Czech Out This Travel Blog!

In assessing the potential things to do last weekend, one that stood out amongst all others included a bazaar at a nearby military base near Vilseck, Germany. So, we loaded up the car with Red Bull, Euros and videos for the 5-year-old to watch and by 4:15 p.m., Friday, were on the road. The four-hour drive cuts through the center of Bavaria, passing through Munich and passing by Nürnberg. We arrived in time to get settled into our room and fall asleep.

The bazaar started on Saturday morning and took place in a building about the size of a high school gymnasium. Vendors from Italy, Austria, England, Turkey and Germany offers things like furniture, rugs, jewelry, food and much more. These sorts of events are great for Americans who have expendable income and a house to furnish while they are on assignment in Europe, military and civilian alike. Recently, my wife had been to Nove, Italy and Poland for pottery; and to a factory on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic for crystal.

In the end, however, nothing tickled our fancy. So, we needed an idea for what to do as we planned to stay until Sunday morning. Thus, the chain of random begins. I punched in “Scenics/Panoramas” into the GPS and the machine led us into the Czech Republic. The drive is very much like traveling through Western Massachusetts — green, with plenty of trees and rolling hills. We arrived at our first, random stop, the Hotel Monty. The view was great and the hotel Gothic, but obscured by fog. Still a great trip on a random button push.

And yet, still early in the day, so we punched the button again. This time, the GPS took us to a region called Karlovy Very, which many know better as Carlsbad. It’s famous for its supposed “healing powers” the hot springs there have. There’s also a hotel here used in the James Bond film “Casino Royale.” We wound through a number of towns. Eventually, we found ourselves on a road that wound through a dark forest. For foliage nuts, the shades of gold, red and brown were astounding, something out of a Disney film. The road and the GPS eventually took us to what was either a very large house or hotel under renovation.

With the 5-year-old now out cold, we got out, locked the doors and explored until we reached another terrace that looked out over the valley. Unfortunately, the fog squelched most of the best views. Curiously, there was a sort of small rectory our church we were walking around and inside were a pair of people praying. They didn’t seem to mind the fact we were there. We shot a few photos and it was time to head home.

That’s my favorite aspect of traveling — discovering the unknown. Seeing something for the first time. Experiencing something without the taint of television or other media. I’d never heard of Karlovy Very, but dozens had been there before me. I just didn’t know it. So, the experience was fresh and vibrant for me. There are portions of that countryside that are stunning and otherworldly. There are others that hearken back to its Eastern Bloc lineage. In any case, everything was a visual feast, especially since the language and culture immersion was completely alien.

On Sunday, we checked out and popped into the city center of Nürnberg for about an hour. We had no idea what we were looking for, but the city is littered with old stone walls, statues and churchs of note. Plenty of photography just in city center. We vowed to take a tour back when we get time. However, the real highlight of the journey home came when we spotted a sign for “historical Berching.” I popped it into the GPS. And within 15 minutes, we were inside a city that had settlements since 883. We walked on a wall that had been standing since 1350 and cruised the town that was setting up for its Christmas market. Berching was a historical gem, better than Rothenberg and if you have a chance to visit, do. Awesome.

In all, 650 kilometers driven and two countries visited. What did you do this weekend?

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