in the same room at the same time.
The beer spa was a little more expensive at the Moorhof and I wish we’d had our massages around the time of the beer bath rather than hours earlier. However, I will comment that the massage therapist was a little less awkward than the one at Chodovar. She spoke some English and was very competent. She also seemed a little more conscious of modesty.
Our third beer spa experience was at the Starkenberger brewery in Tarrenz, Austria. This experience was my favorite because it was pure hedonism. Basically, it consisted of Bill and me frolicking in a big vat that was once used for fermenting beer and is now a “pool”. There were no massages offered at this experience (at least not professional ones), but we were allowed to soak for up to five hours and drink all the beer we wanted. In fairness to the other beer spa experiences, I can pretty much say that this was not really a health promoting activity. However, it was a whole lot of fun!
Of the three beer spa experiences, Starkenberger’s was the most expensive. It was also the most memorable and unique. And, to be honest, for what you get over five hours in the beer bath, it may have even been the most cost effective, especially if there are four people (the maximum allowed) in your group. That being said, I do want to comment that the Starkenberger experience may be the most risky. There is a danger of drowning because you are pretty much left to yourself. Remember, you’re drinking as much beer as you want and hanging out in hot water deep enough to swim in. The beer is pretty potent and if you’re not careful, you could find yourself in real trouble. Practice the buddy system!
Bill and I were actually talking about this last night… how amazing it is that you can go to a beer bath in Europe and be trusted not to either damage the property or drown yourself. In the United States, you surely would have been asked to sign a waiver before jumping in the beer pool and/or there would have certainly been an employee there to supervise. In Europe, it seems like people are expected to be responsible for themselves and not do stupid things. Frankly, I find it a very refreshing attitude.
I don’t know when our next beer spa appointment will be, but I am always on the lookout for new spas to try. And I see that since our last tour in Germany, there have been quite a few more that have popped up. I am sure this won’t be the last time I write about bathing in beer or any other exotic substance. For now, Starkenberger wins the prize as my favorite of the beer spas we’ve been to.
Edited to add: We have now been to four beer spas, having visited the one at Hotel Diana in Seefeld (much like the one at the Moorhof). Starkenberger remains my favorite of all four experiences so far!
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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