Karlovy Vary, Weight Loss Program - Day 9

View of Mary Magdalene Church from the side

One of my favorite buildings across from the Spring Colonnade. The sculpture in front of it,  Obelisk  by sculptor Paul Opočenského  is controversial because it's been there for about 10 years and the city had refused to pay the artist the $53,000 he felt it was worth mostly because the stone  it was carved from was so special. They , according to what I found online, decided to pay him.

This is a Karlovy Vary version of a speed bump. I love that it blends with the city 's
design. It's right outside my hotel's front door.

Another gloomy day, it's like being back in Ireland with my obsession with the weather but each morning I wake up and look to see if there is any sun. But at least it's not too chilly because there is usually a little snow shower here and there throughout the day.

I left the hotel around 9:30am after having had my water cure and breakfast and then took a three and a half hour hike in the forest that starts behind my hotel. It was warm enough through most of the hike although it got pretty chilly in parts when I reached the higher altitudes but I managed. But I was so happy when I arrived back for my afternoon water cure and then a quick lunch in my room of mozzarella  a slice of bread, yogurt with cinnamon and an orange. It's so great to have a little fridge and all my groceries to prepare quick meals. Okay opening a package of cheese and some yogurt doesn't really qualify as preparing a meal but it still took a few minutes to assemble.

Top of the building in back of the sculpture with a close up on one of the more interesting elements the storm drains. Look closely and see the dark metal ball shaped receptacles one right below the spire and one in the right hand side of the picture. The rain water goes int he top of the balls and then down the drain pipes. I just love that on this unique, artistically interesting building even the drainage system is beautiful. Also the Czech composer, Dvořák lived here.

View going up the stairs behind my hotel toward the entrance to the forrest

Then I was off to he spa for an ant-cellulite treatment which was similar to the chocolate wrap and then some lymph drainage. Oddly enough I really enjoy the lymph drainage, the should sell those machines for home use. Although I do think Brookstones has a version of the same thing in a massage chair where the attachments at the bottom compress the legs.

Saw these snow sculptures on a tree heading up one of the hiking trails.
I love it and they were frozen to the bark. Teddy Bear and Kitty holding hands. So cute!!!

View of St. Luke's Church from the hiking path

I had a 45 minute salt cave after that and this time with a young mother and grandmother from Russia with a 2 year old little girl who was just so cute and played in the sea salt that covers the whole floor and her sister who was probably about 6. The mother was annoying because she spent most of the time texting on her phone and the little girl kept calling "ma, ma, ma" the mother ignored her most of the time. So it wasn't extremely relaxing like other times but I felt great when I left the cave and got to sit this time next to the medium sized fish tank that I guess this spa put in there to give it's guests something to watch (that is those of us without our phones.)

Another picture (different view) of Deer Leap

And I was going to take a walk around the city center area since it was only 5:00pm but I was so exhausted I just couldn't imagine doing it so I took an abbreviated version of the walk getting a picture of Spring #4 (the outside one) that I couldn't get yesterday. It's clearly not functioning as you can tell from the plastic they have covering the top but it's housed in this incredible marble atrium so it's too bad they don't have it working people would gladly congregate in such a pretty place.

Tree Farm

Virgin Mary Shrine

Right above the atrium is a restaurant the Charles IV which I haven't gone to and really don't have much of a desire to but they have a view, since it's sitting about 6 stories up from the street of one of my favorite Art Nouveau buildings with yellow, green and cold accents.

I went and got my evening water cure and then headed up to my room and watched an Agatha Christie movie on Youtub.com as I ate my dinner of a single size serving container of feta cheese, olives, olive oil with Italian spices and garlic. I of course left the garlic at the bottom not matter how good it is for you.  And something I learned from Nicola when we were at the grocery store the other day, Czech garlic is suppose to be one of the best but sadly it's expensive so shops here have begun importing it from China so the Czech garlic business is suffering. She said that a lot of business that used to produce goods here in the Czech have closed because they important more stuff from America, China, Russia, etc.

Rusalka Lookout Point

I also had some red cabbage salad pre-made at the supper market and it had onions and I think radishes  It's a strange combination but at least it's a vegetable that doesn't need to be cooked and it went well with the feta.

Really interesting tree looking all wind blown

I loved the way the branches curved and bent

Small tree being nurtured in it's protective box

Virgin Mary Shrine near Sv. Linhart which I think is a restaurant and also a  rope course for kids and adults to climb in summer months

Pond part near the middle of the forest

Hiking trail and saw that someone found a pink glove and placed it on a tree stump which is now half buried in snow.

Sculptures in small park above Castle Spa. More Satyr (half goat/half man)

Spring #4 above Castle Spa

Dome above Castle Spa. I love the buildings behind.

And at 8:30pm my time I got to chat via Skype with my friend Fiona who is in Ireland at the moment having just completed a 3 week teacher training session in South Sudan, Africa. And now she's off in a  few weeks to Thailand for 2 months. So exciting and I know she's thrilled to be going to somewhere warm and sunny as Ireland has been anything but.

So that was my day. Lots of fresh air, exercise, healthy treatments and healthy water, all good things!!!

Statue near Castle Spa with fish fountain beneath