Luhačovice, Czech Republic

Yesterday's adventure was a drive to the Czech spa town of Luhačovice. It is a little over an hour away from Brno by car; about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Zlín. Claudia, Norbert, Natalie and I went to explore the town and to sample the various mineral waters there.
In the Luhačovice area there is one sulfurous spring and 17 sodium hydrocarbonate acidulous springs. Fifteen thousand liters (~4000 gallons) of water flows to the top every hour. The water here is considered by many to be the most effective in Europe due to the high content of minerals, particularly sodium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, bromine, iodine, carbonic acid and dissolved carbon dioxide. The most famous springs are Vincentka, Dr. Šťastný, Aloiska, Ottovka and St. Joseph.
The medicinal effects of Luhačovice's waters were documented back in 1669. The spas here use the different spring waters to treat respiratory tract illnesses, digestive issues, diabetes, metabolic dysfunctions and blood circulation diseases.
The town is cute and it was nice to just walk around. You can go to free fountains and try some of the various mineral waters and even fill up empty water bottles. One of the most popular waters to try is Vincentka and you could try it either cold or warm. Both ways were God awful!! I had actually tried this one before. A couple of months ago, one of my colleagues brought a bottle of Vincentka in to work because his stomach was upset. The water smells horrible and tastes even worse. But for some reason people here think it's wonderful. I just don't get it.
Later in the day we drove about a half-hour to Buchlov Castle but it closed as soon as we got there. We found a nice spot though where we could watch a hot air balloon festival. Another great little day trip. We'll have to go back to Buchlooundv again to visit the castle.