Blogs from Karlovy Vary, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic, Europe - page 2

Czech Republic Paint Day and Beyond 9/8 - 9/17 (CR start 9/1) The last blog left off after the Day of Silence and before the Day of Paint. So, one night while we were all hanging out, the boys told us how they had been planning on painting the kitchen for a long time. At the moment it was just a pale yellow color with fun drawings the boys had made here and there. But they wanted a full make over for it, and had been hoping we could do it when we arrived. This was wonderfully exciting for us! So, on Wednesday the 8th we decided to dedicate ourselves to painting. Luckily their friend Caleb’s mother in law owned a paint shop in the square, so we were able to get a deal on the ... read more

After Reading about Karlovy Vary being an alluring destination for the old, the rich, and the Russians, I had firmly decided to move our spa experiences to this charming and legendary place. Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary can indeed be called "legendary". It was born in the mid 14th century. Lore has it that a group of Charles IV (the king of Bohemia and Roman emperor) attendants was hunting when suddenly, a hunting dog started howling. As the group approached, they discovered a pool of a steaming water. That is how Karlovy Vary, or Charle's Spring, was found. Since then, Karlovy Vary grew into a famous European spa and its well known mineral springs were said to have an unbelievable healing effect and treated a variety of disorders (digestive disorders, diabetes, joint problems, etc). Later, the drinking ... read more

Saturday 8th December This morning we were at breakfast just after 7am so we could be at the train station before 9 for our 9.19 departure. It was a beautiful morning with cloudless blue skies. The train trip to Karlovy Vary took us through some stunning countryside and enchanting little towns, much of the track following a fast flowing river. It was hard to keep our eyes from the scenery even though both of us were glad of the time to enjoy our engrossing novels. Karlovy Vary is also known by its German name of Karlsbad and was founded in 1350 by the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The town is recapturing some of its former glory with its Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings being restored. It was seriously run down during the ... read more

Výlet na Loket... read more

...instead we got the best view of the Czech Republic yet. Jess and I went to Karlovy Vary this weekend, a spa town two hours West of Prague. The story of the town is that Charles IV was out hunting in this area when one of his hunting hounds saw a stag and began to chase after it. The dog bounded through a hot spring and got scalded and Charles IV decided that the spring contained healing waters and since then the town has been frequented by Royals, celebrities and general folk searching for "the cure" or "the source" as Jess and I refer to it. The whole town is set up so bizarrely. The majority of buildings run through a valley on either side of the Tepla River (Czech for Warm) which is really ... read more