Up early and off to the Florenc bus terminal for our two and half hour trip to Karlovy Vary. The ride was very comfortable and the scenic views through the multitude of tiny towns were ideal. We arrived in the hectic bus terminal in Karlovy Vary and were a little surprised at the more modern and 
dull buildings. We jumped in a cab as no one around spoke
English and with in five minutes we were in the old center of town which is down several winding roads all lin
ed with what I will liken to enormous pastel colored Victorian doll houses. The town center where our hotel is has a look so unique and unlike
anyplace on earth I’ve been. It is like a fairy tale village in a valley surrounded by vibrant multicolored forestry covered hills. It’s like going back in time.
dull buildings. We jumped in a cab as no one around spoke
English and with in five minutes we were in the old center of town which is down several winding roads all lin
ed with what I will liken to enormous pastel colored Victorian doll houses. The town center where our hotel is has a look so unique and unlike
anyplace on earth I’ve been. It is like a fairy tale village in a valley surrounded by vibrant multicolored forestry covered hills. It’s like going back in time.
We are staying at the Esplanade which offers a nice sized room with a view of the river. The town is known for its healing hot mineral sp
rings. I believe 13 in total all varying in degrees and mineral content. We walked around in the rain for hours admiring the architecture and watching the ducks play in the river and travel the mini waterfalls like amusement park rides.We took a long walk along th
e river and through the many park trai
ls that surround the town and marveled at the fall colors and the many varieties of trees.
e river and through the many park trai
ls that surround the town and marveled at the fall colors and the many varieties of trees. 
The 13 different springs each have a different water fountain connected to the unique water source. Part of the healing program here in Karlovy Vary is the water cures. You are prescribed by a doctor exactly which fountain to go to, how much to drink at the particular fountain and exactly what time of day to drink it. The city is 650 years old and has been host to royalty, composers and modern day celebrities through the years. They even host a film festival each year and in recent years welcomed Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Morgan Freeman manz US and international stars.Now the water cures over the years prompted locals to design a sp
ecial cup with a handle that is also a straw. In the 17’s when it was first developed they were all ceramic. Now-a-days you can get them in every shape and made from various materials. You see people all throughout the day making their journey to their designated fountain with their special cup. This one is mine.In the main rotunda which is now a mod
ern structure when the old one was destroyed there is a geyser which continuously spits up the hot mineral water.
ern structure when the old one was destroyed there is a geyser which continuously spits up the hot mineral water.We had the famous large 
round wafers that Karlovy Vary is known f
or and we were fortunate enough to get them hot off the press as they say and this little shop has several wafer presses going at the same time and moving in a circle for easy removal and distribution. Many tourists were coming up and buying boxes of them in every flavor which seems to range quite a bit from regular to citrus and there is even one with nugut. Melody prefered the cinnamon and I preferred the chocolate but truly they are all great.
round wafers that Karlovy Vary is known f
or and we were fortunate enough to get them hot off the press as they say and this little shop has several wafer presses going at the same time and moving in a circle for easy removal and distribution. Many tourists were coming up and buying boxes of them in every flavor which seems to range quite a bit from regular to citrus and there is even one with nugut. Melody prefered the cinnamon and I preferred the chocolate but truly they are all great.On our walk we find our way to the Saint Peter and Paul Church which is Russian Orthodo
x and has a lovely blue, white and gold design.
x and has a lovely blue, white and gold design.Melody and I got cold pretty much after the first two hours of our stroll and having waited too lon
g for a public bus which we thought would be the perfect and dry way to see the city we ventured over to the Grand Hotel Pupp which is one of the most luxurious in the world and we sat in their magnificent tea room and had delicious hot coco with whipped cream. I love this hotel and amazingly enough it is less expensive to get a hot coco there than it can be to get o
ne at Starbucks and lets face it an ornately 
decorated tea room with glistening chandelier or a Starbucks I think the Grand Pupp Hotel would win out every time. We sat for what seemed like hours enjoying the beautiful music and atmosphere. I was ready to move in as you can well imagine. For those who enjoy romantic comedies you may well be familiar with this hotel as it was featured in the movie Last Holiday with Queen Latifah. The city of Karlovy Vary is also prominently shown in the snowy winter splendor of this region.
g for a public bus which we thought would be the perfect and dry way to see the city we ventured over to the Grand Hotel Pupp which is one of the most luxurious in the world and we sat in their magnificent tea room and had delicious hot coco with whipped cream. I love this hotel and amazingly enough it is less expensive to get a hot coco there than it can be to get o
ne at Starbucks and lets face it an ornately 
decorated tea room with glistening chandelier or a Starbucks I think the Grand Pupp Hotel would win out every time. We sat for what seemed like hours enjoying the beautiful music and atmosphere. I was ready to move in as you can well imagine. For those who enjoy romantic comedies you may well be familiar with this hotel as it was featured in the movie Last Holiday with Queen Latifah. The city of Karlovy Vary is also prominently shown in the snowy winter splendor of this region.We had dinner around the corner from our hotel at U Sveska which reminds me of a pub but has fantastic food. The restaurant has some connection to the life size Mannequin that sits at a table right ne
ar the sidewalk and just a few feet from where the restaurant is. People passing by always take pictures and I am sure there is a great story behind him as his likeness was represented in the restaurant in many other ways including some black and white pen drawings and I wooden pull toy for children. It was a great atmosphere except, as I may have mentioned before, smoking is allowed in public areas here in the Czech Republic so a cigar smoking man behind us did mare the experience quite a bit. None the less one must make the best of it all so Melody and I did laugh and enjoyed our dinner of fried Camembert cheese, boiled potatoes, grilled pork and vegetables. I know it sounds like a strange dinner but it was really tasty.
ar the sidewalk and just a few feet from where the restaurant is. People passing by always take pictures and I am sure there is a great story behind him as his likeness was represented in the restaurant in many other ways including some black and white pen drawings and I wooden pull toy for children. It was a great atmosphere except, as I may have mentioned before, smoking is allowed in public areas here in the Czech Republic so a cigar smoking man behind us did mare the experience quite a bit. None the less one must make the best of it all so Melody and I did laugh and enjoyed our dinner of fried Camembert cheese, boiled potatoes, grilled pork and vegetables. I know it sounds like a strange dinner but it was really tasty.October 23, 2008
Melody was off to the bus station after breakfast to make her way to the airport for her flight to the US. It was sad to see her go but I am sure she is very happy to be heading home. I think after 16 days or so you just long for your own bed and since I apparently snore and she had to share a room with 
me the whole time I am sure she is truly grateful to be on her own and away from my noisy self.
me the whole time I am sure she is truly grateful to be on her own and away from my noisy self.I took a lovely 3 hour walk all around town and even took the funicular up to the top of the hill to check out the Imperial Hotel. I wasn’t sure exactly which hotel to stay in for my weight loss three-week curative adventure from what I had read on the internet so I went around checking things out. I loved the Imperial and the Richmond. They are much more than I had budgeted for so I am at the Hotel Jessenius, the mother hotel to the Esplanade where we stayed last night. The manager, Mark was so lovely and he gave me the most marvelous room with a small balcony and I look out at the 
main town center area on my left and only 500 feet or so away is the Grand Pupp in all its splendor. I love my new home and will enjoy it immensely for the next three weeks. I never expected on my budget to get an e
normous room with a huge bathroom a sitting area and a balcony but I guess if you are patent and just keep your options open things may just work out exactly as you had hoped. I would say for anyone else who comes here to try their best to arrange their budget to perhaps stay at the Imperial or the Richmond. The thing they offer that my hotel doesn’t is the more secluded area as one is on the very top of the hill and the other is a ways down the river across from a wooded park. I love my hotel and we have a pool a
nd all the treatments are in house but I know others may prefer a more resort kind of feel.
main town center area on my left and only 500 feet or so away is the Grand Pupp in all its splendor. I love my new home and will enjoy it immensely for the next three weeks. I never expected on my budget to get an e
normous room with a huge bathroom a sitting area and a balcony but I guess if you are patent and just keep your options open things may just work out exactly as you had hoped. I would say for anyone else who comes here to try their best to arrange their budget to perhaps stay at the Imperial or the Richmond. The thing they offer that my hotel doesn’t is the more secluded area as one is on the very top of the hill and the other is a ways down the river across from a wooded park. I love my hotel and we have a pool a
nd all the treatments are in house but I know others may prefer a more resort kind of feel. I unpacked and by 12:30pm I was all settled in and ready to acquaint myself even more with my new world.
My afternoon was spent exploring the town and finding new parts that I was sure did not exist. The town is actually bigger than I had thought but not by much. I walked for about 3 more hours until I started to get cold and headed back to my hotel.
Along the way I came across what I thought was one of the pubic spas that for a nominal rate you can use it on a daily basis. It did have that feature but this particular place was an enormous hotel/spa but much more like an institution than a spa. The rates were incredible for the all-inclusive program but the grey stone walls and bleak overall atmosphere was a real turnoff. When I walked out the sign said Sanatorium which is used here to denote a medical type spa but in this case it brought to mind images of what we in the US would imagine a state run mental health facility to look like. I am more and more satisfied with my spa choice.
Walking past one of the colonnades containing a mineral water fountain was lots of fun. Around 5:30 -6:00pm you see hundreds of spa visitors out and about with their special designed
mineral water cup walking and socializing. In the case of this fountain it had become a social gathering place. People were just standing around chatting and enjoying their water.
After making a quick stop at my room I headed off to the Grand Hotel Pupp to use their internet. The front office was very nice and I was able to get a little work on the blog and send some emails. I really love the Pupp and
now know that I can bring my laptop there and just sit in one of their lovely rooms and no one will mind. The staff is so hospitable and makes you feel right at home even if they know you are not staying there.
My afternoon was spent exploring the town and finding new parts that I was sure did not exist. The town is actually bigger than I had thought but not by much. I walked for about 3 more hours until I started to get cold and headed back to my hotel.
Along the way I came across what I thought was one of the pubic spas that for a nominal rate you can use it on a daily basis. It did have that feature but this particular place was an enormous hotel/spa but much more like an institution than a spa. The rates were incredible for the all-inclusive program but the grey stone walls and bleak overall atmosphere was a real turnoff. When I walked out the sign said Sanatorium which is used here to denote a medical type spa but in this case it brought to mind images of what we in the US would imagine a state run mental health facility to look like. I am more and more satisfied with my spa choice.
Walking past one of the colonnades containing a mineral water fountain was lots of fun. Around 5:30 -6:00pm you see hundreds of spa visitors out and about with their special designed
mineral water cup walking and socializing. In the case of this fountain it had become a social gathering place. People were just standing around chatting and enjoying their water.After making a quick stop at my room I headed off to the Grand Hotel Pupp to use their internet. The front office was very nice and I was able to get a little work on the blog and send some emails. I really love the Pupp and
now know that I can bring my laptop there and just sit in one of their lovely rooms and no one will mind. The staff is so hospitable and makes you feel right at home even if they know you are not staying there.Well I am off to bed as I have an early appointment with the doctor to solidify my personal treatment program.
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