Karlovy Vary / Carlsbad

Hotel Kucera
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This is the trip that I had been looking forward to since booking our flight (admittedly more than Rome & Prague).  It's featured in the book, "1,000 Places To See Before You Die" and the movie, "Casino Royale".  The movie was the primary driver to visit this whimsical spa town. Karlovy Vary / Carlsbad is located in western Bohemia and is known for their healing hot springs. Here's an excerpt from the book: "For more than 400 years, the world's rich and famous have come to "take the waters" of Carlsbad's twelve natural thermal springs, which range from 76 to 161 degrees Fahrenheit.  (The 'thirteenth spring' is Becherovka, a well-known locally produced herb-mineral liqueur, also said to be curative).  Situated in a beautiful and wooded valley, Carlsbad retains an elegant, important air, dominated by handsome 19th-century architecture."

"B-Ocean" Becherovka, Blue Curacao and Top Topic
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The bus to Karlovy Vary only cost $5.50!  <Tips on the bus system> 1) It was confusing to find the bus station in Prague.  Make sure you go yourself enough time to get lost!  2) The buses to Karlovy Vary leave every hour.  If you arrive 15 minutes prior (like we did) and the ticket reservation people say they are out of tickets just go straight to the bus and they'll sell you a ticket.  It takes two hours to get to Karlovy Vary.  3) The buses have nice amenities, unlike the US buses.  They include a "bus attendant", who strolls down the aisle to ask if you want complimentary water (or water "with gas"), hot cocoa, coffee or beer for only $1!  They also give you ear phones to watch a Czech movie or listen to music.  All this for five bucks!

We were treated like gold and the food was delectable.

Zamecke Lazne
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I could tell when we started to approach Karlovy Vary, because the scenery got prettier and prettier.  It was freeeeezing when we got off the bus.  I was grateful that Pavel let us leave our bags with him (at no extra charge) so we wouldn't have to lug it all around with us.  Once we got off the bus, we tried to find the bus that went to Loket, but seriously NO ONE spoke English so we never figured it out.  This may have been the first time where I've been stumped like this.  I even tried sign language (G-style) and almost felt like the people weren't even trying to understand me.  Due to our time constraints, we gave up and just headed towards the center to our hotel.  I found Hotel Kucera online and liked it's very central location and inexpensive rate.  As soon as we walked in, the receptionist immediately asked, "Speake de Deutche?".  In unison we both answered, "NO!"  I guess since we're so close to the German border, they assume most visitors are German.  After we checked in and unloaded our belongings, we ran out to find something quick to eat.  I didn't do much research for our lunch meal, so we just popped in a restaurant near our hotel. U Svejka restaurant was right around the corner and we were too hungry to keep looking.  Since we were in Karlovy Vary, I ordered Becherovka with tonic ("B-top") and my husband ordered Pilsner.  To accompany the drinks we had goulash and pork.  After the meal, we attempted to go to the Moser glass factory but missed that boat.  We had to hurry up to make our 4PM spa treatment reservation at Zamecke Lazne (Castle Spa).  I had to really convince my husband to go, but he couldn't argue a two hour treatment that only cost $42!  Places like this in the US would cost hundreds of dollars.  When we checked in the front desk, they gave us two fluffy, white robes and bracelets that also served as our changing closet keys to leave our clothes.  We walked inside the "spa castle" and were in awe.  There was a big steamy pool full of hot spring water.  Past the pool was the main area equipped with marble flooring, herbal tea & spring water station, long chairs and a sculpted rock of a nature god.  A sweet Russian lady immediately welcomed us and guided us to the curative waters while soothing music played in the background.  Our treatments included: a 20 minute massage, Kneipp hydrotherapy, electroaerosol inhalation, Japanese acupressure thermal pool and sauna.  I felt like I was in heaven!  After we cautiously sipped the spring water (if you drink too much it gives you the runs!), we eased into the pool while we waited for our treatments.  As if it were orchestrated, it suddenly began to snow outside for a magical moment.  While my husband was called for his classical massage, I stepped out of the pool for a nice cup of tea.  Meanwhile, the spa attendants began pushing buttons that made the blinds go down, lights dim and stage lights turn on.  I was like what the heck is going on?  They just pointed over to the pool and told me to watch.  All of a sudden, Yanni music turned on and a light water show began synchronized with the pool.  It reminded me of a Las Vegas show.  It lasted a few minutes and I felt bad for my husband who missed out on a pretty cool experience.  As soon as I thanked the ladies, my masseuse came out and waved me to follow him.  The massage was just what we needed after overworking our bodies for the past week.  After the massage, we perspired in the sauna, inhaled the "electroaerosol" stuff and used the Japanese foot pool.  We immediately felt the spa effects once we stepped out into the cool, snowy evening.  We popped inside a souvenir store to buy a funny-looking cup with a built in straw to drink the stinky thermal waters that have a rotten egg smell.  After "indulging" in these waters, we went back to our hotel to take a quick nap and get ready for a glamorous night out in town.  Our dinner date at the Hotel Embassy's restaurant started at 8PM.  We were originally going to dine at the Grand Hotel Pupp, but later discovered that the restaurant was closed due to renovations.  Nonetheless, we ended up having a lovely time in Hotel Embassy.  We were treated like gold and the food was delectable.  We felt like the experience was a steal for only $70.  Maybe it makes a difference coming during the low touristy season?  We ended our Hotel Embassy affair with two complimentary shots of Bechervoka and a snapshot next to the famous antique oven (they have a picture of Michael Douglas in front of the same oven in their menu). We then walked over to Grant Hotel Pupp to play casino.  They gave us cards to keep track of our gambling activities and also gave me a complimentary cocktail ticket (pays to be a lady?).  We then stepped inside of the casino that seriously looked like a "high roller luxury spot" - something out of a Bond flick.  There were a handful of people, but just enough to make the atmosphere festive.  We then sat down next to a Canadian couple (the lady was actually Russian) to play blackjack.  They had just won a bottle of champagne, so they generously shared it with us.  After losing a few games, we tried our luck at the roulette table and won $60.  We then cashed out and explored the beautiful art deco hotel.  Later that night, we stumbled back to our hotel and collapsed in our bed.