untapped prague: perusing Pruhonice

So yesterday’s random Czech adventure was a visit to the lovely and relatively nearby village of Pruhonice… home, I had read, to a big park, a fancy castle, a dendrological garden (of all things), and yet another great microbrewery / brewpub — all of which sounded like a Saturday afternoon plan to me!

The brewery in question is U Bezousku, which despite their cheezy looking website is supposed to make some pretty decent beer.

This was definitely more of a schlep than the Richter pub, basically an hour door-to-door from my place in Vinohrady (all on public transport & very easy — metro to a 15-minute bus ride), and super worthwhile.

I was a bit wary going in, as I had no map and no clear idea of where the bus was going to let me off in relation to the pub or the park (which i planned to see first), but all logistical concerns were allayed when it turned out that the bus stop was directly outside the pub! So, of coure I went in to get oriented and see about getting a beer to go, as I had brought a picnic lunch along…

They did not have any pre-filled bottles, so it was fortunate that I decided to bring along a near-empty 1.5 liter bottle of sparkling water, which I was all to happy to have them dump & fill with their very tasty homemade 10 degree lager… Meanwhile, a very friendly guy who seemed to work there in some kind of delivery capacity took it upon himself to make sure that I also tried the 16 degree before deciding on the 10, and then took me on a personal tour of the pub, speaking pretty good English all the way. Very accomodating all around, and went out of his way to give me directions to the Dendrological Garden when I mentioned I was thinking of going there (which was good, bc it was a bit further of a walk than I expected), instead of to the more popular (and i think closer) main park.

So, with my liter and a half of tasty goodness in hand and clear instructions from homeboy, I headed off to what is officially called the Dendrological Garden of the Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape & Ornamental Gardening –having no clear idea of what to expect — and after spending my 40 czk ($2) to enter, found myself walking through wide open fields, orchards, meadows,  hills, ponds, mini-forests, rock sculptures, and amazing flowers… with just about no one else around in this vast space.

After weeks of city living here in Prague, it was so good to be out in the middle of nature, breathing in clean air & soaking up the silence.

Unfortunately, there was more soaking to be done.

So, we’ve been having these days lately where it’s hot and humid all morning, thunderclouds build all day, and then they dump down major rain in the late afternoon / early evening. It didn’t seem like it when I left Prague, but by time I got out to Pruhonice, the clouds were building pretty solidly.

Still, I didn’t really think they’d build up enough to rain in the short time I was gonna be there, so off I went. Deep in. Like at least halfway through its 73 hectares of wide open, shelter-free space. Found a great spot by a pond, sat down for lunch, and by the time I finished eating, I noticed that all of a sudden the calm surface of the pond was now all whitecaps. Wind was picking up. Sky getting dark. Lightning in the distance. Thunder a-rumbling. Rain imminent. Big, big rain. Really really imminent.

So… not exactly ideal circumstances, to say the least. In the last few minutes before the rain started, I decided to do a quick survey of the various groves of trees that were scattered around (this being a dendrological garden, after all), and found that — lo and behold — one of them almost completely concealed a tiny storage shed, which had a roof, which extended over the walls by about maybe 8 inches. This was as close to shelter as I was going to find — and even though the roof was metal, it was lower than most of the surrounding trees and right next to the pond, so I figured it wasn’t THE most likely thing to get hit by lightning… so I slid in alongside the leeward wall, pressed my back up against it, propped my shoulder bag holding my camera & iPhone back behing my legs to keep it as dry as possible, and settled in as the storm began… And what a storm, let me tell you. You know the kind that pounds down like a shower-massage? Like a pissing frat boy? It was one of those.

The first 15 minutes or so werent so bad. I had just enough roof coverage that I could basically watch the rain pour down in teeming sheets and stay pretty much out of it, as long as I kept my back to the wall. Eventually, however, the wind shifted and the drops started finding me… so I pulled out my crappy commuter umbrella that would be of no use at all if I was out in the thick of it, but here it was just enough of an extension to the roof to keep me basically out of the water.

So there I stood. For 45 minutes. It was very zen, I can tell you that. The other thing I can tell you is that I sure was glad to have that 1.5 liter bottle of tasty microbrew to help me pass the time…

Anyway — so following that little mini-epic, I wandered around & took lots of photos of the whole place all fresh and clean and smelling great with that just-rained feeling. You can see them here, if you like.

After a few hours of dendrology, I was ready to head back to U Bezousku for a little refreshment before heading back to Prague. Sat out in the very quaint patio area, had a nice grilled klobase, and then (as there were literally no other customers there) found myself hanging with the head chef, Pavel.

We started talking beer, and the next thing I know, he was taking me on a special private tour of the brewery, including a visit to the lagering tanks in the basement. I was very encouraged to see him grab 2 glasses along with the keys to the basement, as he told me that while the beer served upstairs was good and all, it was nothing compared to how it tastes downstairs, straight from the tank, before any CO2 has been added to get it to the tap…

And I must say he was right. We tasted both the 10 and the 16, and both were amazingly creamy and delicious — a whole different ball game than the more carbonated versions being served upstairs — and so cool to get to try this special treat!

Obviously, this is not something that you can expect to have happen on your visit — Pavel emphasized that if the brewer found out he took me down there, it would not be so good — but who knows? Show up on another slow day when the staff is bored, and you might get lucky too.

After this, we went back upstairs where Pavel poured me one more taste of the 16 — for comparitive purposes, mind you — and then it was time to step outside and onto the bus back to the city and a different kind of strange reality than the one I discovered in this quiet little village just outside of town.

And I never even made it to the park to see the castle — so obviously I will need to go back there again sometime…

In the meantime, here are some selected photos. To see the full set, as well as some great shots from my still-yet-to-be-blogged-about trips to Rome & Florence, just click here.