Plzen I

Note: This entry should probably be in one part but I'm getting tired of writing so I'm separating it into two parts.

CIEE, my program, has two different types of trips you can take outside of Prague. The first type, optional trips, cost extra and go to cities outside of the Czech Republic such as Vienna, Berlin and Krakow. The ski trip and trip to Krakow I took were optional trips. The second type, mandatory trips, go to different cities in the Czech Republic and are generally more academic in nature. The CIEE policy states that you have to attend 2 mandatory trips (there is a total of 3 dates). Most trips are day trips, but last weekend the mandatory trips were all overnight. We were given several destinations to choose from ranging from Česky Krumlov, a historic city, to Plzen, a city full of beer. I opted for Plzen.

Plzen, as you may know is the home of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. Pilsner Urquell is the most famous Czech beer while Gambrinus, also made at the Plzen brewery, is the most imbibed Czech beer. I decided to go to Plzen for several reasons. Not only did it offer a tour of the Pilsner brewery, which I fantasized to be a mix between Willy Wonka and getting drunk, but it was only one night while the rest of the trips were two night stays.

The bus for Plzen left at 8:40 in the morning, but, as is common with CIEE, we didn't leave until 45 minutes later. The trip had 18 kids on it and we all crammed into this tiny Mercedes-Benz short bus. The thing was cramped but it was only an hour and a half drive each way.

The first stop was a glass factory on the way to Plzen. The official itinerary said glass 'factory', but it was quite the misnomer. I would probably go with glass room or glass shack. The 'factory' was in a very small town and consisted of one room for production and another to sell the glass. Upon arrival, we walked right into the production area and watched three men in flip flops and dirty t-shirts wield long, metal poles make glass flowers. Barely acknowledging us, the glass workers would put the glass in the stove and work it with various tools into these pretty glass flowers. While we watched, our tour guide, Eva (the same one from Krakow), explained how cheap Chinese glass was destroying the rich Bohemian heritage of glass making. 

Because Eva was a spokesperson for the glass 'factory', and because business was no so good, we were told at every available opportunity to buy the glass. This started when we received our itineraries. Under the glass 'factory' stop it read something like, "Please buy glass at the gift shop!!!!!" On the trip there, Eva made sure to tell us what a great deal the prices were. The prodding worked and I ended up buying some nice things from the shop.

Getting back on the bus, we had a 45 minute ride to Plzen. Entering the city we drove past the Pilsner Brewery which was absolutely massive. The town of Plzen originally had a royal charter permitting it to brew beer and the brewery sort of spread itself out across the city. We entered the city center which was larger than I expected and pretty quaint. Our hotel was on a main road in the city with a little park right outside. The hotel itself was really nice and very old. You could fit a car through all of the doors and the reception desk looked like it hadn't changed since 1920. It made you feel like you were staying there in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

We grabbed some lunch and went on a small tour of the city. Plzen used to have a very large Jewish population and actually has the third largest synagogue in the world. We visited the synagogue first and it was really interesting. Apparently, prior to World War II, the synagogue housed the large Jewish population in Plzen and was very beautiful. But, following the deportation of Plzen Jews to concentration camps the synagogue was used to store Jewish possessions by the Nazis. After the war, services resumed until the communist coup in 1948 when they were once again banned. Services were resumed intermittently throughout communism until they eventually stopped for good some time in the 1970s. During this time the synagogue fell into a state of disrepair because no money was allowed to be spent on repairs of upkeep. Finally, in 1989, the synagogue reopened but by then the Jewish population in Plzen had seriously dwindled. Since then, the building has been partially repaired but because so few jews are left in Plzen no services actually take place there. The synagogue is now used for tours, concerts and art exhibitions. 

Leaving the larger synagogue we went to the original synagogue of Plzen which was also under restoration. Here we learned that none of the Jews in Plzen actually go to services or are really religious. So, when they want to do something, they need to call a rabbi from Prague (one of the two in the Czech Republic), but the rabbi is very conservative so it makes things kind of awkward.

After the synagogue tours we went to the Patton Museum. The only city liberated by the US in World War II, Plzen had the unique treat during communism of  celebrating American liberation while the citizens of Prague had to attend mandatory parades celebrating the Russians. The museum was pretty tiny and lame but it was nice to see some World War II weapons and historical artifacts. 

The Patton Museum concluded the guided tour and we were then free to roam about Plzen. We went to an Easter market in the town square and then headed over to a restaurant and beer museum where you can get unfiltered beer. According to Eva, this beer had not been filtered to take the yeast out of it and as a result is cloudier and better tasting. It is taken to the restaurant every day from the brewery across the river. 

Finished with our, beers we headed out, had dinner and I had an early night.