Plzeň
When in Plzeň do as the Plzeňers (...?) do. Straight to Na Parkánu for lunch and, well, you guessed it, some Pilsener. Unfiltered Pilsener Urquell no less. And a massive meat board too of course. The Bohemian/Bavarian sort of hybrid influences were immediately evident on the menu here given that Plzeň is only 60 kilometres from the German border.
I began my love affair with garlic soup at Na Parkánu.
Our day in Plzeň was cut short because of the shitty colds that are travelling around with us.
České Krumlov
The next day it was off to České Krumlov to which a single carriage train slowly snaked us the final 20 kilometres of the journey.
That night we headed to U Dwau Maryi for a 13th century inspired meal. After garlic soup and cabbage soup Nix went for kuba, mounds of puffed barley with mushrooms and garlic, and me, the Old Bohemian rabbit feast that came with smoked meat, potato cakes, millet, dumplings and potato. Both v good.
The next morning we headed off on a walk up to the castle (which is still protected by bears in its surrounding moat) and around the city's perimeter in actual sunshine. Such a rare and unexpected treat in mid December.
To celebrate said sunshine and our 100th day on the road, we picked up some beers and lunch from a deli and headed to the park. And I had some fun taking timed pictures, despite the strange looks from locals.
The speck wrapped in a greasy potato pancake was, needless to say, speck-tacular! Ho ho ho.
That night we treated ourselves to semi-romantic cocktails followed by a fairly average meal. The castle at night looks particularly good, made up for the average meal and added to the romanticism.
Český Budějovice
Next stop was Český Budějovice for one main reason.
We went for a little warm up coffee and then some lunch at Masné Krámy that was average at best. After that we made our way out to the Budweiser Budvar brewery for its daily tour. That's the original Budweiser not the poor American rip-off that illegitimately goes by the same name.
Highlights of the tour were:
- seeing the (not so large) brewing room where the entire world's supply of Budvar is produced. This beer is not contract brewed anywhere else which is refreshing;
- the astounding effectiveness and efficiency of the bottling and crating machine; and
- drinking unfiltered Budvar straight from the vat. Beer does not get much fresher than that!
The other highlight of Český Budějovice? Getting all four of these pastries for 50 Kč. That's just 2.5 Aussie doll hairs!
Brno
An afternoon is hardly enough time to form a definitive on a city however our initial impressions of Brno were that it doesn't have a great deal to offer that other places cannot.
In saying that, Brno has installed this little beauty. No, that's not an attempt to better Rotterdam's giant black butt plug, apparently it's a clock. The world's most difficult clock to read pretty much. You'd be better off with a sundial in the shade.
We drifted through a couple of bars hoping to get our final fix of Czech garlic soup and beer snacks however all were inferior versions of what we'd had over the previous week and a bit. That bummed us out a bit.
What also bummed us out was that fact that for the best part of three and a half months we've travelled through countries whose national beverage is beer, where a lot of the time beer was genuinely cheaper than water. However we're now on a bus to Vienna and that's all over. For years we dreamt about those few beer filled months and now they're history.
Onwards and upwards I suppose. That's what you're supposed to say in this situation right?
The Beers
Pilsener Urquell Nefiltrovaný
Eggenberg Tmavy Lezák 11°, Christmas
Budweiser Budvar Kroužkovaný Ležák, Budweiser Budvar Tmavý Ležák
Dalešice Dalšické
Ostravice Beskydysky Ležák Medový 12°
Minipivovar Pegas Tmavě
