Czech Republic with the madre!

Wow so I'm super behind on blogs!

Ok... so Czech! I was really excited for this leg of the travel because my dad's family is Czech and I always wanted to "go back to the homeland" to see how they lived and what their life was like. My grandfather lived in the Sudetenlands but luckily could perceive what was about to happen to Jewish people like him and left in 1937/8. He tried to convince his whole family to come with him, but they were well set up with their business and life, so the only person who came with him was his brother. My grandfather was only 16 or 17 at the time, and the rest of his family was killed in concentration or work camps. He left behind everything, and we only now are starting to reclaim some of his property. I cant even begin to imagine what that must have been like, but it definitely set up this country differently in my head!

We arrived in Prague only a few days after major floods had hit the city. We were a little worried about if we could even go but it must show how resilient the Czech people are because everything was open and when we asked people if everything was okay, they would just shrug and say, "Well, it wasn't as bad as 2002!" After learning more about the history of Czech, this attitude makes sense since the Czech people really suffered alot over the last century, with WW1, the annexation of the Sudetenlands, WW2, migration of the German people and Soviet takeover. The things you don't know until you visit a place!

We met my mom at the Prague airport and I was SO happy to see her! I've really missed her the last while! Prague is such an amazingly beautiful city. It seems like every building is ornate, historic and seems to tell a story. For example, this church (below) is Gothic and Baroque from the 12th century and tells a story about a man who came in a tried to steal some gold from the statue of Mary. She apparently came alive and chopped off his hand. To warn other people not to steal, they HUNG UP his hand in the church, where it remains, 600 years later!

Some dudes hand

Beautiful buildings in Prague

So we spent a few amazing days in Prague, just walking around the city, going up the tower at sunset and exploring the MASSIVE Prague castle. Mom and I also saw a classical concert in this old church in the castle complex. We enjoyed yummy goulash, red cabbage, bread dumplings, potato dumplings, and Daniel's favourite that he must have had at EVERY meal: Bramboraky (basically like a potato latke). Although he actually admitted it was BETTER than latkes.. I hope his bubbie doesn't read this!! And of course, we drank lots and lots of light and dark and frothy beer, which all Czechs claim is the best in the world (and I don't disagree!)

Duck and goulash and potato dumplings and fish and bramborek... oh my! 

Prague at sunset

After Prague, it was on to Zatec, the original home of my family. We met with a father and son team who specialize in land claims. It was amazing to see where my family lived and what they did (grew hops to make beer). We also had lunch in a small, traditional Czech restaurant/microbrewery.

Part of the original Reiss family home in Zatec, Czech Republic

After, it was on to Pilsn, the home of all Pilsner beer and also Pilsner Urquell, the brewery. Hops grown in the Zatec area (I later found out), are some of the best in the world for making beer, and is what Pilsner Urquell uses to make their beer taste so awesome. Hmm... looks like my family was onto something there! Maybe I'll have to go back one day and get into the beer making business! We toured the PU factory, saw the production of bottling and the old and new vats that they make beer in- super cool experience! Then we got to drink unfiltered beer right out of the barrels; definitely a different taste to it, but awesome once you get used to it! We also went to the 3rd largest/most important synagogue in the world, which was in Pilsn.

I can fit through a beer barrel! 

After Pilsn, we drove through the tiny town of Chodova Plana, where there is a beer spa, restaurant and brewery from 1117. The thing to do there is to get a beer bath (not kidding). So we jumped in feet first (literally), and climbed into a warm dark beer-filled bath complete with a foot full of brown-ish foam. Surprisingly, it was a relaxing and unforgettable experience! They even give you pints of beer while you're in the tub, which you can refill for yourself when you go dry! Seriously, so awesome and at the end of it, all of us noticed how soft our skin was and how relaxed we were.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTX4exUXtb8UXtb8

Check out the link above, from the show, worlds weirdest restaurants (done and done.)

Our final stop in Czech was Cesky Krumlov. This medieval city has the beautiful Vltava running through it, a hilltop castle and narrow winding cobblestone streets- what more could you want! Unfortunately because of the floods, we couldn't do the typical thing, which is to rent floaties and float down the river (beer in hand), but we managed to get up to all sorts of other things. The first night there, we went to "Gorilla Rock Bar" and met some super cool Slovaks and Czechs. We also wandered around the town and ate lots of gelato. Then we toured the hilltop castle and gardens and took tons of pictures of the colourful buildings. We also ate at a traditional Medieval restaurant that has been around for hundreds of years in the original building. We sampled rabbit, two types of traditional cabbage, potato kugel-type thing and drank some STRONG warm, cinnamon mead. Mom was definitely tipsy by the end of it! And a perfect DOUBLE rainbow to top it all off!

All in all, it was a great way to finish an amazing week in Czech with my mom. We were so happy to travel with her and it was so amazing to learn more about my heritage with her.

Enjoying our last meal with my mom...rabbit!