Excited, we boarded on a luxurious bus (compared to the other ones we've been on for day trips) to Karlovy Vary. Armed with our mp3 player and books, we anticipated the sight of the famous Karlovy Vary springs. 2 hours and a bit later,
we arrived at KV. It was cool there, but the sun was still out and about. Right away, you could tell the difference between Prague and KV. The city was built for tourism, for sure, King Charles IV and Emperor Josef I had planned this along since the 18th century.
We walked around, taking in all the beautiful architecture and the cleanliness of the city. Everywhere we went, there were numerous Russians. As it turns out, a lot of them fly directly from Russia or wherever to KV to soak in the spring waters of the spas. In fact, as we were on our way to find lunch, we bumped into this older couple from TO (Bathurst and Steeles) who have been coming to KV for 9 years now. They stay for 3 weeks at Parkhotel Richmond (http://www.richmond.cz/?lang=en&1155288867).
Finding a hotel was a bit of a challenge, especially when we were both in needing to use the bathroom. We later learned that the reason why most of the 3 star hotels are booked up is because the tour groups book them and they also have spa facilities. We finally found one, a 4 star, for a very affordable price. The hotel had recently expanded and added a new section so we stayed in the new section. The price came with a buffet breakfast and air-conditioning. We were in heaven, as the beds and linens there were far better than what we have been sleeping in at the apartment in Prague.
Of course, seeing all the people sip spring water from these porcelain cups with spouts, we also wanted to see for ourselves. So off we went to find ourselves a cup each.
Excitedly, we went in search of these fountains, which were strategically located all over the main area. Prior to drinking the water, we had read that the water had an unusually metallic taste and was saltier than regular water. With this in mind, we took our first sip from a fountain that was about 58 degrees Celsius.
Boy, did it hit us hard in the head! We didn't know what had just happened, but we got an instant headache.
I guess the surge of minerals that coursed through our system was a shock! Ignoring this, we tried a few more sips from other fountains, of varying temperatures. We even posed for photos, as if it really made us feel better. Some sources were so metallic that when you brought the cup to take a sip, the smell hit you so hard that it could just as well have been blood you were drinking! (Weird, I know.) About 15 minutes later, we were very exhausted, to the point where we felt sick. So we headed back to the hotel.
At the hotel, we crawl into covers and fall asleep with an hour nap. We woke to our bodies being firy hot, and still feeling exhausted. I felt worse than Michael did and he convinced me that it could just be my body that has reached its maximum with the trip - FATIGUE. Ok, fine, I accept it. In the meanwhile, the TV was on and news of Middle East crisis was showing. We change and head out for dinner.
Dinner was had at a hotel restaurant where they had 2 tourist menus, Menu 1 and Menu 2.
We each took a different one to see what it was like and as usual, we figured, for the price we were getting, it wasn't anything fancy. Reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, I learned of many things that happen in a kitchen, some of which I will not mention because it is not in my place to. Meat, in a quiet restaurant, usually sits under the heat lamp until it needs to be served. Fine, that is exactly how it appeared. The red and white cabbage which was suposedly stewed, were really sauerkrauts that had been recooked. And the dumplings, potato and Bohemian styles, were odd. Nevertheless, we left with our bellies full, for less than $25 altogether. After, we took a walk and went back to our hotel shortly to rest for the next day.
The next day, we woke up to rain while we ate breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel. We both felt well rested and ready for another day of adventures, exploring the city. Usual suspects like cold cuts, cheese, breads, yogurt, spreads, coffee, cereal, milk, and the likes were served. Seeing that checkout isn't till another 2 hours, we decided to stay in and relax, watching TV before we headed out again. This time, CNN showed news on the Heathrow Airport security situation. Being on vaction, you sometimes feel out of touch with the rest of the world. Occasionally, we would check the weather forecast in TO to see if we are having it worse here or not.
I felt Well, Michael was brave enough to try the spring waters again, I of course, learned my lesson and vowed not to touch it unless nothing happened to Michael when he drank it this time. As our luck would have it, the same headcahe feeling came over him, a heaviness, immediately after he drank the water. (Just imagining the smell and taste is enough to make me feel sick.) We rushed to eat a wafer, which calms him down and we down some Fanta....ashh. much better. This spring water thing isn't for us, we figured. We will stick to regular exercise, some yoga and eat healthy as much as possible, thank you vbery much, Karlovy Vary!
The funicular ride was a firs time for me and it took us up to the Diana Obseratory Tower as well as an enormous forest which we enjoyed by strolling around in. It felt great to be amongst all the trees. Inhaling the fresh air, listening to the sounds of nature - water dripping down from leaf to leaf, making it sound like rain.
It started with just goofy poses and we ended up doing some yoga poses that you could do matless.
The walk through the forest took us to places where there were large growths of fungi, some white and one, a bright yellow orange which resembled a coral. So beautiful.
The path we took led us back to town, exactly where we wanted to be - at St. Peter and Paul's church, an Russian Orthodox church.
The exterior was a beautiful blue, white and gold trim. The onion domes and spires really catch your eye and are so beautiful to stare at. The interior was less impressive, especially with the small size and th extremely loud visitors. One would think that you would have to observe silence while inside a church!
Our last visit was the Becherovka factory and museum. The group was aloud one, mostly Canadians. Starting with the history to the tour of the cellars, we ended up in the tasting room. We tasted 3 differect products, the original, bitter and Limet. All 3 were quite strong and very herbal. Becherovka is made with 20 different herbs and plants and takes 2 years to age usually. It has been used as a curative and aperitif, taken twice daily, once before the meal and once in the afternoon to calm the nerves. Slightly sloshed, we head out to find food - McDonalds. We got tired of eating Czech food and just wanted normal food. We headed back to Prague after that.
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