Last year the Czech Republic urged the English-speaking world to call it Czechia, the English translation of Česko, which is the Czech word for their country. It may take some time to catch on with the wider populous, but I am determined to do right by this great little country, especially throughout this blog. We’ll put aside the fact that Mr Love seemed stuck in the cold war era and kept calling it Czechoslovakia.
Each country in Europe has slightly different road rules so it’s important to make sure you know what they are before you head across a border. We use the RAC website, which has everything you need to know about driving in each European country. My job is to check the website and make sure we’re both across the rules before we enter a new country. Czechia is one of those countries with an anomaly, a motorway tax that you need to pay on entry by buying a windscreen sticker from a service station. The sticker for 10 days cost $15NZD. Being a stickler for the rules and not wanting to fall foul of Czech law I urged Mr Love to pull into the first service station we came across so we weren’t driving too long without our sticker.
Once compliant we headed on to Brno, the second largest city in Czechia and capital of the Moravia region. In the searches we’d done for campsites we couldn’t find any near the city centre, so settled on a place 23 kilometres out of town by a river, with a ferry stop right next to it. I’d received a very cheery email when I’d reserved a spot, saying we’d be most heartily welcome. This was our first experience in what would be consistent throughout our week in Czechia, the Czechs are super friendly and hospitable! Hana Camping wasn’t flash, a grassy paddock with trees, but it was clean and functional, and the host was lovely, even offering to lend us cash for the ferry to town because we hadn’t yet exchanged our euros for korunas.
The river we were camped beside feeds into Brno Lake, a man-made hydro dam on the edge of the city. The ferry service operates regularly over the summer with boats every 45 minutes. Our stop was the last one up the river so we got to enjoy the full journey. We were surprised by the size of the boats operating on the route, they were double-decked and could carry at least a hundred passengers. The boat trip took an hour and we passed by wetlands filled with birdlife, through woodlands, past the impressive Veveri Castle overlooking the river, and through to the lake with architecturally designed homes nestled amongst the trees, alongside swimming beaches and parks. There are worse ways to travel into a city.
Our campground host had given us instructions on where to catch the tram to the city centre but we must have looked confused as an old gent asked us if we needed help, in Czech. We pointed to the tram sign and said Brno, which was enough to let him know what we wanted. He indicated for us to follow him and we walked up the road together. When we got to the tram track he merrily pointed to the side we needed to be on and bade us farewell. It is amazing how much communication is done without speaking.
Brno is a vibrant university town and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in the centre. Our first stop was Spilberk Castle sitting on a hill at the edge of the historic centre, from there it was across to the nearby Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. Climbing the cathedral tower provided a great view across the town and back towards the castle. These two landmarks create the characteristic skyline of the city. We then descended into the historic town centre, past the town hall and its famous intricately carved gothic portal with the crooked turret. The story is that the carver wasn’t paid, so made the middle turret crooked in spite.
Underneath St James’ Church is the Brno Ossuary, Europe’s second largest after the famous Catacombs of Paris. Built sometime in the 17th century it wasn’t discovered until 2001. The Ossuary houses the bones of over 50,000 people who died during the Swedish siege of Brno and the cholera and plague epidemics. It’s a surreal place to visit. Thousands of bones stacked neatly in formation in the three burial chambers, lit only by candlelight, and with the music of the famous Brno composer Leos Janacek playing in the background, the ambience was calm.
The historic centre doesn’t take long to explore, allowing for a slower pace and time to soak up the atmosphere of the town. After a few hours, we took the tram back to the lake and decided to try some traditional Czech food at one of the lakeside restaurants before catching the last ferry back to camp.
Prague was our next destination. I had visited Prague in 2010 but Andrew had never been. We arrived late in the afternoon to our inner-city campsite. I’m now getting used to the different facial expressions when we arrive at a campsite, here it was the raised eyebrow look of scepticism. It was basically an unused block of land with a rundown building from the communist era in the middle, that is used as a backpacker’s hostel, and a makeshift structure housing the bathrooms and kitchen, and an outdoor bar area. I suggested that we could go to another campground further out of town if he wasn’t happy, but he agreed that location was more important and we set up camp. Mr Love’s mood lifted somewhat when he realised a pint of beer at the campsite bar cost $2.20 NZD. Beer in Czechia is cheap.
Prague is a beautiful city and must be on the travel list of almost everyone on the planet. The city was teeming with tourists enjoying the lovely late summer weather. We spent the first day on the west side of the Vltava River, climbing the steep path to Saint Wenceslas Vineyard, the oldest vineyard in Czechia, and through to magnificent Prague Castle. Within the castle walls is a vast complex of buildings that includes St. Vitus Cathedral, the Romanesque Basilica of St. George, the Renaissance Archbishop’s Palace, a monastery, defense towers, and many other buildings that you can spend hours exploring. Because it is spread over such a large area it didn’t seem crowded and we spent a relaxing morning wandering around this iconic landmark.
Already having climbed the hill we walked through the cobbled streets to the beautiful park on neighbouring Petrin Hill. Petrin Observation Tower is a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower and was built in 1891. It’s only 60 metres tall but as it’s on the summit of Petrin Hill, which is 318 metres high, it seems a lot taller. I managed to persuade Mr Love to accompany me up this tower and we climbed the 299 steps to experience a stunning view over Prague.
Mid-afternoon we wound our way down the steep streets to the river and the famous Charles Bridge. Everyone was on the bridge! We jostled through the crowds and tried to enjoy the historic beauty of this popular pedestrian bridge with its towers at each end and lined by blackened baroque statues. We joined the rest of the tourists and touched the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown from the bridge. The plaque on the statue has been polished to a shine by countless people having touched it over the centuries. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague, although we’re not sure on the latter.
From Charles Bridge, we walked through the crowded narrow lanes of the Old Town to see the elegant Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The distinctive gothic towers with spires capped in gilded balls is an instantly recognisable image. Not far from the church on the Old Town Square is the Astronomical Clock. Every hour for over 605 years this incredible clock has put on a fascinating mechanical display that transfixes those who watch it. We got there just before 4pm and the crowd was huge so we didn’t have the best view, however, the next day we were there in plenty of time and saw it in all its glory – the procession of the 12 Apostles past the clock windows, the moving statues, and the gilded clock face with its astronomical dial, and of course the chimes marking the hour.
In Czechia, they have a long history of winemaking and we found a boutique wine shop selling only local wine. After a tasting, we bought a few bottles of red and some fresh young “wine”, or Burcak, which is a Czech speciality made from partially fermented grape juice. The murky, green-coloured Burcak must be drunk fresh and chilled, and was a very nice way to cap off a busy day sight-seeing in Prague.
The next day we explored the central city, Wenceslas Square, more of the Old Town and finally the historical Jewish Quarter.
Near Wenceslas Square a group were fundraising for mental health by selling bricks to paint and add to a temporary wall. Lots of the bricks bore flags and emblems from countries all over the world so we thought we’d better represent NZ and paint our own brick. The great thing about this fundraiser is that the bricks aren’t just a symbol, after the campaign is finished they are taken away to be used to build houses for those with mental disabilities. Our brick wasn’t a masterpiece but we had a lot of fun painting it.
It was good to visit Prague again, it’s graceful charm makes it one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. However, we were overwhelmed by how crowded with tourists it was, and it made us realise how much we enjoy visiting places off the main tourist routes. Perhaps as we move out of peak season the crowds may start to shrink.
The next day we headed for Karlovy Vary in the west of Czechia. Karlovy Vary was previously known as Carlsbad and is a spa town nestled in the mountains. When we decided to visit Karlovy Vary we thought that being a spa town famous for its restorative thermal mineral water, we must have a spa. We looked online and found one that was authentically Czech, had great reviews, and like a bit of us, so had booked in advance.
We arrived in Karlovy Vary and found the camping ground near town no longer existed, so we did some quick research and drove 6 kilometres into the mountains to the next nearest. It was a resort hotel on the mountain top which also had cabins and a few sites for campervans. Far below was Karlovy Vary. Had we not already booked our spa then we may not have stayed as it seemed a very long way to town on foot, and biking down the steep mountain paths was not an option. It was almost in the too-hard basket until we were reassured by the friendly and welcoming Czech woman at the resort, who told us it would take only an hour to walk through the forest, and that it was a beautiful walk and well worth it. We were convinced, and after lunch headed down the mountain.
At the end of our walk the forest gave way to buildings and slowly the most beautiful and elegant town appeared before us. Karlovy Vary was established in the 16th century but most of the buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries when the town experienced its golden age. Arched footbridges cross the river running through the centre of town and the famous colonnades gracefully line the streets. Mozart and Beethoven were among the rich and famous who came here to bathe in the curative mineral pools. The hot water springs are accessible for all, bubbling from fountains in the colonnades, and a geyser spurts out of a pool in the middle of a cobbled square. The Neo-Renaissance Mill Colonnade, with its 124 Corinthian columns, has five mineral springs, and many people were gathered, sipping the hot mineral water from porcelain jugs sold at stalls along the streets, all hoping the bitter mineral water will bring good health. Apparently, the water is especially good for gastric ailments.
If the mineral fountain isn’t enough, there are many wellness centres that offer treatments and therapies of all types. As tempting as a gastric purification procedure was, we had something much more fun instore, a traditional Beer Spa.
We were lead down into the dimly lit brick and cedar cellar, where a fire was going and our wooden bath tub was waiting. Our host enthusiastically showed us the ingredients before she added them to the mineral water – brewer’s yeast, a selected variety of local organic hops, malt, and a good dose of beer. It smelled amazingly good, not at all like you’d expect. Once the ingredients were mixed in she left us to it and we sunk into the bubbly warmth. Did I mention there were beer taps beside the bath? Yes, we could pour our own pint while soaking in hot, beery-goodness. An hour later we emerged; relaxed and rejuvenated, and only a tiny bit tipsy. This was definitely an experience we won’t forget.
The next day we left Karlovy Vary and headed up through the mountains, past ski fields, and across the border to Germany, towards our next destination – Berlin.
