Unusual fountains in the main Namesti Cathedral of St Bartholomew – tallest spire in Czechia What an interesting MadonnaWe climbed up the spire past the bell towerA view of the city from the top of the spireOutside the cathedral is a railing with little angel faces – the one on the right has been touched so often that its face has totally disappeared. We watched a steady stream of people walk up, grasp the angel and bow their heads in prayer.Faces at the playground …and at the bakeryThe Great Synagogue, with its Russian orthodox domes, is the third largest in the world Majestic interior The hallways are filled with stories of those lost in the Holocaust – the Jewish population of the city went from over 2000 to less than 200 todayFootsteps leaving the synagogue The Puppet MuseumJim was very good at the marionettesHere are heavy wooden puppets of shepards, Joseph, Mary and the Magi – puppeteers put one arm through and carried the puppets on their shouldersI liked them allOutside on the squareMore facesWe had a wonderful time in Plzen – now we’re off to Karlovy Vary!
Sep 19 – Another travel day, as we returned to Prague by bus and then went on to Plzen by train. After the fairytale experience of Česky Krumlov, Plzen looks like a big, noisy, gritty city. Why are we here? Beer!
You might not recognize it without the vowels, so I will tell you that this city is better known by its German name, Pilsen. It is the home of Pilsner , the light lager on which many other beers from all over the world are patterned.
Worker statues greet us at the train station More workers in the murals above the doorsThis rail inspection car, proudly built in Czechoslovakia in 1947 is also on display The triumphal arch at the Pilsner brewing plant. We’re here for the tour!Mostly guys in our tour group – do you think there’ll be free beer?The water tower provides the famous soft water used at the brewery Pilsner was first made in 1842 when all the beer brewers in town got together and hired a member of the Groelsch family to help them make a superior productThe Emperor Franz Joseph drank his Pilsener out of this crystal gobletAre those Clydesdales?How do you make beer?Only three ingredients Barley doesn’t have much of an aroma…but hops does!The beer is still brewed in copper containers …and aged in oak barrels The brewery produces almost 3 million pints per day. Urquell means Original, to distinguish this from all the other pilsnersThere are three ways to order a beer here: one third foam, two thirds foam, or all foam! I don’t know why, but they do!Ah! Fresh, unpasteurized, unfiltered Pilsner – delicious!For our main meal today, Jim ordered the ultimate Czech dish: Pigs Knee, also called pork knuckle. It is soaked overnight in beer, absolutely huge, and twice the price of everything else on the menu. Between the two of us, we finished every bite, and may never eat again!
