Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

We were headed to Neratov, Czech Republic, on an assignment; but since it was a lengthy drive, we stopped halfway there to spend some time in the amazing tourist town of Karlovy Vary (aka Carlsbad).  It is a spa town, the site of hot springs and mineral water; and for centuries it was the destination of Europe's kings and queens and the world's millionaires.  Movie stars and famous politicians still flock to this beautiful city today.

It is located in a narrow river valley and is probably less than a mile long.  But both sides of the river are lined with beautiful old hotels and gracious mansions.  Entering the amazing little valley is hard to describe as it was so strikingly beautiful!

Even the drive to our hotel was awesome as the streets are so narrow, 

and the hotels and other buildings so beautiful.

Elder G had reserved our Hotel Ontario online, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find it not only very, very nice and inexpensive, but also situated overlooking the main promenade right below!   

We checked into our hotel around 3:15 and were given a good map and description of all the "must see" spots to visit.  We then asked what time it got dark and were surprised by the answer:  "In about an hour!"  The steep hills on both sides really limit the amount of sunlight this beautiful city receives!  We were losing light just by asking the question!

We quickly made our way down to the promenade and walked both directions in less than an hour. All the shops were high end, so it was "just looking" for me.
Still, it was truly fun to just look!

Two panorama shots

To each his own...

 The Czech Republic is famous for pottery, so there were numerous stores selling anything from simple little tourist mugs to very, very ornate gifts.

I realize this piece is a Lladro from Spain, but it was huge and amazing!

Because the original "draw" to this town was its healing thermal water, visitors are encouraged 1) to stay there for days and relax in the mineral water and 2) to be sure to drink the mineral water.

 Consequently, not only are there shops selling little personal mugs but there are also numerous places throughout town where you can fill your mugs.

These are not typical mugs; they are more like "personal pitchers."  It seemed like half the tourists we passed were holding their little mugs and drinking the local water.

There is a famous continuously erupting geyser (up to 12 meters high),
which the town had enclosed in a beautiful building along the colonnade.

Mugs from numerous vendors could easily be purchased so you could fill your cup in the adjoining room. Each "spout" was labeled with varying degrees of hot mineral water. Pretty interesting!

The Grand Hotel Pupp (yes, that's its name!) was very impressive!
It was begun in the early 1700s and added to over the centuries.

Out front, there are a number of brass emblems in the cobblestones, depicting some of the
many celebrities who have stayed there.

 

 

There were two very impressive churches--equally awesome yet very different from each other.
The steam is rising from one of the nearby hot springs.

The other church was Russian Orthodox, I believe.  Very ornate and beautiful!

There was also an interesting monument to the Jews.

And we got a kick out of this hotel, Hotel Romance!

Although it turned dark by 4:30 we repeated our walk in the dark, which was equally beautiful since all the lights were on and made things especially beautiful.

We ate dinner at a little riverside cafe.  It was cold in early November, but the restaurant had those outdoor heaters which made it just fine.

Hating to say goodbye after such a short visit, I made the round-trip walk one more time in the morning before we checked out.  This was truly a "must visit" city, one which we recommended to everyone once we returned to Frankfurt.  It was a four hours' drive and worth every minute of it!

As we drove away, we were equally impressed with the back view of the Grand Hotel Pupp!

Goodbye, beautiful Karlovy Vary!!!