Halo7′s Poker Blog on Bluffworld.com

Well, as sad as we were to leave Prague, we wanted to make sure we spent some time in Berlin and we were running out of days. During our three days in Prague, we had seen something in one of the tourist maps that seemed quite interesting. A whole town called Karlovy Vary (aka Karlsbad) that was built upon natural mineral springs about 2 hours outside of Prague. These mineral springs were said to possess natural properties that help with distemper and will cure many maladies. Well, after trying to drive in Old Town Prague, distemper was a problem that we both had! It was a long winding drive, but one that was well worth the drive. Imagine a beautiful town with a river running right through the middle with hot springs and spas dotted all around.


This town is one of those hidden gems in Europe and was actually used in the movie Casino Royale.

We were a bit confused though after we parked and walked around town a bit when we saw everyone drinking out of these strange looking cups, that looked a bit like this.

I figured they were just fancy coffee cups until I noticed people filling them at fountains that were all over the place. We realized that these steaming fountains were actually putting out water right from the hot springs that everyone was drinking! Well, obviously we had to buy one of these pimp cups and give it a try.

Ahhhhhhh!

The water was nice and hot and while I wouldn’t say it was tasty (it had a strong sulfur taste to it), it was interesting. Our distemper wasn’t completely gone after our drink so we decided to hit one of the posh spas / bath houses in town that are fueled from the hot springs. For 110 Euros for both of us, we received a 4 hour spa package that included 3 spa treatments as well as unlimited access to their special pool filled with the spring water. Unlike other spots in Europe lately, your dollar gets a bit better value in the Czech Republic.

Our spa experience didn’t end until almost 6 PM and we headed back on the road towards Berlin rested and fresh. We plugged Berlin into the GPS and noticed that it looked like we needed to go through some mountains along the Czech / German border. When the temperature started to drop and the BMW “frost warning” gong went off as we started to climb, I was still ok. When it started a virtual blizzard as we went over the top of the mountains beside a ski lift without winter tires, it was a bit scary. Several slow kilometers and many mountain switchbacks later, we made it into Germany without incident. Since it was a long haul to Berlin and we didn’t want to drive too late and miss all the scenery, we stopped at a chain hotel (Mercure) in a town called Dresden that is about 1.5 hours from Berlin and called it a night. 79 Euros which was one of the cheaper rooms for the trip and was about what you would expect from a chain.
It didn’t take long for us to go to sleep with dreams of Berlin and the history that goes along with it on the agenda for the next day.

The next morning when we woke up, a haze was sitting over the valley below. I tried to take a few more artistic shots. This wide screen one was the one I was happiest with.

We then drove through Salzburg on the way to to Autobahn to head to Prague. We actually stayed off the Autobahn in Austria until we got into Germany, which saved us the highway sticker cost that they charge. The navigation in the car has a setting for “Avoid Highways” that we used whenever we wanted a more scenic route that came in handy for this purpose. Once we got on the A8, we followed our BMW service adviser’s instructions to the letter. Not over 4500 RPMs for the first 1000 miles.

It was a quick, fun trip to Prague at Autobahn speeds and we filled up the car for the second time right before we entered the city. $115 ouch! We had read that Prague was a tough spot to find parking and it was all true. We found our first hurdle when we plugged our hotel address into the Navigation system and it alerted us “Your destination is in a vehicle restricted area.”

One of our goals in this trip was to find hotels that were in the middle of everything and we succeeded in spades. Our hotel was in literally right in the middle of Old Town Square, called appropriately enough Old Town Square Hotel. We booked the “family suite” a day in advance right on their website for only 120 Euro a night. It was only 30 more Euros for the suite so we decided to check it out.

Since the hotel was right in the middle of the main square, the closest we could get was a block away from the entrance. Not sure where we were going to park or how to get our bags to the hotel, I walked to the hotel while Craddock stayed in the car. Once I found it, I was amazed at the location.
I went in and explained our dilemma and the gentleman working reception offered to come out and ride with us to show us where a parking garage was. Talk about above and beyond! We offloaded some of the smaller luggage and I went with him to a hotel garage at the Intercontinental while Craddock went to the hotel. The rate was a hefty 1000 Crown per day (about $63). The next day I ended up moving the car to the garage at the Marriot which was only 600 Crown per day. Once we got back to the hotel and checked in, we were lead to what is probably the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in. The building was classical on the outside but was furnished ultra modern on the inside.

It was nice enough that once we got into the room Craddock started thinking there was some mistake and it wasn’t possible we got this room for only 120 Euros. After assuring her that it was the right price (and double checking their web site), we opened up the double windows facing the square and took in our view for the next 3 days.


Here is a shot of our hotel from the Square.

Prague is a magnificent city and one we definitely plan on returning to. After we were situated we headed off to find some local food and more importantly beer.

After our needs were met and since it was Saturday night, we headed off to a club that our friend Emily had told us about called Karlovy Lazne, that is billed as the “Biggest Club in Central Europe”.

Since it is located right at the Charles Bridge, we stopped to get some night time shots with the Prague Palace behind us.


The club was set up with 5 different floors, each with a different type of music. Hip Hop, Classic Rock, House, with a chill out room on the top floor.

Here is a video of our favorite floor which was playing House/Dance music.

We sampled the famous Czech Absinthe while we were here (oooh it burns!) and stumbled home at some late hour. We ran into a nice couple that took our pic on one of the many winding cobblestone streets of Prague.

The next day we slept in most of the day and hung out in our beautiful room. Later, we went out to grab dinner and caught some nice lighting for a pic of the Old Town Square.

The next day was our big sightseeing day in Prague so off across the Charles Bridge we went.

The statues lining across the bridge were very impressive and there were a large variety of vendors hawking their wares.

They had this giant balloon type thing that looked interesting if I could get Craddock into it (fat chance.)

As we crossed the Charles Bridge, we saw this interesting church in the distance, which turned out to be St. Nicolas Church.

The inside was quite ornate and beautiful.





We then headed up the hill for the main event, Prague Castle.

Once you get past the entry courtyard, you are immediately mesmerized by the massive St. Vitus Cathedral.


It is as beautiful on the inside as the outside.



You can actually take the 283 steps up a tight spiral staircase to the tower. While it is quite a leg workout, the views are definitely worth the trip.


To help you get your bearings, this shot shows where we came from with the Charles Bridge in the middle crossing the Vltava and the St. Nicolas that we stopped at on the way.

After the long day of sightseeing, it was time for more food and beer and we stopped at a spot along the way back to the room.

Old Town Square at night is as stunning as it was during the daytime, and we took one last look at Prague since we would be leaving in the morning for the Spa Town of Karlovy Vary, a.k.a. Carlsbad.