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Published: July 16th 2004
The Pilsner Urquell Brewery Trademark
These gates mark the beginning of the brewery which has been around since the 19th century.Since, I traveled to Prague ... I couldn't leave the area without visiting the popular Pilsner Urquell brewery. Located in the town of Plzen, the brewery which is hundreds of years old is quite a beautiful sight to see. The buildings look impeccable and the signature gate is impressive as ever. My friends and I traveled about 1.5 hours to this town to take in this modern brewing marvel. We were not disappointed except for the rather kitschy movie they showed before we actually began our tour of the brewery. It basically was a commercial for the refreshing golden liquid that hasn't been able to be reproduced by any other brewery. We couldn't help but snicker a little.
After the movie, we wandered to the brewhouse where we were educated on the process of brewing this wonderful, amazing brew. Actually, I'm being slightly facetious, but it's really fascinating. However, the most intriguing part of the tour were the cellars. As we descended, you could feel a damp chill come over you. The floor was wet from condensation, and we had to watch our balance a little. Our guide took us to where they keep the remaining oak barrels where they stored
A Barrel O' Fun
Brewers stored beer in these barrels in the dank cellars beneath the brewery. there are only around 100 left ... there used to be thousands. the beer for periods of time (to achieve the unique flavor). There are only about 100 remaining in the cellars to show tourists, but there used to be thousands in use before the dying off of the brewmaster trade. They only have 8 remaining. We were served an unfiltered glass of brew from a brewmaster as we walked through the enormous large barrel storage area. Those barrels are enormous!
Overall, the trip was fun and interesting. After the tour, we climbed the church tower in the square, which offered an incredible view of the town. Then, back on the warm, smelly bus for our return trip to Prague. I was surprised when they filled every seat and let about 20 people stand in the aisles of the bus, which of course was not air-conditioned. Oh well, it was a great day trip!
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George
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Budapest is indeed a beutiful city.
I always wanted to see eastern Europe, and so last year I went to Budapest. I expected a run-down ex-communist city. How mistaken I was. This is the most beautiful city I have ever been to. Magnificent buildings, friendly people, great resutuarants, safe.... At this point you may think I work for the Budapest Tourist Office - Don't worry, I don't. I met other foreign people, who like me, vaguely knew where Budapest was, but on seeing this beautiful city fell in love with it. A tip - if you are considering travelling to budapest, stay in a apartment, rather than a hotel. On my first visit I stayed in a hotel - the hotel was very cosz, but very small. Similar in size to a parisian hotel. On my second visit, I decided to try an apartment, to get a more genuine feel for the place. Opting for the apartment was an inspired decision and I only stay in apartments now - well actually I only stay in "an" apartment now. There are lots of agencies renting apartments in Budapest, so it is as easy to book an apartment as a hotel. I used a company called www.budapestplace.com, and was very happy with the apartment I stayed in - so much so, I always try to get that same apartment whenever I go back to budapest. I not a person that sticks to the same routine, but by always going back to the exact same apartment makes it feel like I'm arriving home when I get there - if you get my drift. Last year, I did some cycling around this beautiful country. If you plan on cycling, unless your are a serious cyclist, leave you bike at home and rent a bike in budapest. I found bike rental agency that also do rental tours. I can't remember cycling website, but the name is something like "Zebra Bikes/Cycles" - you will find contact details in the tourist office. Also if you do go to the tourist office you get loads of free maps of the city and country. I got cycling and walking maps for free.