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Op X-sas <opxsas>

	The Czech Republic	903 giorni fa
	Czechoslo-what-ia.... exactly!!! The Czechs denied the Slovaks all those years ago, and no one paid attention, but hey, it's now the Czech Republic!! Prague We used to think no other city comes close to the old town splendour of Edinburgh (with Edinburgh Castle towering above while M&S and Jenners thrive on Princes Street, it's a sight to behold) but Prague certainly comes close, or might just even supercede it. (Heathens!!!) Once in the city centre of Prague, you are confronted with a labyrinth of cobble-stone streets (yes yes, again you say - but they are all over Europe, and we never tire of them!) each lined with ancient buildings so ornately-carved you can spend ages scrutinizing the details (which we didn't. Why waste time we could spend in the beer garden drinking cheap Czech beer?). We embarked on a wee walking tour past a few cathedrals, a random hanging man bronze statue (which was, literally, hanging off a pole about 6 metres high and swaying precariously in the wind), Wenceslas Square, the famous Charles Bridge which offered a splendid view of the Old Town (chocker full of tourists and your usual touristy tat stalls, although from our photos, you'd think we're the only people in Prague, from the lack of other tourists in the pictures), and on to the Statni Opera House, where we caught Puccini's Madama Butterfly. What a magnificent interior! From the painted dome to the cherubs adorning each pillar...it was worth the 2 quid we paid for the tickets just to go in and see the theatre itself. While I was paying much attention to what was going on onstage and trying hard to recall the English-translated text of the opera which I studied in uni (for the opera was, of course, in Italian and the surtitles in Czech...not very helpful), Wean was snap-happy with the camera. Well, we both enjoyed our time in the theatre. The next day in Prague, we witnessed a massive thunderstorm in the comfort of a cosy cafe, sipping mulled wine. The wind was howling and the heavens emptied for a long time, and afterwards, the town was refreshed and it was lovely to walk across Charles Bridge again sans the humid weather. We ended up (surprise, surprise) in a microbrewery not far from the centre of town downing cheap beer, beer ice-cream and hearty Czech food (lotsa of potatoes and meat, hurrah!). Plzen A 90-minute bus ride from the centre of Prague and we arrive in a sleepy wee student town, Plzen, home of the Pilsner Urquell lager. (Read: even cheaper beer) Maybe because it was the weekend and all the students were away home, absolutely nothing was going on in town, and all the shops were closed. So left with nothing to do, we found ourselves a lovely beer garden and spent the rest of the day there, taking full advantage of the 50p Pilsner draught. As far as accommodation in Plzen was concerned, we lucked out, getting a cosy log cabin at a campsite not far from town, with a brilliant view of the lake from our window. A great place to lay our weary heads after one or ten pints. While in Plzen, we had to visit the Pilsner brewery. The tour was much like any other brewery tours, but the facility itself was pristine - gleaming advanced machinery all looking very far away from the days where the beer was matured in barrels. The beer tasting took place in a cold underground cellar with rows of barrels from whence they pour the beer, loads of ambience indeed! After a game of massive chess (where the pawns are Pilsner bottles) in the compound of the brewery, we found ourselves yet another beer garden to spend the rest of the day. Oh, what a hard life! All too soon, time to leave the Eastern block and head for central Europe, where we are going to have to spend even more on beers!
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