Red Corner: The Beer Trails of Bohemia and Moravia

by Neil Woodburn on

Czech beer is some of the best in the world–or so claim the experts.

One such self-described authority on the subject is New York Times writer Evan Rail who recently traveled to the Czech Republic to imbibe his way through a tour of the country’s finest beers. And what a beer-loving country it is! The small nation, according to Rail, is blessed with 100 breweries producing 450 types of beer. If this seems excessive, consider for a moment that the Czechs consume more beer per capita than any other nation–a whopping “320 pints annually for every man, woman and child.”

As you might imagine, a trip to the Czech Republic is something of a pilgramige for beer aficionados.

Rail’s journey takes him to Ceske Budejovice where the original (and far superior) Budweiser was first brewed. Although the Czechs are currently locked in a legal battle with their American imitator and can only release their product in the States under the Budvar name, the real stuff can be had for less than a dollar back in the homeland.

Rail also visits Plzen, the home of the Czech Republic’s most famous beer. Pilsner Urquell has been brewed since 1842 and is credited as being the world’s very first Pilsner. Its taste is impressive, award-wining, and expertly captured by the words of Rail who writes that its “unique bittersweet taste” is “a combination of the town’s soft water and regional ingredients like Moravian malt, Zatec hops and proprietary strain of yeast.”

If this is making your mouth water, check out the rest of the fine article as Rain discovers microbreweries, brewery hotels, and a variety of tasty beverages strewn across the Czech landscape.

Red Corner: Karlovy Vary AKA Karlsbad

by Neil Woodburn on

Recently we posted about the Karlovy Vary Film Festival which just wrapped up in the Czech Republic last week (American director Laurie Collyer won the Crystal Globe award for best picture).

The LA Times, however, was a little tardy in their reporting. They finally ran an article about the city on the front page of Sunday’s Travel Section, a day after the festival ended. Despite being home to Hollywood, however, the LA Times article did not focus on the film festival at all, but rather the magical curative mineral waters that have made this town a legendary spa retreat for hundreds of years.

When I first visited Karlovy Vary (also known as Karlsbad) 15 years ago, the sight of elderly patients in bathrobes wandering slowly about the city cradling cups of warm mineral water was a little unnerving at first.

But, that’s what they do in Karlovy Vary. People come from hundreds of miles to drink the mineral water in hope of curing a plethora of ailments. There are traditional spa treatments as well, but it is the legendary water bubbling up from 12 separate springs that make this picturesque town so unique.

48 Hours in Prague

by Erik Olsen on

I’m not much for these 48 Hours, or 36 hours or 24 hours pieces on various places. It just seems like that’s too short a time to know any city, especially one as interesting as Prague. But alas, it is very often the case that that is ALL the time you have to spend, so I suppose they do a good service. This piece in the Independent is better than most. It offers a fairly extensive list of places to eat, drink and shop, and best of all places to walk. Now, I know Neil has spent a fair amount of time in Prague, so he may have a different take, but I’ve been there twice and each time had a completely different experience. Whether I could sum it all up in two days, well, that’s a different story. But take a look.

Red Corner: Prague the Movie Star

by Neil Woodburn on

Quite a bit can be said about a city based upon the movies that have been filmed there. Usually a theme arises that pigeonholes the city as the perfect location for a western, action film, period piece, or some other type of genre.

So what common theme ties together Amadeus, Mission: Impossible, Van Helsing, and Shanghai Knights? These four wildly different films have only one thing in common: Prague.

The Czech capital has stood in for dozens of film locations over the last 20 years. Some represent Prague as Prague while others tend to use it as a double for other locations such as Paris (Les Misérables) and Vienna (Amadeus).

Check out the nice article in BMI’s in-flight magazine detailing the various movies filmed in this wonderful location. They’ve included a couple of screen shots as well, to help you get a better feeling for Prague’s schizophrenic film personality.

Red Corner: Czech UNESCO

by Neil Woodburn on

We posted yesterday about the phenomenal UNESCO World Heritage Sites peppered throughout the world and directed you to a webpage which listed all the countries in which they are located.

Today we’d like to point you towards one country in particular which is disproportionately blessed with a wealth of World Heritage Sites. Tiny little Czech Republic, population 10.2 million, has an amazing 12 sites that have been honored by UNESCO.

Sadly, most people who travel to the Czech Republic do so for only one site, Prague, and fail to see any of the other 11. This is a great tragedy as the country has so much more to offer.

A great little article in the Prague Post recently reviewed the list and briefly summarizes the honorees. Take, for example, lovely little Kutná Hora. Stepping into this walled, medieval town awash in Gothic architecture is indeed like stepping back in time. Other UNESCO towns and buildings in the Czech Republic showcase phenomenal Baroque and Renaissance architecture and even something called South Bohemian Folk Baroque.

So, next time you’re in Prague, take a day trip away from the tourists and visit a few of the other World Heritage Sites that bless this fine country. You’ll be happy you did.