Photo Thoughts- Zamek Hluboka, Czech Republic

Six Reasons to Leave the Golden City

Upon graduating Cardiff University in June 2012, I took off my mortarboard with a big sigh of “what the devil is next?”

I sloped back over the border to the West Midlands, finished my CELTA in Birmingham and applied for teaching jobs the world over, from Italy to Vietnam. I have ended up somewhere between the two, the beautiful, but oh so modest, Czech Republic and I’m so glad that I did.

And no, I don’t mean Prague. Even if it’s a city just made for old souls like myself.

“Why Tabor?” is, without doubt, the question that I have fended off the most since I arrived here and my answer to that, well, it’s this. Here are the reasons why you should leave the Golden City in its wake:

1) For storybook towns
Where? Telc and Slavonice, Cesky Krumlov, Olomouc, Trebon
Why? You’ll find the type of towns that fairytales are made of with curly, gingerbread rooftops, pristine town squares, loud and lively local pubs, or a beerhall, and riverside walks made for ramblers and romantics. The prices are low, the crowds are few (not Krumlov, admittedly) and you truly get the feeling you’ve discovered the place. You might even have it all to yourself. Stay in tiny pensions and ask the owners for their take on the best places in town.

2) For fairytale forests
Where? Why, everywhere.
Why? Whether you decide to take a slow coach train ride through the South Bohemian countryside or tackle the trails of Cesky Raj, or even just pack a picnic and head to somewhere woody looking, you’ll discover magical looking forests. Carpets of moss, spotty mushrooms, hush hush streams and the odd family of deer; Czech forests are wonderful. That big city noise you left behind in Prague just isn’t really what this land is all about.

3) For huge plates of svíčková na smetaně.
Where? Why, everywhere.
Why? Sirloin steak in a cream and cranberry sauce snuggled into a round of bread dumplings is comfort food with a capital C. And of course, you’d find it in Prague for twice the price and served with twice the noise. There are local spots in the capital too but when time is short, it’s hard to spot em. Little towns serve big portions for small prices and most importantly, have lots more atmosphere; long, dark wooden tables, roaring fireplaces and all the local hound community curled up on the floor napping.

4) For superstar breweries
Where? Plzen, Ceske Budejovice
Why? You’re talking to a woman who used to wish she could ask for a straw with her half pint. Now, I am converted to the clear and golden twelve degree stuff. Why not go straight to the source? Take a bus to Plzen (home of Pilsner) or better yet, wind your way down to Ceske Budejovice (home of Budvar) and then you’re just a stone’s throw from Krumlov too. And when you’re there, you can sup up at Eggenberg (home of Eggenberg, naturally).

5)For bones
Where? Kutna Hora
Why? With chandeliers hanging from the ceiling made entirely from human skulls, Sedlec Ossuary is a film set style experience. In fact, Central Station witnessed a full blown student production being filmed amongst the bones, complete with crushed rose petals and lots of dramatic pauses. Then wander up to cute Kutna Hora and time it for a sunset over St Barbora’s.

6) For Czechs
Where? Why, everywhere.
Why? Because they are the true people of this land, not the English teachers, expats, ERASMUS students, tourists and many, many North Americans who have come to call Prague their own, which in a way it is. Just go a little further and you’ll hear the indecipherable language on the air.

Hang on. Isn’t this supposed to be a blog about where to get a fancy coffee or two in central Europe? Why yes, it is. But look at all this other stuff you can do too. What I can recommend however, is a small and very lovely chain of teahouses sprinkled across the Republic called Dobre Cajovna. With mleko, please.

Dilettante’s Hangout, Cesky Krumlov

Before you climb the staircase to Dilettante’s Hangout, be sure to stock up on daily provisions, and a good few bottles of red. Now, Cesky Krumlov is a Czech jewel and it’s worth seeing again and again. But book into the Buddha room and you won’t.
Because the first thing you’ll do is stoke the fire, uncork your first bottle and curl up on a rug until there’s nothing left but smoky embers.
You’ll move to the buttery brown sofas, determined to visit the Marionette Museum by lunchtime, only to be seduced into staying a little longer by a bevy of Dio’s beauties draped across one wall. Yes, they come straight from the brush of painter, performance artist and Hangout owner Maty Dio who has given the place more than an artist’s touch.
The Hangout is a family affair and a tinkle of the bell brings one his off spring downstairs in a flash. But they disappear as spritely as they appeared, leaving you to slip back into your incense infused seclusion.
Whilst not recommended for platonic daters and lone wolf packers, Dilettante’s Hangout really is the most wonderful place for empty pocket romantics.

Dilettante’s Hangout, Plešivecké náměstí 93, 381 01 Český Krumlov

http://www.dilettanteshangout.com/

Central Station Announcement: Very Inspiring Bloggers Award

Central Station is pleased to announce that it has been nominated for a Very Inspiring Bloggers Award!

To accept the award the rules are as follows:

1) Display the Award logo.
2) Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
3)State seven things about yourself.
4)Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.
5) Notify chosen bloggers.

And so:

1) See above.
2) Thank you to the utterly gorgeous  The Vintage Postcard .
3) Seven Things About Me:

I absolutely cannot roll my “r”s.

I always listen to seventies disco when I clean my bathroom.

When my pet goldfish Stacey died I insisted she be buried on Valentine’s Day in a matchbox under the apple tree in our back garden.

Now that I live here in the Czech, I send my Nans a postcard of a different place I have visited every month and expect them all to be pride of place on the fridge when I return.

Since I visited Italy in February I now will only drink coffee as the Italians do (if it has a splash of milk, it’s for the morning and no other time.) Even if it gives me the shakes.

I lost my favourite hat whilst having my photo taken with Chip and Dale in Disneyland and filed a complaint in ToonTown. Never saw it again.

I will never drink zelina again.

4)
Star Spangled Dreams
The Retiree Diary
Ellie Bloo
Budget Euro Tours
A Bit of Culture
London Lately
The War in My Brain
Traveleum
Photojournalism
Vintage Postcards
The Vintage Traveller
Love.Life
Quarter Life Conversations
Teasenz
Watchful Savvy

5) I’ll see to it now…

The Vintage Guide to Prague: Cafe Slavia

Well, what is it? The quintessential Prague cafe experience complete with castle views and a pianist.
And where is it?Perfectly placed next to the grand sweep of the Vltava River, Cafe Slavia and the National Theatre decided to take a seat next to each other in 1884. The idea was to give theatre goers somewhere chic to have an espresso and dust the snow off their furs before curtain up.
When was its heyday? In the 1920s, Slavia had an art deco facelift that has lasted till this day and the tables were jam packed with poets and philosophers.
Whose company will I be in?The dear Mr President Vaclav Havel was a regular in his playwright days and along with a list of Czech luminaries.
Why do ladies still lunch there? For world class people watching (and tram spotting), around dark circular tables and to the sound of tinkling ivories.
What should I wear?A clouche hat and a drop waist, twenties style.

http://www.cafeslavia.com/

Postcard Thought: Cafe Lourve

The Vintage Guide to Prague: Cafe Lourve

Well, what is it?
A Golden City cafe established in 1902 that shares its name with a City of Lights gallery that’s almost as famous. It also has a patisserie, billiard room and smart looking gallery.
And where is it?
It’s perched a few floors above Narodni Avenue, perfectly situated for a red wine stop after taking in a ballet at The National Theatre.
When was its heyday?
The first half of the twentieth century before the 1948 Communist coup came along and threw all of the cafe fixtures out of the windows, and in the face of supposedly bourgeois establishments.
Whose company will I be in? Czech writers Franz Kafka and Karel Cupak (who introduced the word robot to the English language.) Albert Einstein too when he needed a quick fag break from Charles University.
Why do ladies still lunch there? For pointe shoe pink decor, simple half moon chandeliers, waistcoated waiters, magnificent Viennese coffees and door step sized chocolate cake with tiny silver forks. You can also read the newspaper, or scan the room, from behind a handsome looking newspaper holder.
What should I wear?
Maybe some cigarette trousers. Apparently the Lourve was something of an early feminist strong hold at the turn of the century.

Cafe Lourve, Národní 22, 110 00 Praha 1

http://www.cafelouvre.cz/

And thanks to Google for the old black and white photo.

V Bláznivom živote..

V Bláznivom živote...

The perfect accompaniment to Easter Monday.

Wish List: Six Day Trips to Go On This Summer

Oh, would you look at all that blue sky?
It’s a little bit dull to talk about the weather, of course, but as I write this post, I’m wearing a scarf.
A big, long, bobbly scarf that goes right down to my toes and was made for the iciest of Winters, not for the iciest of Springs.
So the only way to really keep warm is to think about all those lovely day trips you can have once the final slab of black ice cheekily slips from the rooftop above your head and smashes onto the pavement next to you.
That’s when I’ll be packing picnics for:

Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic
Why?
To sweep through pavilions in a crinoline, sip tea in a colonnade cafe and catch the Singing Fountain on a summer’s breeze in the Czech Republic’s great spa town beauty.
http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en/
Cesky Raj, Czech Republic
Why?
To go up and down those tricky looking ladders, wander past folksy looking cottages and for a slice of official Czech Paradise.
http://www.cesky-raj.info/
Karlstein Castle, Czech Republic
Why?
To imagine being a princess locked in that fairytale looking tower, keeping eyes peeled for witches hidden in the beautiful forest cloaking one of the Czech’s most popular castles (and they’ve got plenty.)
http://www.hradkarlstejn.cz/en/
Telc, Czech Republic
Why?
Telc is actually the setting of the blue skied photograph above. It also came with a cruel wind in December. Lots of little cafes and vinoteckas on the fairest town square of all that need to be lounged in with a balmier breeze.
http://www.telc.eu/
Salzburg, Austria
Why?
For tea and cake and horse drawn carriage rides to a Mozart soundtrack, in the city where all the world’s a stage.
http://www.salzburg.info
Bratislava, Slovakia
Why?
A January visit to the Slovakian capital didn’t really cut it for the cafe culture that’s said to bustle on the Old Town’s cobbles. It only comes a big slice of sunshine so it’s time to do it properly.
http://visit.bratislava.sk/en/

Now because this is a wish list, Central Station hasn’t visited all of these spots yet. Is there somewhere that’s just meant for sunny afternoons, flasks of tea and cheese sandwiches that should be on there too?

BERLIN (sketchbook)

BERLIN (sketchbook).

Try and spot the square entitled ” Looking at Lamposts in Starbucks!”