Budweis, Czech Republic

České Budějovice

Budweis yes like the Budweiser beer.

On the map it looks close but it was a much longer ride than I thought riding from Nurnberg to Budweis. The town should be known to all for its Budweiser beer and that is really the only reason we went to Budweis. I wanted to be a snob. I wanted to drink Budweiser beer in Budweis, and I did.

The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is "Pivovar Budějovický Budvar" (Budweiser Budvar Brewery) which has legal rights to market its beer under the "Budweiser" brand name in much of Europe. The same product is also sold elsewhere under the names "Budvar" and "Czechvar" due to legal disagreements with Anheuser-Busch over the Budweiser brand. The American lager was originally brewed as an imitation of the famous Bohemian original, but over time has developed its own identity and attained remarkable commercial success. Anheuser-Busch has made offers to buy out the Czech brewing company in order to secure global rights to the name "Budweiser", but the Czech government has refused all such offers, regarding the Czech Budweiser name as a matter of national pride.

THIS Is The Original, The U.S. Drink Is The Imitation

I do like a beer on a hot day, I have to tell you the Budweiser beer in Budweis tasted great but I am not an expert.

Hotel Zvon

The day seemed long and stressful because we only left Nurnberg at 10 AM. On top of that we had to find a gas station; we did not tank up the night before. Mistake:  always get gasoline before you sleep for the night.

No Room In The Hotel For Us

Another reason we had a scary day, was because Carol lost her tank bag on the Autobahn. It just came loose and flew off. I was in the lead and did not notice, of course. The intercom we have is finicky and did not work just when the incident happened. I looked in the rear mirror and there was no Carol. What to do?  I pulled over to the right and waited a bit, but Carol did not show. The next step for me is to take the next exit and ride back on the opposite side of the Autobahn and keep on looking if I can see something. The mind is strange; it pictures anything from Ambulances to Funeral Possessions at those moments. I saw Carol standing on the side of the road and now had to find the next exit to get to her. It took ages to find my way back. So what happened? The straps came loose!  I felt bad for Carol but what could I have done otherwise, or differently. Those things happen. We strapped the tank bag to her pillion seat instead to her tank and all went well after that. Carol told me she had to run into the lanes of the Autobahn to reclaim her bag. A scary proposition when I think about it, but again, what other choice is there?  A tank bag can hold essential documents, monies and needed ‘stuff’. If you get used riding with a tank bag you can almost not ride without it. Luckily, I never use a tank bag; I keep “stuff” inside my riding jacket. I am sure Carol learned an important lesson.

Then, when we finally arrived in České Budějovice

I Felt Like A Dragon When I Found Out I Booked The Wrong Date

we walked cockily into the big Hotel Zvon and told them we had reservations. We were tired and just wanted to clean up and rest. The day was hot. “Sorry, Sir, we do not have your reservation” said the Receptionist. What!!?  She was right! Somehow I made the reservation for the wrong day and there was no room available in the hotel for the day of our arrival. What to do now?  We found another hotel nearby but the parking was a block away. Parking for a bike, in a foreign country can be a real problem. Not that I feared much in the Czech Republic, but prudence is always good. The parking lot we were given was not ideal, but in hind sight all turned out OK. I just had to pay for an extra hotel. Bummer!  

Loved The Colors On The Buildings

We used Bookings.com to make hotel reservations via the internet. Pick a city to aim for, have the address you want to go to in the GPS and the rest is easy. The problem is, you MUST be very careful making the reservation for the right day…..and that is how I messed up. I learned from this mistake, I am very careful now, double checking if, when I click ‘reserve the room’, all is really correct.