ChelseaGoesToChina: Chelsea Goes to Czech Republic

China doesn't have many breaks. No Christmas break. No Easter break. What they do have is Golden Week or Mid Autumn Festival where all of China gets one week off. It is supposed to be a celebration of the foundation of Communist China. Last year I stayed in China and it was crazy how full of people it was. This year I decided to get around that by going to a different country, a country where my sister lives. In this post I will just go over the highlights since you can read more about the country on her blog.

The first day I landed in the evening but my sister planned for us to go to a spa. Not just any spa-a beer spa! Bernard Beer Spa puts hops into a tub of bubbly warm water and gives the patrons unlimited beer to drink and Emilie's super great boyfriend Ondra, got us bread, meat, and pickles to snack on while we fermented in the bath.

The big wooden nozzle is a beer tap!

The patron saint of beer, St. Bernard

After sitting the baths we could choose to lay on heated beds or a salt room. We chose the salt room. They played that flute music that you hear at yoga studios in the salt room and it was really relaxing.

The second day we toured Prague. We went up a giant hill and took pictures of the city. This area is called Petrin.

We also went to a palace which had an art installation.

Not to mention we saw one of the more famous spots, John Lennon Wall.

Cuties

The third day we headed to a town called Brno. We visited a church, a castle, and went on an underground tour! Plus they have a ton of art installations around the city. It is hard not to get a good picture there.

The vegetable market

An underground tour, right below the vegetable market!

The underground tunnels were originally for storing food to keep cool. Eventually they kept growing in size which lead to some underground pubs and restaurants. There is a rumor that a baroness (or countess I don't really remember and had a hard time finding it online) had an underground storage room where she buried lovers she got bored of. There is no evidence to back it up, but it is a fun story. On the tour they used to have a statue you could touch of one of the baroness' old lovers. If men touch it, they would be single for a year. If women touch it, they will great luck with getting a significant other. Too bad it is gone now.

Brno is also really famous for wine and I was able to buy a svobodak. It is a seasonal drink made from wine and I got to have it right at the end of the season.

The fourth day we headed to Ondra's hometown-Melnik. His family lives on a small farm but the city itself was much larger than I imagined.

There were the "Demon Heads" we visited and then saw an abandoned chateau. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to go in that chateau. I could see through the windows that on the inside of the building they had stained glass and vaulted ceilings. Is it wrong to see them closer?

This will be my new house, I swear.

We visited a cafe inside a clock tower, saw the river that goes to Prague and Germany, and went on another underground tour but this time to see a well.

Inside the clock tower

Well Tour

Also! In the Czech Republic they have a drink called kofola which is supposed to be like Coca-Cola. During the Russian takeover of the country, all American goods were not allowed in but the Czech people wanted to have their Coca-Cola back. They made a recipe based on memory of what it was like and now they have their own drink alongside the original coke.

The fifth day we headed to the Prague Castle. Look how flipping gorgeous it is! And it is for free.

We went to a museum after that where we were approached by a guard trying to convert us to his cult Hari Krishna. It was crazy. But the armor was cool.

Then we visited a garden and met up with Ondra again to go to Troja Castle which Emilie and Ondra had never been to. They said it was one of their favorite spots after the trip was over.

Look how blue that sky is?!

We visited a church and cemetery called Vysehrad after that. The graves are mostly of famous people who have ornate and large headstones. They also had graves for those who died during the time of the Nazis and Russians.

This lady is a headstone. I want this as my headstone!

The church had a small treasury inside and my favorite were these hands that had saint relics (pieces of the saint's clothes or body) inside.

We saw an overview of the city and the river during sunset which was really amazing.

My sixth and final day in the Czech Republic my sister took me to the farmer's markets. I went totally crazy and bought a lot of things like a rolling pin, jewelry, honey, and lavender oil.