Cheese, Chocolate and the Czech Republic

Every fall the schools get a break for a week and a half. This year Barbara, the girls and I went to the Fribourg region of Switzerland for a few days. We stayed in the very little town of Schwartzee where the hiking was plentiful. We spent one day hiking and another day in the town of Gruyere…yes, like the cheese. We toured the Cailler chocolate factory, with an amazing tasting room! Then we were off to the Gruyere cheese factory. We began with lunch…all cheese dishes and then did a “tour” where we learned how cheese was made, why Gruyere cheese is unique and then watched them put the cooked cheese curd into the molds…35kilos each! We also got to view the aging room with the machine that flips every mold of cheese regularly. After the cheese factory we went to the Gruyere Castle, the main attraction of Gruyere. It was unlike any of the castles I have seen. It was fully furnished and landscaped. There was information everywhere explaining each room and everything in it. It also had SPECTACULAR views of the mountains. The third day of the trip we went to Murten, an original walled medieval city. We did a scavenger hunt with Clara that lead us all over: on the walls, into the towers, to a cannon! It was a great town, very beautiful and full of interesting history. We then headed home with a stop at the butterfly pavilion near Bern.

After we returned to Basel, I flew to Prague with my friend Amelia. We stayed with HS friends Lizzy and Allison. The first day, with the plan to go to Cesky Krumlov, bus tickets were sold out so we went to Plzen. Turned out to be a great idea! It was icky weather so we spent the day at a beer museum learning all about the history of beer and how it was and is made. We then proceeded to lunch at the museum, getting a free beer. Then off we went to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, one of the oldest breweries in the world! We got to see how it is made and packaged, tried the raw materials and of course had beer tasting. It wasn’t just any beer either; it was the unpasturized, unfiltered beer. Very good but very filling! Once we were all beered out, we headed back to Prague where we spend the night dancing with Lizzy and Allison.

Cesky Krumlov was awe-inspiring. A small town in the mountains, it is home to the 3rd largest castle in CZ and is a World Heritage area. With sunny skies and the colors changing, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place. Huge gardens to walk through and beautiful architecture, it was a great place to wander. We enjoyed lunch near the river, a very delicious lunch of pizza and eidam cheese (as if I hadn’t eaten enough cheese before!) The town was small, we wandered for a while, enjoyed sun on our faces and headed back to Prague. Once again we had a fun night out with Lizzy, new bars and dance clubs, and the Czech specialty, Absinth!

Adventuring around Prague was the best way to rejuvenate ourselves after a late night out. A beautiful walk through the park lead us right from Lizzy’s to the Prague Castle, the largest castle in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately it was Sunday therefore very crowded, but we still enjoyed the beautiful courtyards, unbelievable buildings and immaculate gardens. From the castle we walked down to the Charles Bridge. Famous for it’s statues, there was preservation work on many of them, but it didn’t keep us, or the crowds, away. With artists and performers on each end, it was a very fun way across the Vltava River. From there we headed in to Old Town Square. Beautiful churches and buildings surround the square full of people. Tourists and locals photographing, picnicking, and meeting friends everywhere; quite a place! After walking so much, we headed back home for an early evening.

Kutna Hora was the last stop of the “Czech Tour” I found myself on. Unfortunately Amelia had to leave early to catch her plane, I was able to go to the Sedlec Kostnice, also known as the Bone Church. Bones of over 40,000 people were arranged in pyramids, coat-of-arms, and chandelier. They were found when the church was built on what was a mass burial ground from the plague. A bit grotesque but quite the sight. I also met very interesting people on the way there and back…one of the best parts of traveling! Now that I’m back, all I need is a bit of recovery time…I wear myself out! I can’t wait to travel over Christmas!