Going on the guided tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery was an interesting experience. We got to see how the bottles and cans were processed and learn about the ingredients that go into the actual Pilsner Urquell drink. Now if I’m being honest, I’m not a fan of beer, so when we each got to taste it, I did not like it all as it was very bitter. I am at least glad though that I was given the chance to try it since you can only get it in Prague. While we were in Pilsen, I did not really have a chance to walk through the Christmas market that was there, but I did notice some changes compared to the ones I saw in Prague; for example, it had carnival rides such as a carousel and a ferris wheel, plus there was a stable with ponies. It’s so cool passing the vendors though and the variety of items you see being sold, including handcrafted items such as candles, woodwork, and body care items (like the handmade soap and hair shampoo I bought in the Prague Christmas market).
The following day, we went to the Museum of Communism. This is something that would fall under dark tourism since we got to learn about a problematic ideology and how it affected not only the Czech Republic, but surrounding countries. Although I’ve only recently discovered dark tourism, it’s something that I would be interested in exploring when I travel to any destination. It may be a hard and emotional experience, but it can also be a learning experience where you can see how a country’s history or culture shapes how they are today.
Later, we did a food tour of Prague. This was personally one of the highlights of the trip for me. Our tour guide was the absolute best and for me being in a country that I’ve never been to before, I’m always eager to try out the local cuisine. I’m also a bit of a foodie. The tour was broken down into us trying out different styles of Czech cuisine — traditional, modern, desserts, and beverage — and we were taken to different locations to try it out. Between the four styles, I enjoyed eating the traditional Czech food, which consisted of fried cheese with potatoes, sausages, and potato salad, among others.