Today we got a combination of metro, suburban train and two other trains (change at the border) to Prague. From the main station, we got another metro and a tram to our hostel. We checked in at about 3pm. The hostel (Czech Inn, one of my all time favourite puns) is outstanding. It is basically a hotel. Worth a lot more than they charge. We dropped off our bags and headed for the old town, about 2km away. Our first stop was Saint Lumila Church, which was just up the hill. It is a beautiful gothic church, and has turned black with time, which gives it a spooky look. We kept walking, stopping at the National Museum for photos, then continuing down Wencelas Square. We turned off the square, and came to a brewpub, Novomestsky Pivovar, completely by chance. We stopped for beers and very late lunch, before continuing on to old town. Our next stop was Powder Gate, which I climbed, and got great views. Then we walked in to the old town square, but it was getting too late to see much. We had a quick look at Tyn Church, then found a pub a little bit out of the centre for beers and a light dinner.

September 15 – Day 63

Today we decided to look around the castle and surrounding streets. We got a tram across town, and headed in to the castle. The first thing we saw was St Vitus Cathedral, an impressive Gothic church. It is huge – you can see it all around Prague. Across from the church is the Old Royal Palace. We looked at the outside, but decided that we have seen enough palaces for now, and kept walking. Next we saw St George’s Basilica, which is a very different style to the other churches we have seen. We kept walking until we got to Golden Lane, which is full of tiny little shops, and looks like something out of a fairy tale (or Harry Potter, according to Simone). At the end of the lane is Daliborka Tower, which was once a prison, and so contains a variety of torture devices. The worst prisoners were lowered through a small hole in the floor to a level without windows. I assume more than one people where down there at once, and imagine it would have been pretty horrible. After stopping at a good lookout outside the gates, we went back to St Vitus Cathedral, this time going inside. It has amazing stained glass windows, and was very pretty. We had seen all that we wanted to see at the castle, so we walked down picturesque Nerodova, stopping for drinks on the way. This is part of the Lesser Town, an area in Prague that is the most untouched. We stopped for beers on the way down the hill, then continued to the Lesser Town Square. From the Square, we crossed the Charles Bridge, which dates back to 1357. I climbed the tower on the other side, which gives great views back towards the castle, and over Prague. We stopped at a pub for lunch, then explored old town a bit more. I spotted a tourist information place, so we went in to get timetables for trains to Plzen. While we were there, I found a Monastery/Brewery for beers and dinner, so we got on the tram, back to the castle side. The place we went to is called Klasterni Pivovar Strahov, it is well worth stopping in if you have a chance. My favourite beer was the descriptively named ‘Amber’, which was delicious. Simone also ordered the first beer of her life, a ‘Dark’, and drank most of it. I was very impressed. After sampling their range, we went back to the hostel for a few more drinks while listening to a band playing. We have an early start tomorrow so were back in the room by about 10.

September 16 – Day 64

Today was a beer day. We started with an 8 am train to Plzen, arriving at about 10:40. Once we arrived, we went straight to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, only to find that the first English tour wasn’t until 12:45. We walked into the middle of town, and found the Brewing Museum, which was interesting, but a bit monotonous. There was lots of old brewing equipment which was interesting, but a lot of the general information I had heard before. If you already know about beer, the museum is not really worth it. After the museum, we walked into the main square, where there is a beautiful gothic church, boasting the tallest tower in the Czech Republic. After climbing the tower, it was time to head back to the brewery for the tour. The tour starts with the packaging facility- a huge building run by about 30 people. Its main purpose is bottling – 60,000 half litre bottles of beer are bottled every hour. The packaging plant also has the area for cans of beer, as well as cases. It is impressive. From the packaging plant, we went to the brewhouse, where the copper kettles are. The smell was delicious. Everything is clean and shiny, and gave some ideas for the garage at home:) Next we went to the cellars, where the beer used to be stored at low temperature to clear. Now it is only for tours – but they still keep it at 7 degrees. In the cellars we saw barrels of open-fermenting beer, then got to taste some (straight from the barrel, unfiltered). It was delicious, much better than the bright version they sell as a finished product. Tasting the beer was the end of the tour, but we had some tokens for free beers, so we went to the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we got the train back to Prague, arriving at about 6pm. We went back to the hostel, and I found a dinner spot, Pivovasky Dum – another brewpub. They have an impressive range of unfiltered, unpasteurised Czech beers – lots of different ones. I had a few of them – the blueberry and coffee beers are both excellent, and the ‘pale’ is also great. Their goulash is delicious! After dinner, we got back on the tram to the hostel, from where I am writing this. Today was a huge beer day – I think I had 12 or 14. Simone was very patient, but reminded me that it is not long until the Sound of Music Tour, which I am ecstatic about. It is also not long until Oktoberfest :)

September 17 – Day 65

Today was a relaxed day. We explored the New Town for a little while, before crossing a bridge and catching the funicular up Petrin Hill. On top of the hill there are remains of the Hunger Wall, an old fortification of the area around the castle. We also climbed the Petrin Observation Tower, which is styled like the Eiffel Tower. It was a bit rainy, but we still had quite a good view over Prague. Next we headed in to the main square and found U Medvidku a brewpub I had read good things about. The food was good, the same style of Czech food found in most places. The beer was delicious – I had one of theirs first (Oldgott Barique), then tried a Bud Super Strong, which lives up to its name (I think it is over 7% ABV). I think we might have just shopped and looked around the city for the rest of the day.

September 18 – Day 66

We had an early start to a busy day today. First, I booked a beer tasting session for tonight, and we headed to the main train station to go to Karlstejn. The train took about 45 minutes. Karlstejn is famous for its castle, which is very beautiful. We walked through the town and up the hill, and could hear drums and horns. We hurried the rest of the way, thinking there may have been a changing of the guard. It turned out to be a medieval themed wedding taking place, which was great for a laugh :) We took a tour through part of the castle – the Imperial Apartments, and the smaller tower. I wouldn’t recommend it – it was expensive, and not really worth it. Walking around the grounds of the Castle was more interesting, and gave amazing views. After the castle, we headed back to Prague, and did some washing, before heading to the old town for my beer tasting session. Unsurprisingly, I had tasted most of them, but there were a few (Pivovasky Dum Banana beer, and a dark lager) that were new to me. I would have preferred to just buy beers and taste them, but we didn’t have a fridge. Next we had dinner in some markets, before heading back to U Medvidku for more research. The standout was Primator Double beer, a massive beer, at 10.5% alcohol, and with a starting gravity of 24 degrees (compared to 10 – 12 degrees for a normal Czech beer) – I need to figure out how this converts to our gravity scale. I imagine it is over 1.100 though, a big beer in most peoples book. I couldn’t believe it came in a 500ml bottle. It was delicious, of course, but you definitely get more than a hint of alcohol taste. We headed back to the hostel to pack, as we have an early train tomorrow.