Last weekend was a long weekend in the Czech Republic and we decided to make the most of it and see some of the beautiful Czech countryside. We decided on Karlovy Vary as it is close to Prague (about 2 hours bus ride) and boasted some of the best mineral springs in the Czech Republic. Perhaps we should have heeded the warning from a few of my students who said Karlovy Vary is very...Russian, for want of a better description. Little did we realise that the majority of people who travel to Karlovy Vary are from an older generation and are generally either German or Russian. Our first impressions of the city, however, were very much positive. The city is situated in a valley, with beautiful 19th century buildings lining the river and creeping up the hills on either side of the valley. The view from out hotel was breath taking as it was situated on a rise overlooking the city and the Grand Hotel Pupp (featured in the movies Casino Royale and Last Holiday).
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| Main Promenade; note the steam coming from the river |
Steam rises from the mineral rich river which flows through the town. The water that supplies this river is 'geothermally heated groundwater', and it is the same water that emerges from the city's 12 mineral springs. This water is high in minerals such as Magnesium and it known for its healing and therapeutic effects. Many people travel to Karlovy Vary to sample this water and the plethora of other spa treatments available all claiming to heal every ailment from gout to irritable bowel syndrome. We tried the water and even brought a special sippy cup to sample it! We came to the conclusion that no matter what the benefits are of drinking the water, it is just not worth it. It tasted remarkably similar to having a blood nose and the treatment used to prepare oneself for a colonoscopy. Disgusting. We were more fond of the other Karlovy Vary tradition of wafer biscuits made with fillings such as chocolate, cinnamon and eggnog. We figured they were therapeutic enough for us.
Karlovy Vary uses it's mineral water for other purposes other than just drinking; such as mineral baths and spa treatments. We opted for the mineral bath, which in essence, is just a swimming pool. We will just have to believe them when they say there is actually mineral water in the pools, they just smelled like chlorine to us. We sampled two 'baths' while in the city, the first being the Thermal rooftop pool. The pool was about 30 degrees and the air temperature was sitting at about 12 degrees. Needless to say, it was nice in but not nice to get out. It was beautiful to be in the warm pool in the open air and I have heard that there is nothing quite like laying in the warm pool while it is snowing. We certainly got our fair share of European culture just from using the bath changing rooms. Nudity is not an issue in Europe and this is amazingly refreshing! Admittedly, it took me until the second visit to the baths to feel comfortable 'bearing all' but once we realised that no one cares about you and your naked little body, I didn't care either. I do, however, wish that I had purchased a larger quick dry towel before we left Australia. I opted for the small size (about the size of your average tea towel) and that sort of sized cloth just doesn't make the cut when walking around in your birthday suit.
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| The view from the Thermal Mineral Bath |
We made the obligatory visit to the Becherovka museum, as the herbal liquor is originally from Karlovy Vary. We are now in love with the stuff, and after being brainwashed that is good for you we now use it as our 'daily tonic'. The liquor was originally manufactured as a medicine by Jan Becher, a local Pharmacist from Karlovy Vary and was used as an aperitif or digestive, used to treat a wide range of different ailments. The tonic was soon combined with alcohol to make the famous liquor we drink today. With 20 different herbs and spices it tastes fantastic and is good for your health too :)
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| Karlovy Vary |
We decided to visit the Diana lookout on our last day in Karlovy Vary as we had read it was well worth the visit. "Well worth the visit" is an understatement; the lookout tower on the top of the hill provided panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside and the view at this time of the year was of orange, yellow and golden trees dotted with conifers and filled with a thick mist. Even though we had bought a ticket down on the funicular we decided to walk down the hill through the forest. This was easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I have never really appreciated the beauty of Autumn until now. It felt like magic with the kaleidoscope of colours in the trees, the soft bird calls, the quiet pitter patter of rain drops falling on leaves above our heads and the swirl of leaves falling slowly from the trees.
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| The Autumn Forest |
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| Walkway down to the city centre |
All in all it was a lovely weekend, even if Karlovy Vary doesn't offer up much for the younger traveller. I think this city holds its own charm, but we weren't there long enough to discover exactly what that is! We were happy to be home after the weekend and are already thinking of where to go for our next trip.
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