Category Archives: Reviews

Travel Advisory: Good & Bad

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Easter Market at Old Town Square, Prague

Easter, Old Town Square
Photo by Karin

U Vejvodů  is a large and busy pub/restaurant in the center of Prague’s tourist area near Old Town Square.  On their home page they write:

“During our operation of this restaurant we have received several pleasant evaluations in the form of letters of thanks from the highest representatives of our government, artists and members of the diplomatic corps and authorities.”

They don’t write that they have been repeatedly fined (the most recent for over $8,000) for charging tips without notifying patrons, for charging for un-ordered bread, for serving short measure beers and other infractions.

Another on the list of heavy fines is the Mystic Cafe at Loretanska 174/3 above Prague Castle.  Their reviews are so consistently bad I am surprised they are still in business.  Other places recently fined include Bar Nebe(Heaven Bar) on Wenceslas Square, and two restaurants near Charles Bridge Čertovka and V Lázních.

Prague as any large city has problems with pickpockets and scamming taxi drivers and as any popular tourist area has unscrupulous people who take advantage of the naive. Just this week as I was visiting the Easter Market on Old Town Square I decided I wanted something to eat and settled on “Prague Ham 90 Kc” according to the sign on a permanent food stand.  I ordered and counted out 90 crowns. Immediately the guy said “No, not 90 crowns.  The portion is too small; it needs to be more.”  I replied that I only wanted to spend 90.  He shrugged.  I picked up my money and moved on.

So, as all the travel guides, I repeat this travel advisory:  Pay attention to what you order and what you get. Check your bill and ask questions until you understand and agree to everything on it.

Easter market in PragueNow for the good:  Easter in the Czech Republic.  We are having trouble choosing how best to celebrate the holiday.  The weather is expected to be warm and sunny and our choices are too many.  Maybe you can help.  Check out this web page from CzechTourism:  Celebrate Easter Old and New  It lists local festivals all around the country.  Let us know which you would choose. 🙂

Kutna Hora

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This town and its suburb, Sedlec, have a mixed reputation.  Yet we consider it a must go for any visitors that are spending a week or more in Prague.  Only an hour train ride away it offers all the glory of a former silver mining capital along with the gruesomeness of a unique ossuary.

Crest of bones at Kutna Hora Ossuary Massive bone pile at Kutna Hora Ossuary

Bones, bones everywhere.  The crest is of the Schwarzenberg family and includes a crow pecking the eye of a Turk.  There are many other “art works” and four massive piles in each of the four corners.  For more photos and a bit of history see Karin’s photo journal.

This bone church causes conflict with visitors.  It is one of those places that you think you have to go to see for yourself and be able to say “I was there!”  Yet afterwards it is a let down. Within five minutes you are finished and ready to move on.  Thankfully the admission is only $2 and then you have the rest of the day to enjoy the hillside town and its wealth of magnificent buildings.

View in Kutna Hora in January View in Kutna Hora in JuneThese two photos show our January visit and our June visit.  Since our first three trips to the Czech Republic were during winter we are really enjoying seeing the differences when we return to the same places in the summer.

house of a silver Baron in Kutna Hora Traditional beer hall in Kutna Hora: DacickyThere are many other fine buildings and sites in the town.  See more of them at this photo album     We usually try to stay away from “tourist restaurants” but this one had such a good write-up we gave it a try. It is called Dacicky Pivnice (Beer hall). In January it was quite cozy and the food was excellent; we shall return.

This is the best day trip out of Prague.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

More Connections: Oregon

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As you can tell from the previous post, I like to write about small world connections on this huge globe we live on.  Also I realize the title of this blog is not particularly creative, yet it seemed to fit well for us.  So I receive Google Alerts whenever the phrase Czech Mates is indexed.  Most are sports connected; a few are music reviews(even fewer are related to this blog).

U of Oregon logoThe most recent was for two Czech musicians playing at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene, Oregon on 29 June, 2013.  Sounds great!

Travel back to the old country with two Czech emigrés who offer a fresh take on European folk music, seasoned with amazing skill, inviting humor, and a joyous kick. A U.S. champion mandolinist, Radim Zenkl is equally fluent on a variety of flutes, whistles, didgeridoo, and vocals. Leo Chern contributes keyboards, bass, and percussion as this spirited duo creates a world of sound.

Eugene was the site of some of the best years of my life as a student at the University of Oregon. This was a few years before the Oregon Bach Festival started so I have not attended this festival.  But I do have fond memories of the Abbey Bach Festival in Mount Angel, Oregon.  Karin and I went on one of our early dates before we were married.  It is a delightful affair with monks singing vespers followed by gourmet box dinner followed by great Bach music.  That same formula is still followed the last time I looked.  Update at Mount Angel Abbey Bach Festival

Mt. Hood from Mt. Angel

This photo is taken from the Abbey grounds where our grandson graduated in 2012.  So the list of Prague and Czech connections to my world goes on.  If you know of others within the six degrees of connection, please comment.  Cheers.

Missing Prague

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We have not been posting due to the joys of travel:  visiting friends and family, time consumed on the road, irregular internet service and the like.  We are now settling into a new, if temporary, home in Ennis, Ireland.  So here is a post.

As we have written before we love Mexican food–as long as it has authentic taste.  I think we have also praised the web site Expats.cz.  Now we have a two for one; an Expat.cz article about the Mexacali Hot Shop.  Click the link to read the excellent article by Ginny Contreras or go directly to Mexicka¡ kuchyna to order on line.