The Czech Republic

with 4 Comments

Blonde paradise

Our first step into a country that did not use the Euro kicked off with a trip from Berlin to everyone’s favourite city in Central Europe – Prague/Praha.

Chapter 1: Cost, Beer and Women

The first thing that’ll strike you when you head out of the expensive quarters of Western Europe towards Eastern Europe is how much cheaper your surroundings have just become in terms of affordability. From some great roast duck, to classic pilsner beer – they all come at a cost that doesn’t ruffle the insides of your wallet much!

We arrived into Prague/Praha on a lovely sunny day, but alas that was the last we got to see of the sun god for the remainder of our stay there. However, the fog and rain that punctuated the rest of our stay gave this gorgeous city a fairytale like feel – as the photo below indicates

The postcard like view of the 3 bridges connecting the east of the city to the west
The postcard like view of the 3 bridges connecting the east of the city to the west

A visit to the metro stations is very highly recommended as not only do you get to marvel at the fantastic architecture and detail in them, but they also transport the city’s finest women, and believe me they constitute the majority of the female population, and live upto their reputation as being the most gorgeous blonde women one will ever see.

The white spots are seagulls resting for the night. Was quite a serene view with just the water from the river being the only sound we heard.
The white spots are seagulls resting for the night. Was quite a serene view with just the water from the river being the only sound we heard
View of Charles bridge from atop Charles tower and the Praha castle in the far right gloriously illuminated
View of Charles bridge from atop Charles tower and the Praha castle in the far right gloriously illuminated

Chapter 2: Plzen and Kutna Hora

Beer always comes first, so I’ll kick off with describing our visit to Pilzen first over Kutna Hora.

Plzen as the name gives it away, is the home of Pilsner beer of which there are over 60 brands across 72 countries in the world. It’s a 1 hour bus ride away from Praha and is reputed to have quite an active nightlife, although we did not get to have a taste of it. Our visit to Plzen was solely to undertake the Brewery tour and boy it’s every man’s dream or atleast should be on every man’s bucket list. There is a museum inside the brewery with interactive videos that detail the history of its brewing and how the town got about getting it’s name.

There is nothing else besides the brewery that would attract someone to this town, so I’d recommend a day trip. Hint: If you are on a bit of a budget avoid the restaurant inside the brewery. I personally felt the prices were highly inflated and did not warrant the food that was served..

PIlzner Brewery - Is this paradise?
Plzner Brewery – Is this paradise?

Alright time to move onto the lives of the dead. Well literally, for there exists in Kutna Hora, a little town 2 hours away from Praha, a church decorated with the skeletons of over 70,000 humans. History says that the land over the church was bought by a rich family back in the 14th century who decided to build a church on it. However, in the 17 century, accidental digging around the lands revealed that the land on which the church was built was in fact a cemetery. The people of the town then decided that the best way to ‘honour’ the dead was to exhume all bodies and decorate the church with the bones excavated. Thus came into existence the eerie ‘Bone Church’ of Kutna Hora.

What adds to the eerie atmosphere is that the town of Kutna Hora is highly deserted despite have residential complexes around its centre. We hardly saw a soul in the center of the town which left me perplexed with a chill shiver up my spine!

Once you are past the bone church, the St. Barbara cathedral located in the other end of town (still walkable by all means, given that this is Europe) is worth a visit to admire its grand architecture and to sample some hot vino outside the cathedral.

Welcome to the Bone Church at Kutna Hora. Greetings from the dead!
Welcome to the Bone Church at Kutna Hora. Greetings from the dead!
Just yet another chandelier. Made of HUMAN BONES!
Just yet another chandelier. Made of HUMAN BONES!

Chapter 3: Cesky Krumlov

We decided to visit the town of Cesky Krumlov en route to Olomouc. Well Cesky Krumlov is not exactly ‘en route’ as it is 3 hours to the south of Praha, and Olomouc is on the eastern border. Nevertheless, the town of Cesky Krumlov captivates you on arrival, as the bus terminal is beside the Cesky river which flows right through the center of the town with the castle adorning the background. As picture perfect as it gets.

A surprising aspect of the town were the number of people with asian descent that we noticed in the town. I was sure that they outnumbered the locals in town. Also this was just the second time in 2 months that we had to lodge ourselves into a hostel and it was as we expected – just does not match up to couchsurfing!

Cesky Krumlov - The view of the town from atop the hill
Cesky Krumlov – The view of the town from atop the hill

Chapter 4: Olomouc

Olomouc was the first point in our trip where Dee and I decided to party ways, well just for the duration of our stay there as we felt it was important to have a bit of physical space away from each other given that we had a whole year of being around each other 24×7 ahead of us.

Dee was hosted by a lovely Czech girl Irinia and I was hosted by Honza and his troupe of girls. Honza personified your typical bloke – loved his women, cars, sports, beer and food and we got along like a house on fire.

I was taken bloody good care of by Bara his girlfriend, and Beata and Terka his roomies. Had a fabolous time cooking and downing plenty of delicious czech beer with them in this tiny little university town that could be missed if you drove a little too fast.

It had been a while since I had exercised my camera flash, so I decided to do a quick ‘couples shoot’ for Honza and Bara which they absolutely seemed to love and brought a smile to my face.

I was also treated to a local dish named ‘Tartar’ which essentially is raw mince beef traditionally eaten by applying on a loaf of garlic toast – does not particularly sound delicious, but your taste buds will think otherwise!

Honza also took me around to a language exchange meeting where I happened to meet who I know call the ‘Cute but not sexy Megan Fox’ – Denisa and I’ve now got another mate with whom I can couchsurf next time I come around.

The center at Olomouc
The center at Olomouc

The Facts

  • Sample plenty of delicious Czech beer whilst you are here.
  • Couchsurf with Kate – the happiest girl in Praha!
  • 4-5 days would be perfect to spend in this city and visit the nearby towns of Plzen and Kutna Hora
  • Highly recommend the free walking tours of the city with Sandeman. Fascinating history and sights!
  • If you are paying more than 200 kronas for your meal, you’ve been ripped off. Average meals costs 120-130 kronas
  • Go atop the Charles tower. It’s entrance is not very visible to the public, but the view at sunset is stunning!
  • If you are in luck with the weather, ask around how you can get to the hill from where you can get a panoramic view of the 3 bridges. It’s well worth the effort. I recall changing 2 trams but unfortunately do not remember the exact location.
  • SAMPLE PLENTY OF DELICIOUS CZECH BEER AND TARTAR WHILST YOU ARE HERE
  • 4 Responses

    1. Sridhar
      | Reply

      Rohan:

      Fascinating pictures!

      Way, way better than mine……especially the one atop Charles tower! That’s a classic!

      We fondly remember dining in the fine Italian restaurant right on the river .

      Have fun! Hi to Deepa.

      Sridhar

      • Rohan
        | Reply

        Cheers Sridhar, Praha definitely rates as a city we’ll be coming back to. Straight out of a fairytale.
        Unfortunately our thread like budget quite didn’t permit fine dining, nevertheless had a few fine ducks during our stay there!

    2. Munga
      | Reply

      Some of the best pics I’ve ever seen you take, breathtaking stuff buddy

      • Rohan
        | Reply

        Cheers mate, another bucks destination just uncovered!

    Leave a Reply