Bundled up in wool hats, scarves, mittens, and about two kilos of extra weight in clothes (and admittedly a “few” added grams from the cheese we’ve been consuming) we wind our way through the woods behind the 12^th-century Strahov monastery. I think of Robert Frost’s famous lines, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep.” Like Frost surmised, we probably do have miles to go—and tons to see—before the husband and I settle in for the night at our 1620-built hotel, now part of a UNESCO-world-heritage site.

It’s about 3pm and, already, dusk has set in with surprising decisiveness. In the clearing, we spot an unassuming Hansel-and-Gretel-like cottage. The sign outside quietly proclaims that they serve Czech beer—specifically, beer brewed by the monks who still live in the monastery we just passed. Beer-brewing monks? There’s absolutely no stopping us now.

Read more here (Spoiler alert … link may take you to a rather well-known site. Hehe. *Stupid grin plastered on my face)