The Czech Republic becomes more westernized everyday

The Czech Republic becomes more westernized everyday, but still offers glimpses of what was once a truly distinct eastern Europe. This westernization comes with perks (everyone speaks English) and downfalls (insane inflation), but overall there is much charm to be found if one ventures even romotely off the beaten path. For the beer afficionado, however, things are changing for the worse all too rapidly. Small breweries are going out of business and even the mightly Pilsner Urquell has undergone vast changes that most view as for the worse. Still, there is no place better to drink a pilsner and there are some great beers to be found by the astute hunter. There are some sights to see along the way as well. But get there soon before it becomes just one more stop on the European itinerary of the college sophomore crowd.