Tag Archives: Plzen

Eastern Europe

Cheap thrills in the Czech Republic! Part six

We woke to sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures on Sunday morning.  I was glad to see it.  After breakfast and a walk with the dogs, we started to plan our day.  We were about to leave for Plzen when Bill looked out the window and noticed a couple of guys doing yard work, blocking the gate to the yard.  I guess it’s not a problem to do yard work in the Czech Republic on Sundays.  They were done soon enough, so we headed back to Plzen, parking in the same garage we used on Saturday.  Bill discovered a handy footbridge from the garage to the other side of the street.  Like I said in an earlier posts, things are surprisingly civilized in the Czech Republic these days.

Cathedral of St. Bartholomew.

We wandered around the Main Square in Plzen and I noticed people were climbing the tower at St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral.  I am in piss poor physical shape these days, but somehow I can’t resist climbing a tower, even if I’m sore for days afterwards.  So that’s what Bill and I decided to do.  We walked up 301 steep, narrow steps to get to the highest point in Plzen and the highest church spire in the Czech Republic itself.

I paused to take pictures of the bells… and catch my breath.

It costs 50 Czech crowns to torture oneself in this manner.  You pay at a station about a third of the way up.  Once you get to the top, you are treated to views of the city, which can be exhilarating, depressing, or terrifying, depending on your point of view.

Yes… it’s a very steep climb!  There are pictures of the views from the top at the bottom of this post.

I found it harder and scarier to go down than to come up the stairs.  Yes, climbing the stairs up was harder work and got me more winded, but coming down was really scary.  You’re already tired from the climb up and the steps are really narrow and steep.  I found myself holding on to the bannisters for dear life as I slowly made my way down each step, praying I didn’t miss one and take a fall.

On the way down the tower, we ran into a couple of police officers.  I wondered why they were going up there– although they did look pretty fit.  Bill said maybe they were taking a “break”.  Or perhaps they were checking for snipers?  I don’t know.  If I had to walk up those steps every day, I have no doubt I’d be in shape in no time.  However, two days later, I’m still a bit sore and the climb itself was kind of hard on my knees.  I’m glad I did it once, but I’m not sure I want to do it again!

Just as an aside about Czech cops… I happened to catch a TV show that appeared to be inspired by our own Cops TV show in the United States.  Although I didn’t understand anything that was being said, it was interesting to watch how Czech police officers handle their arrestees.  I noticed the guys being arrested were cuffed, put in the back seat, and strapped in with a seatbelt.  The cops didn’t bother buckling up.  Somehow, I figure the seatbelt was used less for safety reasons and more for security.  Or maybe they don’t wear seatbelts because they need to be able to react quickly.  Who knows?  Personally, I hate the damn things, but if I don’t wear mine, Bill turns into Pat Boone.  Besides, cars today are like nannies and will beep at you incessantly if you don’t use them.

Inside the cathedral.

After the tower experience, we walked into the cathedral.  Supposedly, you have to pay to see it, but I never saw anyone collecting money for admission.  Anyway, there’s a gate at the front of the cathedral, so you can only peek in there.  I’m not sure it’s worth the 35 Czech crowns they supposedly collect for that.  I did manage to get a few photos.

Then we went searching for lunch.  I thought we might try Buddha, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant I noticed near the Brewery Museum.  It smelled delicious and they had an English menu.  I also knew Bill would get a thrill because he loves Indian food and I don’t.  Alas, they were closed on Sunday, despite their sign signifying otherwise.  Oh well.  If we go back to Plzen, we’ll have to try it.  It gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.  Even without the reviews, my nose told me it was a good place to eat.

It was okay that we missed Buddha, though, because I found another fabulous restaurant.  I had actually noticed it as we walked into town.  I am naturally attracted to alcoves when we travel.  I like to explore things that aren’t on the main drags.  This restaurant was actually on the main drag, but had its entrance in an alcove.  Called U Makicke Brany, the outside of the restaurant looks distinctly Eastern European.  The inside is very inviting, with cavernous ceilings and an upscale bar area.  I was especially attracted by the great music they were playing… lots of classic rock!  Good music, excellent beer, and delicious food is an invitation for me to pig out, which is exactly what I did.

Bill looks at the menu.

 

U Makicke Brany offers menus with German and English translations, which was a huge help.  I can often figure things out in local languages, but Czech is a mystery to me.  Our waitress and the bartender also spoke English and/or German, which was also helpful.  Actually, speaking some German is useful in the Czech Republic, because even if someone can’t speak English, chances are they will know some German.  I have noticed it on all of our visits.  Bill can speak basic conversational German and it does come in handy when we go to the Czech Republic.

I loved the bar!

And the beer…

But I especially loved the garlic soup!

 

As we were looking at the menu, I noticed the restaurant offered garlic soup, which is apparently a popular hangover cure in the Czech Republic.  I noticed the Brewery Museum restaurant also had it on the menu.  I was intrigued by the ingredients, which looked really good to me.  There was garlic, potatoes, barley, bacon, and croutons.  It sounded perfect for cold weather.  But I also knew I wanted dessert and I knew the main course would also fill me up.  Thankfully, Bill was happy to order it with two spoons.  Our waitress was adorable and beamed when I enthused about that soup.  I think she and the bartender had some chemistry going on.  I noticed they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company.

This garlic soup was delicious!  I need to find a recipe.  It wasn’t too garlicky, but had just enough of an essence.  The croutons tasted homemade and buttery, which really added to the comfort level of the soup.  It smelled amazing, too.  

Bill sensibly followed up with a chicken Caesar salad.  It also had bacon in it.  Bacon makes everything better, right?

I went with smoked duck breast and gravy.  I told you, I love duck… even though they are so cute and cuddly.  I wish my tastebuds hadn’t evolved before my ethics did.  The duck came with baked potato discs that absorbed the gravy in a most appealing way.  Or course, I was thinking to myself that green vegetables had been missing from my diet while we were in the Czech Republic.  I’ll have to make up for that this week.

For dessert, we shared cheesecake with blueberry sauce.  This was just the right size.  Not too big, heavy, or rich.

And I had one more dark beer for the road… a Master, which packed a good punch.  Between us, we had five beers, a bowl of soup, a salad, an entree, and dessert.  It set us back less than $40.  Cheap!

A few shots of the outside.  In the summer, they also have outdoor seating.

I noticed the street name as we waited to cross the street.

Views of Plzen on a sunny day.

Inside the tower as I recover from the climb.

We decided to go back to the dogs and watch more of the Olympics, since by the time we were finished with our sumptuous lunch, it was mid afternoon.  Once again, we were too full to go looking for dinner.  Instead, we had more croquettes.  Even as I was cursing myself for being so lazy on this trip, I realized that with better planning, we could really fill our days up in this part of the Czech Republic.  Not only is there Plzen, which in and of itself offers a lot to do, there’s also Karlovy Vary, which is a beautiful spa town, and of course, Chodova Plana, which offers Chodovar.  If we’d wanted to, we could have spent a week and not done the same thing twice.  Maybe that’s why we didn’t go out as much as we should have.  There were so many choices that we were overwhelmed with making decisions.

Bill and I mostly stay low key on our trips, anyway.  We kind of like to soak up the atmosphere, people watch, and do the odd activity, sandwiched with good food, beer, or wine.  We also love meeting new people on our trips.  We almost always have something interesting happen to us, if only because we’re less focused on seeing things and more attuned to simple experiences.

Sunday night, Bill discovered where he could find Chodovar beer in Plzen.  It was available at Billa, a grocery chain in the Czech Republic.  On Monday morning, as we were leaving Plzen, we drove to a really seedy looking part of the city, complete with communist era apartment buildings.  I remarked that it will take a long time before those vestiges of communism will go away.  Those buildings are ugly, but functional.  I used to live in a couple of them myself, when I lived in Armenia.

I enjoyed a Chodovar last night!

Bill scored seven bottles of Chodovar and a few bottles of the awesome flavored sparkling water from there.  I found myself planning another trip in my head.  Next time, maybe we’ll return to Chodovar, which offers a good centralized location for notable cities in the area.  Maybe we’ll spend a few more days, just wandering the beautiful countryside, touring breweries, and hitting the spas.  That’s the life for me!

Those buildings aren’t going away…

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Eastern Europe

Cheap thrills in the Czech Republic! Part five

There was one thing I remembered from our first visit to Plzen.  In 2009, I remember Bill driving down a main drag and seeing a large “Thank You, America” memorial.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my camera with me on that trip and, at that time, didn’t own a smartphone.  I was hoping we’d get to see the “Thank You, America” memorial on this trip, since it kind of makes me feel a little pride for my country.  It was built in 1995, fifty years after the United States Army, led by General George Patton, liberated Plzen from the Nazis.

Sadly, we missed the memorial, not because I didn’t have my camera, but because apparently it recently disintegrated.  I can’t help but be reminded that the memorial’s decline is not unlike the decline in the United States right now.  It seems almost symbolic.  But anyway, for those who would like to see a photo of Plzen’s “thanks” to America when it was still standing, follow the link.

I am heartened to report that the memorial is being repaired and will be reconstructed with French marble, which I guess is sturdier.  I guess the materials available in 1995 were of poor quality, which doesn’t surprise me, since in 1995, the United States was sending Peace Corps Volunteers to the Czech Republic.  That was a time when things weren’t as prosperous in the Czech Republic as they are now.  Anyway, the memorial will be back at some point, probably as good as new.  Hopefully, our country will likewise be repaired in the coming years.  Incidentally, there is also a museum and memorial for General Patton, for those who are interested.  In fact, I saw a lot of references to America in Plzen, including a street named for Franklin D. Roosevelt.

We came back to our little cottage with beer, wine, “crocketts”, breakfast pastries, and other odds and ends.  I had looked in vain for Chodovar beer in the Kaufland.  They didn’t have any of that.  They did have some interesting wines, though.  We picked up a couple of bottles from Bulgaria, as well as a couple of Czech wines.  We tried the Bulgarian merlot, but the others will have to be tested later.

Potato croquettes.  We discovered these on an earlier trip to the Czech Republic.

Because we were really full from lunch and it was cold outside, we decided to stay in and watch the Winter Olympics on the big TV.  We had “crocketts” for dinner.  What I call crocketts are actually potato croquettes.  They are all kinds of delicious.  We discovered them in June 2008, when Bill and I visited Passau, Germany for my 36th birthday.  Passau is not far from the Czech border, so on the big day itself, we drove into the Czech Republic and visited Ceske Budjovice and Cesky Krumlov.  We had lunch in Budjovice, which is where the “original” Budweiser is made.

I don’t remember exactly what we had for lunch on that visit.  I probably had duck because I love it.  But I do remember that whatever we had came with a side of potato croquettes.  Our waiter pronounced it “crocketts”, which we thought was funny.  I know you can get potato croquettes in Germany, but somehow they seem different in the Czech Republic.  I actually went hunting for them at Kaufland.  It wasn’t easy, but I finally found them in a sea of frozen pommes.  There were only a few bags.  I guess the Czech people love them, too.

We watched skiing, including multiple replays of Czech skier Ester Ledecka, an adorable snowboarder and Alpine skier who won gold in the Super-G competition.  She was so cute, because after she finished her run, she looked absolutely stunned to be in first place.  She had borrowed the skis on which she won her medal.

We also watched multiple interviews with Czech men’s figure skater, Michal Brezina, who is married to a retired American skater and trains in California.  I got a huge kick out of his hair.  I probably enjoyed that as much as I did his long program.  It was a treat to get to watch the Olympics, since we don’t get local TV.  I guess if we could watch them at home in Germany, we might have been more inclined to eat dinner on the town.

After a few hours of Olympic coverage, chowing down on croquettes, and drinking Bulgarian wine, we went to bed.  I was determined to do more on Sunday.

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Eastern Europe

Cheap thrills in the Czech Republic! Part four

I mentioned in previous posts about our Czech Republic trip that this is a country that loves its beer.  Czech citizens drink more beer per capita than any other country, including Germany, Ireland, and Belgium.  This is a country where beer costs less than bottled water and they’ve been making beer since 993 A.D.  So it’s not surprising that a lot of beer lovers come to the Czech Republic to taste their suds and visit breweries.

Bill and I had every intention of touring Pilsner Urquell’s brewery, which is based in Plzen.  On our last visit, back in 2009, we toured Plzen’s awesome Brewery Museum and really enjoyed it.  But as we approached Pilsner Urquell, I noticed how huge the place was.  Then I noticed all the tours were timed, because they are offered in different languages.  We could either take a 1:00pm tour or a 2:45pm tour.  We could tour Pilsner Urquell or Gambrinus… I actually found myself a little overwhelmed.  I need more than a weekend to do all of this stuff!

The big gate at Pilsner Urquell in Plzen.

Bill figures out the map at Pilsner Urquell.

 

It’s a big place!  Free parking is available there, but there’s also a large parking garage nearby that is super cheap.  Bill paid about 70 cents for several hours of parking on Saturday.  The parking garage also has clean WCs.  I was surprised by how civilized it was.

 

“Man, that’s good beer!”

My stomach started rumbling and we decided we’d rather have lunch first.  We walked out of the Pilsner Urquell complex, crossed the large, busy street, and headed toward the Brewery Museum, which has a restaurant.  We ate in the restaurant the first time we visited Plzen, so we knew we’d find English menus there.  It was very busy; consequently, lunch was a leisurely, but delicious affair.  I really love Czech cuisine, which is somewhat like German cuisine, but with more or different seasonings.

The Brewery Museum’s restaurant has very good food.  We were spoiled for choice.

 

I eventually settled on duck leg confit with onion gravy and bread dumplings…

 

Bill had pork with mashed potatoes and gravy.  That pork was delicious!  Very tender and flavorful.

 

Although it’s a good idea for me to eat before I try to sightsee, I also have a tendency to take too long at lunchtime, especially when there’s beer being offered.  We each had a Pilsner Urquell, but then we tried a lovely dark Sladko, pictured below.  It was rich, malty, and kind of like a beery milkshake.

Oh, this was sooo good!

By the time we were finished with lunch, the urge to tour a museum or a brewery had left us.  However, I do want to get back to Plzen if only so we can take the Historical Plzen Underground Tour, which is offered by the Brewery Museum.  I wish we’d done this on Saturday, because it’s only 50 minutes and offers a look at about one kilometer of Plzen’s 14 kilometers of underground tunnels.  Actually, looking around Plzen, I could see that any visitor who likes beer will be kept busy for several days.  Trying to make a choice of what to see seemed overwhelming, although having seen the Brewery Museum during our first visit, I would definitely recommend that to any visitor.  It’s very well-done and translations are offered in 15 languages.  Pilsner Urquell also offers a virtual tour online, for those who’d rather not tour the facility and say they did.

An example of Czech advertising.

I actually took this photo to remind me that there are things for young people to do, too.  Plzen has a zoo and other activities for kids.

One of the prettier views in Plzen.

St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral.  It dates from the 13th century and opened in 1529.

Around the square.

Off in the distance, a brand new bride and groom were having a photo shoot.  I felt sorry for the bride, because it was really cold outside and she only wore a wrap around her shoulders to cover her dress.  Kudos to her for not freezing!

For the kids to play on…

The guys in this photo were all dressed in medieval garb.  Bill said they were probably going to spar with each other.

By about 3:00pm, we decided to go to Kaufland to pick up a French press for coffee and maybe a few odds and ends for dinner.  The Kaufland reminded me very much of a Real on Saturday.  It was packed with people.  Still, we managed to find what we needed, including a bag of “crocketts”.  I’ll explain that in the next post.

I got a kick out of this wienie eating dude.  We bought some of his franks.

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Eastern Europe

Cheap thrills in the Czech Republic! Part two

After we decided we wanted to go to the Czech Republic, Bill and I had to determine where in the country we wanted to go.  I was actually kind of wanting to visit Brno, which is a city we hadn’t seen before.  It got some great write ups that made it sound like an appealing place to see.  Unfortunately, we were constrained by the brevity of Bill’s time off and the fact that we’d need to bring our dogs, Zane and Arran, with us.  I did consider another visit to Chodovar, but again, thought of the dogs.  Although Chodovar allows dogs to stay in its hotel, Zane and Arran do better in lower density populations.  They aren’t exactly quiet.

I went to Booking.com, to look for appropriate accommodations near Chodova Plana and found a couple of possibilities.  The place that won our business was Vila Verunka, a little freestanding house in Senec, a suburb of Plzen.  I was won over by the fact that it offered free parking, free WiFi, and didn’t charge extra for the dogs.  It’s not that I mind paying pet fees; it’s just that I’ve found that people who don’t charge extra fees for pets tend to be less nervous about them staying.  They’re usually dog lovers who won’t freak out over normal things that dogs do.  That appeared to be the case at Vila Verunka, too.  The owners were very welcoming to our dogs, which I always love to see.

A lot of people like Air BnB.  I haven’t tried it yet, mainly because their Web site makes it hard for me to find exactly what I’m looking for.  I tend to be specific about what I want in a rental.  Although Booking.com doesn’t seem to have as many properties as Air BnB does, its search process is easy to use.  And, if I end up really hitting it off, sometimes the owners will just tell me to text them personally.  Such is the case in Ribeauville.  We’ve stayed at one guy’s apartment three times in the past year and he’s given us his number and told us to text him next time we want to rent from him.  I’m sure it’s because he makes more money that way, but if I’m honest, I kind of like having our French friend Yannick on speed dial.  😉

I could tell Senec would be a suburban location.  The price was definitely right, though.  For three nights in a two bedroom house, we paid the Czech crown equivalent of 288 euros.  Although we paid in the local currency, it turned out we could have paid in euros or even by credit card.  We didn’t have quite enough Czech crowns when we arrived because Bill stopped at the border and changed money at an exchange– something he shouldn’t have done, because they’re very expensive.  The owners were cool, though, and came the next morning for the money, after Bill had a chance to hit the bank.  Apparently, that house is popular with business people.  The owners asked us if we were there on business or filming something.  They seemed surprised that we’d go to Plzen for fun, although if you’re a beer lover, it’s a must see place.

Below are some pictures of the accommodations.  Everything was very clean and appeared to be new.

The living room.  There’s a gas fireplace, which we didn’t use.  I liked how carefree the couch was.  Very durable material that didn’t embed dog hair.  I will probably be in the market for a new couch when we move out of Germany.  I’m going to look for one upholstered with that material.

The bigger bedroom.  The mattress was a little hard, but the bed was nice and big.  There were flatscreen TVs in both bedrooms.  There’s also a single daybed in this room that could accommodate another person.

This property doesn’t have a shower.  Instead, there’s a bathtub with a handheld sprayer.  Also, the toilet is in a separate room.  The sink is in the washroom with the tub and the washing machine.

Nice kitchen, although the microwave was in a cabinet over the fridge.  Bill had to get it down when we wanted to use it, which was kind of a pain.  We’re both short.  It would have been nice if the microwave were on a cart or a table instead of a high cabinet.  There is a coffee pod machine, so Bill went out and got a cheap French press because we don’t like coffee pods.  Otherwise, the kitchen was well appointed, although lacking coasters.  The water in this house is not potable, though.  I think it may be because the house has a cistern, which means it uses rainwater.  Our first German house had a cistern that we could turn on and off.  

The toilet.  There was a curtained off “closet” with cleaning supplies.  No sink in the WC.

The other bedroom.  Somewhat smaller.

Another view of the living room.  There’s another daybed for another person to sleep on.  Nice flatscreen TV, though there were no English channels.  We watched the Winter Olympics in Czech, which was more interesting than it sounds!  WiFi in this house worked great!  No issues whatsoever.

Washing machine.

The outside of the house.  The picture doesn’t show how big the yard is.  It’s fenced in and has a picnic area and grill.  There’s also a swing set and the owners will rent you an inflatable pool for your kids.  There’s also a very small pond, which was frozen over when we visited.

Another shot of the house.  It backs up to a wooded area where there are trails suitable for walking your dogs.  Otherwise, you can turn them loose in the large, fenced yard.

This house is in what appears to be a developing subdivision.  There are several homes being built now.  In the neighborhood, there are a couple of small markets and a restaurant or two.  We didn’t explore much of Senec, although we did make a very cool find on Saturday morning.  More on that in the next post.  Here’s a hint, though… if you like old aircraft from the Cold War era, you might want to take a peek!

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Eastern Europe

Cheap thrills in the Czech Republic! Part one

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!

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anecdotes

Great booze tourism spots…

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…

Weee!

Waiting for a Bombay Sapphire gin cocktail.

Chodovar– Chodova Plana, Czech Republic

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.

Pilsner Urquell Museum– Plzen, Czech Republic

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.

Asheville, North Carolina

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.

Dinner at a brewpub…

The Biltmore on a cloudy day!

Beautiful Asheville!

Texas Wine Country!

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.

Museum of Creveja– Lisbon, Portugal

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 drinks with a fake monk.

Scotland

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…

 
JailHouse Brewing Company, Hampton, GA  (now closed)

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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