Sep 25 – So the way this spa town works is that you purchase a special sipping cup to partake of the mineral waters coming from the 15 hot springs, while walking slowly in a contemplative manner. Do not drink too much, and do not think negative thoughts.
The hills around the city are marked with nature trails for contemplative hiking, and the hotel will rent you trekking poles for this purpose (we brought our own, of course). What we saw was loads of people sipping and shopping in the city center, and very few people on the trails – more trails for us!
Lots of upscale shops in the city centerShops and stands all over town sell the special ceramic cups with long sipping spouts to cool the hot spring waters so you don’t burn your mouthHere is ours, which conveniently lists the 15 springs and their temperatures Spring #1 shoots up in the air…the others sort of dribble outSome springs are steaming hot, and others just lukewarm. They all taste sort of metallic and unpleasant, but we dutifully sipped a little from each.With our newfound health and strength, Jim had planned that we ride the funicular up into the hills to the Diana Tower, then walk gently down.Of course, the funicular was being repaired, so we decided to walk up instead. Just as well – got to work off those calories from the sumptuous breakfast! First we climbed many flights of steps……then onto a shady pathThere’s Karlovy Vary below…and the funicular tracks that we didn’t get to rideThe view from the tower was worth the climbWhat a gorgeous day!On the walk down, we spied some mushrooms that looked like dinner rolls…and others hard as stoneThere’s that funicular track again – maybe some day we’ll get to ride!
