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CzechRepublic posts
Prague's astronomical clock gets a makeover
Jan 15th, 2012 at 3:00PM:
The famous astronomical clock that is Prague's most popular tourist attraction has lost some star players for the next two months. The four outside figures, including a skeletal Death, have been removed and are being repainted to protect them from the elements.
The clock was built in 1410 and is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. Dials show the position Moon, position of the ...
A (not-very) special Czech Christmas
Dec 23rd, 2011 at 2:00PM:
As the last tiny fireballs shot into the tree, marking the end of this bizarrely belated Christmas celebration, my Czech friend's father, Ladia, looked at me and giggled nervously.
Was he happy we didn't burn down this bone-dry pine tree in their living room? Or was there something else I was missing. Did he know this was it--that I would be emancipating myself from this family and never be ...Holy Water and Wafers in the Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary
Sep 16th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
I had walked for an hour in the northern Bohemian spa town Karlovy Vary looking for a place to eat. I have a general rule when I'm in these tourist-crammed towns: no hotel restaurants and no obvious tourist trap eateries, of which this town formerly known as Carlsbad has plenty. I walked along the babbling Tepla River reciting the words to the Joni Mitchell's heartbreaking "River," a song I ...The Most Dangerous Beverage in Prague
Sep 7th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
There's a specter haunting Central Europe. A very quaffable, sweet-tasting specter, that is. And no, it's not absinthe. This bibulously inspired drink is only around for a few weeks in September. Which means there's much debauchery happening right now in the center of Europe. If, like me, you're in the Czech capital this week, you'll understand when I say that it's the most dangerous beverage in ...Prague in pictures
May 20th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Today's featured summer travel destination has undergone a massive transformation in recent decades. Once regarded as an isolated capital on the red side of the Iron Curtain, it is now the sixth most visited European city behind London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. Having escaped the destructive aerial bombing campaigns of World War II, it is also one of the most immaculately preserved European ...The ten best castles in Europe
Mar 16th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Castles originated in Europe over a thousand years ago. These fortresses were one of the original defense systems, and erecting the structures on hills or just beyond moats was a functional choice. Castles were built to house rulers, impose power, and above all, spurn would be attackers. Conforming to these basic principles of utilitarian design, the strongholds now appear solitary, majestic, ...Schengen and the disappearance of European passport stamps
Mar 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Creative new use for border crossing posts at German/Austrian border.
In the late 1980s, an American spending a summer traveling across Europe with a Eurailpass would see his or her passport stamped possibly dozens of times. With a few exceptions, every time a border was crossed, an immigration agent would pop his or her head into a train compartment, look at everyone's passports, in most ...The sushi invasion of Eastern Europe
Dec 15th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Traveling through Eastern Europe recently, what stood out to me the most (aside from ultra low prices and varying success with capitalism) is the extreme popularity of sushi. Particularly in Kiev and Warsaw, sushi restaurants are nearly as prolific as the national cuisine and if you find yourself in a fashionable restaurant, odds are raw fish will be on the menu.
My husband and I had differing ...Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe
Nov 23rd, 2010 at 10:00AM:
For Americans, Europe can be very expensive. Let's take a moment to acknowledge this fact. Tourist costs are high, and currently the euro is doing well against the dollar, even if the pound is down somewhat from its stratospheric performance a few years ago. So yes, Europe is expensive. But its high costs are merely a marker, not a prisonhouse. There are always ways to cut costs and forge an ...Weekending: Sofia
Oct 5th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
Since moving to Istanbul, I've gotten the chance to travel to a lot of interesting destinations, from Beirut to Bosnia, that are much easier and cheaper to access from Turkey than America. For my first long (more than a weekend) trip, I went to Bulgaria for a week over US Labor Day and Turkish bayram (end of Ramadan holidays). Over the week, I traveled from the capital city Sofia to medieval ...Weekending: Prague
Sep 3rd, 2010 at 3:00PM:
While I'm living in Istanbul, I try to take advantage of all the amazing destinations a few hours' flight away and travel there as often as possible. I like to focus on destinations that are harder to access from the US for just a few days (such as Turkey's beach town Bodrum) and places best explored while I'm still relatively young and unencumbered (to wit: Beirut). Traveling as an expat takes ...Top five weekend travel media stories
Jun 21st, 2010 at 8:00AM: Here are some of the best travel stories from this weekend's English-speaking newspaper travel media.
1. In the New York Times, Stephen Heyman profiles six moderately-priced New York City boutique hotels. One of the boutique hotels reviewed even has nightly rates under $200!
2. In the Globe and Mail, Heather Zorzini writes about her night in the apparently quite beautiful Dildo, ...Photo of the Day (12/16/09)
Dec 16th, 2009 at 11:15PM:
Taken outside Tyn Church in Prague, this shot by uncorneredmarket does a lovely job of capturing an important aspect of the Czech Republic's holiday season. Christmas markets offer visitors a variety of Czech crafts and food that are served up with twinkling lights and evergreens.
A cup of hot wine, a traditional beverage of such markets, would make a perfect accompaniment for such an evening. ...Beer bath isn't what it was in college
Apr 14th, 2009 at 9:30AM: You know how a case of beer can make you feel great? Well, this concept takes on a new meaning in the Czech Republic. There's a difference between wading into a bathtub full of Natty Light and enjoying an unusual spa treatment in the Czech Republic. In Chodova Plana, a beer town close to Czech spa destinations, you can enjoy beer-based treatments at the Hotel U Sladka's spa. Half a dozen tubs form ...Beer babe's favorite European bars
Feb 15th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Katarina Van Derham, the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, doesn't like to spend all her time in one place. The Slovakia native now lives in Los Angeles and still loves to get out on the road as much as possible. When she's home, her favorite place to grab a pint is Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica. She can have a relaxing drink on the patio, which is a prime people-watching spot. Of course, she ...It's bur?ák season in Prague! Try it, with caution
Sep 29th, 2008 at 10:00AM: This weekend I was in Prague, happy to be reminded, thanks to signs hung in pretty much every bar and cafe window, that it's once again bur?ák season! Huh? you say. From now into November, most drinking holes outside of seedy herna, or gambling, bars will be offering bur?ák, which is barely fermented wine. If Beaujolais is the French answer to early wine, bur?ák -- ...Prague transportation: Traveling to the Czech capital? Be choosy about how you get around the city
Jul 15th, 2008 at 12:00PM: If you're heading to Prague this summer, one of the first things you'll notice when arriving at Ruzyne Airport is the number of car services competing for your business. Prague's airport is not serviced by the city's subway network, though talk is ongoing about eventually extending it. If you go the public transportation route, that means a bus, usually the 119 that takes you to end station on ...From the New Europe: The Unbearable Appeal of Being in Prague
Mar 29th, 2008 at 1:30PM: It is still a fairly common cliche in Prague: a backpacker with a beat up copy of Milan Kundera's 1984 novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, trying to discover the Prague Kundera once described.
That Prague--desperate amidst the Russian invasion--does not exist anymore. The locals don't want it to exist. I always sense a little disappointment when tourists find out that Prague is not at all ...From the New Europe: 106 cars collide in a snow storm
Mar 21st, 2008 at 5:55PM: They don't call the D1, the major Czech highway, a "death trap" for nothing. Yesterday morning amidst a surprising spring snow storm which brought down as much as one inch of snow within minutes, the D1 turned into a bloody mess. Lucky me, I drove to Prague from Moravia just hours before the accident happened.
It all started with two semi trucks getting stuck mid-hill (summer tires?) about ...From the New Europe: Three hemp plants? No problem in the Czech Republic
Mar 17th, 2008 at 11:20AM: On Friday after a hearty Czech meal, my Mom popped the question. She asked me if I could somehow manage to get her a hemp plant or two. At first, I thought it was a trick question. What do you answer? So I said what any good Czech daughter would say. "Sure Mom. I think I can manage that."
I know she has no intentions of actually using it for "marijuana-smoking purposes," but her request still ...
