One of the majestic treasures of the Czech Republic is a small resort town named Karlovy Vary. I think its name in English translates as something as Carlsbad, taken from its German name. It is a spa town that is located close to the border of Germany, in the western part of Bohemia. Though I did not make it to any of the spas or massage parlors, I found it an excellent daytrip out of Prague.
Some people envision relaxing resorts as some pristine and sunny paradises, excluded communities with climate control and tropical pine trees and soft sand and smooth breezes and complimentary margaritas while you relax on a float in a pool.
I think I like a place like this more. I remember it being grey, cloudy, cold and tucked in the hills of patched forests, some of the trees naked, some of them short and evergreen and some of them displaying their last stretch of November browns and yellows, flaunting what they still could.
Amidst the uncomfortable climate and wetness, you can touch your hands under the designated hot spring fountains, and get a taste of burning mineral water for some interesting geological contrast.
The town was full of many Russians showing off their flashy fur coats, likely relaxed by all of the massages and spas and treatments that this town has to offer. There were also many suspended cardboard cut-outs of Bechorovka hanging along the river that ran through the town, the Czech Republic’s national liquor that tastes somewhat like gingery, syrupy, sugary Christmas. Another wonderful warm-up is the smell and taste of the huge, flat waffery cookies that they seem to have in markets all over this country, but in Karlovy Vary, they place them in a flat press and sell them to you on the streets.
One final destination is the ascent up the hills via a designated tram car, to a small panoramic glass tower where you can look below upon the streets and structures, all within a colder elevation with circling snow and wrenching winds. This spot is probably a scenic scam by the spas and the springs and the warming liquors and pastries to make people come back down for warmth treatments.