Two nights ago I posted a pretty heavy blog about my trip to Auschwitz. Today, I’m posting something completely different. It should be mentioned that all chronology has been thrown out the window at this point... so lets back the truck up about three weeks.
You may remember mention of the Czech Labor Day on May 1st. Well this year the holiday fell on a Monday, which means we teachers had yet another three day weekend. My great friend Joel and I decided to take a trip. Our destinations were Plzen and Telc.
Plzen is a town famous for really only one reason... beer. About a hundred and fifty years ago, a man named Josef Groll developed a brewing process that resulted in a rich-flavored, golden-colored lager. If you’ve ever tasted Pilsner Urquell, you know that the Groll perfected lager. The name “pilsner” actually comes from the name of the town where it was invented. Like champagne cannot technically be called champagne if its not from the Champagne region of France, pilsner is not pilsner if its not from Plzen. So Joel and I went.
The tour of the factory was fascinating. From the huge copper vessels where the water is first boiled to the miles upon miles of cold underground corridors filled with oak barrels, our time at the factory was more an experience than it was just a tour. Anyway, it was great.
Upon completion of the Pilsner experience, Joel and I ran to the bus station and headed for the town of Telc. Due to a series of missed connections accompanied by rainy bus stations, a trip that should have taken 3 ½ hours took 7 hours. We arrived at our penzion just before midnight.
Our penzion, like a bed and breakfast without the breakfast, was located just off the main square of Telc and offered warm beds for decent prices. The funny thing is, Joel and I were the only guests that weekend... we’re not totally convinced the owner even had room for any more people. It was the two of us and Eva, a middle aged Czech woman who spoke zero English. Between Joel and I, we were able to communicate with relative ease, but the situation was a constant source of chuckling for the weekend.
Anywho, the city of Telc (pronounced telch) is widely-reputed for having one of the most beautiful town squares in the Czech Republic. In fact, the square is one of only 12 UNESCO protected sites in this country. What the tour books and UNESCO experts failed to mention is that during the months of May and June 2006, the is under heavy construction. The beautiful facades of the houses that line the square were eclipsed by mountains of dirt and rocks. So, left with no other options, Joel and I decided to construct a castle using those resources so readily available to us. That was our second and last night there.
In Telc’s defense, it really is a beautiful place despite the unsightly construction. The outskirts of the town are full of amazing parks and carp ponds. For picture-takers like Joel and myself, it was well worth the time and money. After realizing that there wasn’t a ton to do in Telc, we took a short afternoon trip to the town of Jihlava, home to one of the largest town squares in Europe and also home to some 30 km of catacombs running under the city. All in all, twas a great weekend. Enjoy the pictures.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home