Calamari Vary, a.k.a. Karlovy Vary

After our Girls Night In, complete with fondue and movie night, the ladies and I were ready for our trip to Calamari Vary!

I mean, Karlovy Vary.

Some peeps aren't so good with the pronunciation, so this became our inside joke. It's probably not that funny to you, huh? I guess you just had to be there.

As you can see, there was way too much fun to be had!

The idea to visit this town came from the movie, Last Holiday, since it was filmed there. Much of the movie took place at the GrandHotel Pupp, and I was dying to see it! From Hohenfels, the trip is a little over two hours long, easily doable in a day. Here are the things you should know:

1. You MUST purchase a vignette for this trip (at least from the direction we drove in from). This covers the toll tax on certain roads. Many European countries require these, so always check before your trip if it's necessary.

Vignette

The smallest vignette we could purchase was for 10 days. Of course, we didn't need the whole ten days, but that's the way it works. The price was 11,50 Euro. The directions for use are on the back of the vignette, they tell you what information to write on it and where to place the sticker on your car.

2. When you stop for the vignette, I highly suggest using the ATM at the gas station. We stopped at the first gas station right over the border. These nearly always carry the vignettes you need, so it's best to purchase right away rather than search for one later.

Czech koruna

The reason I tell you to use the ATM there is this: we could only find one ATM in Karlovy Vary, and it was nearly a 2km walk! There were lots of places to exchange your money if you had euros on you, but the rates would not have been as good. Many of the places we stopped would only accept the Czech koruna, and they would not take credit cards.

3. Pick your parking deck before you go, and plug that into your GPS. I'm happy we did this, the town can be confusing to drive in. My GPS took us straight to the parking deck. I chose one on Libusina Street, with security cameras and a free WC. The whole day only cost about 11 US dollars. Worth it!



Ok, enough of the practical stuff. Let's get to the fun!

View of the GrandHotel Pupp

The main street in Karlovy Vary

We turned right out of the parking garage and headed down the hill into town. One of the first things we saw was the GrandHotel Pupp! If you've seen the movie, then I'm sure you recognize this. After a mad search for the ATM (don't be like us, people!), we made our way to the Diana Observation tower. There are several of the towers around town, accessible from a funicular (cost was 80 Czech koruna for the roundtrip). Our plan was to see the view and grab lunch at the top.

Diana Observation Tower

The restaurant was good, and not too crowded. You can take an elevator to the top of the tower (free), and there is even a petting zoo behind the restaurant. If you want, you can hike back to town instead of taking the funicular.

Top of Diana Observation Tower

We saved room for dessert after our meal, because we were headed back down the mountain to Cafe Pupp! Mmmmm….. chocolate and cake and yummy goodness…

Dessert at Cafe Pupp

I have to be honest here. We were those crazy tourists taking pictures of everything! We even managed a selfie (taken by our Selfie Queen, Deborah):

I don't care (much) that people stared. The hotel was gorgeous, and the cake was so dang good. We were a little rotten, but who isn't every once in a while?

We did everything I wanted with our day, we even tasted the extra-special, supposedly healthy, funny tasting spring water:

Drinking the mineral water… we have very different reactions, ha! 

You buy special cups (the handle is a straw!), so the minerals don't all settle on the bottom of your glass. The cups are sold from street vendors everywhere, and they weren't expensive. I think the prices converted to about 5 US dollars. You can also just bring an empty bottle of your own if you want.

The drinking fountains are all over town. If you're thirsty, just walk up and grab a sip. Fair warning though… the water is hot from the natural spring, it definitely tastes "different", and because of its so-called healing properties I would consider it a cleanse. As in, don't drink much unless you want to spend your day in the bathroom. Capisce?

We also sampled the local wafer cookies, and totally fell in love.

Someone ate theirs before I got a pic. That someone was not me. Well, not me alone anyway.

The cookies are sold everywhere on the street, individually like above or in boxes. Care to guess how many boxes I came home with?!

To round out our day, we finished with a horse and buggy ride around town. It was a great opportunity to get off our feet for a bit, relax and enjoy.

As seems to be the usual, we were blessed with great weather (thanks to our Magic Sunglasses lady). I'm so lucky to have such great neighbors to hang out with, and I can't wait for our next adventure.

Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

Girls Night In!

Have you ever seen the movie Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah? If the answer is no, you should probably watch it. Especially if you like fluffy girl movies. Which I do.

Anyway! I thought this was a cute movie. I was watching it one night shortly after we moved to Germany, when I suddenly realized… 

… much of this movie takes place, and was filmed, only a few short hours away from where I'm currently living!! Do you know what this means???

I can go visit there! And I totally did. Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it soon. 

You probably think I'm nuts, but little things like this excite me. I got my friends all stirred up about it too, so they came with me. Before the trip, we decided to have a girls night in with food and wine, and a showing of the movie. 

Fun, yes? 

Meat and veggie platters

Cheese tray from around the world

Chocolate fondue and dippers! 

We piled our plates high, poured ourselves some wine, and snuggled down with fuzzy blankets to watch the show. Much of the movie takes place in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in the Czech Republic. We loved exploring this town, and I'm excited to share all the stories and pics with you! 

In the meantime, I'm passing along my chocolate fondue recipe to you, in case you'd like to host a Girls Night In yourself...

This recipe is super simple. In your electric fondue pot (if you're using a sterno candle, then do this in a double boiler first and transfer to your fondue pot), combine the following: 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, 12 ounces milk chocolate chips, 2 cups heavy cream, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons butter. Warm over low heat until melted and smooth. Then dip your favorite stuff into the chocolate, and enjoy! 

As always peeps, the standard recipe is below. And I've included a list of "dipper" suggestions too. Until next time, happy cooking! I'll be back soon with the details from our trip, so stay tuned.  

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Basic Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

If you’re using an electric fondue pot, turn the heat on low. Add all ingredients to the pot and stir until melted and smooth. Serve with your favorite dippers.

If you’re not using an electric fondue pot, melt the ingredients together in a double boiler. Once smooth, transfer to your fondue pot and keep warm with a sterno.

Dipper Suggestions: Marshmallows, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, graham crackers, pretzels, salty potato chips, cooked bacon, brownie bites, maraschino cherries, apple slices, pineapple, biscotti, soft caramels, meringue cookies

Cheb, Czech Republic

So, last I left you, me and the gang were at the Asian Dragon Bazar, before making our way into the nearby town of Cheb. I'm always surprised how close the countries and cities are to each other here in Europe. After a mere two hour drive, we were in an entirely different country!

We had no plans for this picturesque town. Our main goal at that point was to find a restaurant for lunch. We were unsure if the local establishments would take Euro, so there was also a possibility we would need to find an ATM.

Cheb city street

With no GPS address, we were flying by the seat of our pants. It's the best way to fly, am I right?

Here's a helpful tip, which one of the ladies pointed out whilst we were driving (and after only one u-turn). Look for signs that say "center", meaning city center. That's where all the good stuff is, peeps. The sign we found in Cheb looked like this:

City centre sign

If you're coming from the Asian market, like we did, simply turn right on the main road leaving the bazar. Follow that several miles into Cheb, where you can then follow the city center signs.

After finding parking (which also caused a few moments of confusion, lemme tell ya), we wandered into the city center.

City center square

City center square

At one end of the square are several buildings, with a unique alley between them. This grouping of 11 buildings dates back to the late-Gothic period, and are known as Špalíček. Between them runs Shopkeeper's Lane. The narrow walkway is a great representation of a medieval pathway. Narrow spaces like this, where human waste was typically dumped, became home to rats who would spread disease.

Cheerful, huh?

Left: Špalíček
Right: Shopkeeper's Lane

Because we were all starving, we sought out a restaurant right away. If you're facing Špalíček, there is a great little restaurant on the left hand side (it's actually part of Špalíček). The shop owner accepted our Euros, he was incredibly friendly, and the food was fantastic!

Top left: Špalíček, restaurant on far right
Bottom right: My meal

One thing we all particularly loved were the potato croquettes. These are the ball-shaped items in the picture of my meal, above. You can imagine how many jokes started from that, haha. But seriously peeps, they were delicious, we highly recommend.

With no real plan in mind, we left the restaurant to wander the city streets for a few hours before heading home. The city is beautiful. We stumbled across so many sights:

The town of Cheb makes a great day trip, if you're this close, don't you think? I plan to go back again soon. And, it's a great little town to show off when I have company in town!

I'll be back again soon, my friends. This time with stories, and pictures, and video from Fasching. Until then, happy traveling!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

Asian Dragon Market, Czech

This week, some of the ladies and I took a random road trip to Cheb, in the Czech Republic. This may sound like a ridiculously long road trip, but in reality, the border is only about 90 minutes away. I was so surprised to arrive in Germany and find that countries are really the size of a US state. Lucky for us, we're very centrally located, so it's easy to visit many countries whilst here.

Our Cheb trip was all about shopping, with a bit of sightseeing thrown in. We specifically wanted to tour the Asian Dragon Bazar, have a little lunch, wander town, and then be home before dinner.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE living in Europe??

Of course, I was a little nervous driving into a new country. Who wouldn't be? But it turned out to be simple. Driving from Hohenfels, our car didn't even require a vignette. Plus, the market was so close, we got there and back again with less than ½ tank of gas.

The ladies, with their purchases, at the Asian Dragon Bazar

For those of you who wish to visit, this is the GPS address for the market: 

Svatý Kříž

350 02 Cheb

Czech Republic

After crossing the border (the sign is quite small, we almost didn't see it!), the market is just a short distance down on your right hand side, perhaps a mile or less. 

We arrived early in the day, around 10:30 a.m., and many of the vendors were just setting up. Upon parking, we noticed the vehicle next to ours could use, ahem, a little work.

As my pal, Jen the Baker, quickly pointed out… we shouldn't park next to that vehicle. Seriously. We moved several spots over, and then… we were ready to shop!

Some of the vendors at the Asian Dragon Bazar

Fair warning: If you're the type of person who's used to sparkling shopping malls, perfect displays, and polite sales clerks (not that there's anything wrong with that!), then this is not the place for you.

As our group wandered down the first aisle, I instantly felt at home. Come on, we all know my favorite place in the world is NYC! This collection of stalls was simply Manhattan's Chinatown in Czech. Shopkeepers whisper to you, "Louis Vuitton? Prada? Gucci?" as you walk past. (Take careful note, however. Knockoffs are strictly illegal, so I don't suggest attempting to purchase these). Bargaining is fully expected when you buy anything here. In fact, if you don't bargain, you're a fool. 

For example… several members of our group walked away with woven picnic baskets. The initial asking price was around 24 euros. By the time they finished, they had two baskets for the price of one! Don't be afraid. Bargain.

I'm even going to give you a good tip: Before you even ask what the price of your item is, decide what you're willing to pay for it. If the vendor won't lower to that price, then walk away. You must be capable of walking away, peeps. I swear, these shopkeepers can smell a sucker a mile away.

Next topic! Receiving an honorable mention on our market tour was the restrooms (pictured above). This was definitely the most interesting bathroom I've used in Europe so far (that's the nicest thing I can say). Like many restrooms here, there was a charge for use. What wasn't expected, however, was the few stingy squares of paper you are handed as you walk in and provide payment.

I'm not even kidding here. And I wish I was.

So, I don't suggest using these if you've really gotta go, if you catch my drift. Another note, most of the doors didn't lock or even shut properly. Engage the buddy system people! I wouldn't want to be in those bathrooms alone. It's better safe than sorry.

Despite the bathroom adventure, our shopping was a blast! We bargained well, and everyone found a good deal. Some of the items for sale at the stalls included: wooden bird houses, Christmas decorations, scarves (hundreds of scarves!), jeans, sweatshirts, shoes, purses, wallets, luggage, linens, china, crystal, rugs, picnic baskets, hats, gloves, children's' toys… the list could go on and on!

The best thing for sale, however, was this: Dirty garden gnomes! I definitely regret not purchasing a few of those. Next time, I'm getting several. There were mooners and flashers (of both sexes, haha), and a variety of other hilarious (and totally inappropriate) positions. I can't believe I resisted purchasing. I want a gnome!

From the market, we made our way to the town center of Cheb. 

Cute, isn't it? This town was great, we loved wandering the city streets. I'll be back later this weekend with all the pictures and deets about the rest of our day.

Until then, happy traveling, my friends!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

Mental Health Day

At least once a week, I need what I like to call a "mental health" day. This is a day where I can do anything I want, even if it means hanging out in my pjs and nothing else.

I often find that people feel guilty over doing nothing. As if we're awful people for not checking off a certain number of items from our to-do list. We shouldn't feel that way! Everyone needs time to decompress. I seriously don't function well when my schedule is run, run, run and do, do, do. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I need a little time for… well, whatever I want.

To be honest, I usually don't just sit and do nothing. I can accomplish stuff on my mental health day, if I choose to. That's the key. 

So today, I did a lot of what some people might consider nothing. I slept in, and cuddled with my dog a bit. 

Ain't she cute? She's a terrific smuggler too. 

I took my time making breakfast, which I actually ate around lunch time (I made my magic avocado sandwich!). I checked my email, cleaned up the kitchen, and then spent an hour with a good book and a cup of coffee. 

I did manage two loads of laundry today. And I called a travel agent about some of our summer plans. And then I spent 3 hours on the phone, most of it chatting with my stateside pal, Abby. Miss her like crazy! 

I even warmed up leftovers for dinner. I'm, like, SuperWoman. 

I know it sounds like I'm a lazy bum, but this is what a mental health day is for. To relax and organize your brain, so it's ready to tackle the big stuff. Every other day this week, I've been running around. I'm out all day, taking care of business and enjoying the hustle and bustle of living in Europe. This weekend will be busy too. So today was my scheduled chill day. 

Yes, I schedule these things. It's ok. You can do it too, it's cool. 

I'm about to hit the sack, so I get a full eight hours before the crazy starts again. See, tomorrow I'm heading to a Fasching festival with ACS. Yesterday, I was in the Czech republic. Friday, I'm grocery shopping and paying bills and all sorts of menial tasks. The weekend is already packed with two full days of fun.

My brain needed to catch up. 

I'll be back soon with a great post about my trip into Czech. I sorted a few of the photographs this evening, but mental health took over and I'm done for the night. Here's a quick sneak peak:

Do you take days for some rest and relaxation, or is that just me? I'll catch ya on the flip side, keep a lookout for my next post about Cheb, the cute little town you see in the photograph above. 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com