Saturday, November 3rd
After hopping off the bus in Karlovy Vary, our first stop was the Moser glass factory. When it was founded 155 years ago, Moser was just in the polishing and engraving business. Now, however, the company makes some of the finest and most highly-collected glass products in the world, from wine glasses, shot glasses, vases, and chandeliers to trophies, jewelry, decorative pieces, and more. Their products can be found anywhere from restaurants right in Karlovy Vary to royal palaces in foreign lands and even the White House. The first thing we saw at Moser was a small museum featuring examples of the company’s work.
Then, before getting into the factory, we stopped to admire the large pieces of colorful glass in the fountain outside.
Inside the factory, we were able to watch teams of glass-makers toil away on their latest assignments at about a half-dozen furnaces. Each team consists of a master, journeyman, and apprentice, and all of them are paid for each product that ships. That means that an error anywhere in the process—which can last months for complicated pieces—can mean that no one gets paid. The job does have its benefits, though. Because the constantly high temperatures in the factory deprive workers of water and minerals, workers can have four beers every day, paid for by the company. If you think you’d like to make glass for Moser, there are only two requirements to becoming an apprentice: you have to be a guy, and you have to be at least 15 years old.
After touring the factory and examining some very fancy, very pricey, and very breakable glass things in Moser’s store, we hopped back on our bus. This time, it dropped us off near our hotel, where we checked in and dropped off our luggage before heading out for some lunch. Although it had seemed as if everyone had had an enjoyable meal, Gena looked a bit displeased afterward.
At any rate, we continued down the town’s main drag toward its famous colonnades, which shelter the town’s equally famous mineral water fountains. For ages, doctors in Karlovy Vary have instructed their visitors to drink from particular fountains to treat certain ills, but we decided to try all of the fountains. Before starting, though, we did as all true spa-goers (or tourists) do and bought ourselves traditional spa cups, the handles of which do double duty as straws.
If I remember correctly, the water at Pramen Svoboda, or Freedom Fountain, tasted somewhat less bad than the water from at least some of the other fountains.
Toward the end of our warm mineral water progressive, we found a stand selling another spa town classic: spa wafers! Naturally, we had to try them out, too. Our overall impression? Much better than the mineral water. So much better, in fact, that as a group we may have purchased a few dozen boxes of them before leaving town. If you’re lucky, someone you know may be bringing some to you.
If you’re not lucky, we will have eaten all of them by the time we’re back in the states. We make no guarantees.
After sampling enough different flavors of spa wafers, we ventured inside the town’s most modern colonnade to try water from the last few fountains and take some silly pictures. After that, several of us headed back to the hotel to examine the possibilities of getting a massage or finding a sauna.
Some of us, however, continued further down the main drag to see the luxurious Grandhotel Pupp. You might know it as Hotel Splendide from the James Bond movie Casino Royale.
After taking in the opulence, we admired the steam rising from the Tepla (Warm) River while heading back to our hotel.
