Karlovy Vary
We went to Karlovy Vary in October to buy a chandelier. We were surprised to find the town so pretty and unique. The city is built on hot springs, so there are Colonnades everywhere. You can buy a porcelain drinking cup at any of the souvenir shops in town. The popular thing to do is to take your cup and drink from the hot springs. I must say, we didn’t care for the water and thought it tasted terrible. But it was fun for our kids to try.
The trip was a success as we came home with a gorgeous chandelier, sconce, Bohemian glasswear, and Czech beer. Yes!
The hotel we stayed in was called:
Hotel Boston
Chandelier Shop:
Crystal Glass Shop
Na Vyhlidce 73
36001 Karlovy Vary
The store we bought our Bohemian Glass from was called Celetna Crystal
Tržiště 23, 36001 Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic – 353 585 132
And lastly, coming from Stuttgart, we took a detour to Nachtmann Factory Outlet. They have great prices on German glass and crystal. They have a warehouse with fantastic prices.
F. X. Nachtmann Bleikristallwerke GmbH
Werksverkauf Neustadt
Zacharias-Frank-Straße 7
92660 Neustadt a. d. Waldnaab
Tel.: +49 – 96 02/30 11 76
Here are a few pictures from our trip…
Tasting spring water at the Colonnade.
Prague
Our family went to Prague for Labor Day last summer. We were living in the hotel at the time, but couldn’t pass up a trip while the weather was nice. Prague is an amazing city with so much history, great architecture and scenery. We stayed at the Castle Steps Inn, which was a few minutes walk from the castle.
Our kids enjoyed a paddle boat ride down the river and under the bridges. We went to the Mucha museum and saw some interesting Art Noveau buildings in that side of town. One of the highlights was taking a private tour around the city for one hour in an old car.
People are asking me for travel photography tips. My advice is to get up early (I know for some a major sacrifice while on vacation), and walk around the most picturesque sights before the crowds arrive. I have taken my most memorable landscape shots at sunrise with no one else around. A prime example is on the St. Charles Bridge in Prague. One of my favorite landmarks anywhere. But forget about getting a good shot anytime after 9:00am. Even at sunrise there were a few people. But mostly just me and the pigeons!
Here are a few favorites…
