Getting to Plzen was relatively easy, which was a relief, as neither of us felt like a big travel day in the morning. First a bus back to Cesky Budejovice and then a train to Plzen. We checked into our pension which is in the middle of town and looks lovely. Then we headed out to have a quick bite to eat and head to the main attraction in town, Pilsner Urquell brewery. 
The reason for visiting town is because this is where the Pilsner style of beer was first brewed. We arrived at the brewery just in time for the last tour of the day. The tour was completely different from the one in Krumlov. This is a massive brewery which exports worldwide and is owned by the Miller group (we did the Miller tour in America). One of the first things you do on the tour is learn that you need to buy a permit to take photos, and then you jump on the Pilsner bus which drives you around the site. The tour was quite good, again the guide takes you through the brewing process, including the bottling area, which is the biggest in Europe and uses a laser to check the bottles are ok to use, cool hey! The beer is bottom filtered which means that when the yeast is added the beer needs to be kept at a low temperature in order for it to ferment. 
The highlight of the tour was heading into the labyrinth of tunnels below the brewery. Back in the day, to brew the beer in cool conditions, they stored it in tunnels below ground. There are 9km of tunnels and cellars below the brewery. Most of these are no longer used, although a small brew is made in the traditional way, which we got to taste in the cellars, we thought it was actually nicer than the standard beer. During the tour we got chatting to an Aussie couple, Crystal and Luke, who joined us in the outdoor bar after the tour. By chance there was some music tonight, so we stayed longer than planned and watched the three bands playing on the outdoor stage. 
No rest for the wicked, next morning we were up nice and early for a big breakfast. We then headed out for a look about the town in daylight. It is actually quite a nice little town, the main square has a church and fountains in it. After some morning tea in a café, not sure we needed it but what the hell, we headed to the bus station for a bus to Prague. 
The reason for visiting town is because this is where the Pilsner style of beer was first brewed. We arrived at the brewery just in time for the last tour of the day. The tour was completely different from the one in Krumlov. This is a massive brewery which exports worldwide and is owned by the Miller group (we did the Miller tour in America). One of the first things you do on the tour is learn that you need to buy a permit to take photos, and then you jump on the Pilsner bus which drives you around the site. The tour was quite good, again the guide takes you through the brewing process, including the bottling area, which is the biggest in Europe and uses a laser to check the bottles are ok to use, cool hey! The beer is bottom filtered which means that when the yeast is added the beer needs to be kept at a low temperature in order for it to ferment. The highlight of the tour was heading into the labyrinth of tunnels below the brewery. Back in the day, to brew the beer in cool conditions, they stored it in tunnels below ground. There are 9km of tunnels and cellars below the brewery. Most of these are no longer used, although a small brew is made in the traditional way, which we got to taste in the cellars, we thought it was actually nicer than the standard beer. During the tour we got chatting to an Aussie couple, Crystal and Luke, who joined us in the outdoor bar after the tour. By chance there was some music tonight, so we stayed longer than planned and watched the three bands playing on the outdoor stage. No rest for the wicked, next morning we were up nice and early for a big breakfast. We then headed out for a look about the town in daylight. It is actually quite a nice little town, the main square has a church and fountains in it. After some morning tea in a café, not sure we needed it but what the hell, we headed to the bus station for a bus to Prague. 
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