Day Eleven - Saturday 18 October 2014 - Litomerice, Czech Republic

At 5:00 am while we are sleeping the Clara Schumann leaves Decin for Litomerice.  After breakfast Stefanie holds a disembarkation briefing for tomorrow when we leave the boat in Melnick -- then board a bus to Prague for one night.

Litomerice, Czech Republic

Our options today are the walking tour of Litomerice which includes a visit to the Labut Brewery to taste the beers of the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic,  or a visit to Terezin , a former concentration camp.    Some of us opt for the beer tasting since we will be visiting Auschwitz when we are in Krakow and that is enough.

The Clara Schumann arrives in Litomerice about 1:00 pm.    The town is nice enough but everything closes Saturday afternoon through Sunday -- so there is not much to see except for the exteriors of the buildings and the central market square.  

From Mark, our guide, we learn that the Czech Republic is a landlocked country --about the size of Scotland -- with a population of 10.2 million people -- 10% of whom live in Prague. It is bordered by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland.   

Litomerice is at the confluence of the Elbe and Ohre Rivers in an area known as the Garden of Bohemia -- it is thought to be one of the prettiest areas of the Czech Republic.  Emerging as a town in the 11th Century, Litomerice came into its own during the Renaissance in the 16th Century when the Italian architect, Ambrose Balli built the town hall with its chalice-like dome and the Black Eagle House.

A street in Litomerice.

Czech's love their beer -- consuming more than any other country in the world at 320 pints per person annually.  The first Czech brewery was established in the 12th Century.   The town of Pilsen is where  pilsner-style pale lager was originally produced in 1842 -- it is now a brewing mecca.    Every year in May a seventeen-day beer festival is held in Prague -- I can just imagine.

We move on to the Labut Brewery --- we are served three healthy mugs of different beers to taste with platters of meats, cheeses and breads. These people are most welcoming and do a very nice job -- all the beers are good.

At the Labut Brewery.

Back on board the Clara Schumann -- it is time to pack and make our preparations for disembarkation -- paying the bill and deciding on the tipping.  At 6:30 the Captain's Cocktail Party takes place -- where all thirty-five members of the crew are brought into the lounge so we can say good bye.  This is followed by a dinner with lots of food and merry-making.

Officers of the Clara Schumann!

 We have had a very good last day on the Elbe River.

Thanks for Reading

Pat

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