Medicus April 2016

T R A V E L

Alan) creates a Vesper cocktail, before winning a high stakes poker game and driving off in an Aston Martin in Casino Royale . But the other movie is my favourite, the wonderful Last Holiday , where Georgia Bird

Magnificent: The Grandhotel Pupp is more than a century old and is one of the gems of travel.

goes to spend her last days before succumbing to the rare neurological ailment called Lampington’s Disease. Rather than die, Ms Bird (played by Queen Latifah, having great fun alongside Gérard Depardieu) discovers that life has not finished with her and she has much to offer it.

Winning streak: Queen Latifah (second from right) in a scene from the film, Last Holiday . The scene was shot in the Casino Club of the Grandhotel Pupp.

My late night wanderings of the corridors of Grandhotel Pupp confirmed my readings: this hotel, of more than a century old and built for the wealthiest European

In fact, according to some accounts, film director Wes Anderson, based his The Grand Budapest Hotel on Grandhotel Pupp. The wide, silent corridors, the huge views, the acres of carpet and the most grandiose interiors imaginable combine to make a memorable stay for any visitor. Don’t miss this magnificent town. Watch the movie Last Holiday (that’s the 2006 version, not the 1950 original) first and then enjoy wandering the town with the film scenes in your head – the Opera House, the magnificent snow- covered mountains, the market square and Hotel Pupp itself.

travellers who “did” the continent is one of the gems of travel.

To quote from the movie: “Does this ceiling ever just make you want to cry?”

When you leave Karlovy Vary, you too will be misty eyed, as the train sweeps through the valley leaving a Shangri La-like memory behind a magical little town that has faced the centuries, offering rest and rehabilitation to many in so many ways. ■

Restorative: A natural spring rises through the river Teplá in Karlovy Vary. (Top) A woman sips water from one of the many fountains scattered around town.

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