TRAVEL: Prague, Czech Republic
Discover the very affordable delights of old Bohemia, a little known part of the Czech Republic.
The mention of Bohemia might have plenty of people in the UK - including even some seasoned travellers - scratching their heads and reaching for the map of Europe.
In fact, that part of the Czech Republic stretching south west from the capital of Prague is a delightful countryside of wooded hills, small and peaceful villages, towns with stunning architecture - and so far as British tourists are concerned, largely an undiscovered gem.
After a visit to historic Prague, I found it a great place to escape the hustle and bustle - all within a 90-minute drive from the city and its airport.
From the converted 300-year-old farmhouse where we stayed in the village of Ujzed on the edge of the Sumava National Park, we could walk all day through woods, hills and fields, seeing hardly another soul.
For real outdoor enthusiasts, it's possible to mountain bike for more than 30 miles on undisturbed trails as far as the German border.
Two hours after leaving our farmhouse retreat our walk brought us to the former silver mining village of Hory Matla Boz - it means Mountains of the Mother of God - where our host, guide and interpreter Richard Eccles took us into the local inn, the sort of place where time seems to have stood still.
Richard, 47, a former lecturer from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, switched careers to learn Slavonic languages - and marry his teacher, Czech-born Helena, 38.
He reckoned that when he first set foot in this pub a few years ago he might well have been the first Englishman to do so.
We enjoyed a simple rustic meal of the delicious local soup kulajda, made of milk, cream, eggs, potato, cumin and dill, that arrived in a huge bowl and cost around 50p a head.
It was washed down with a pint of beer costing about 65p. And our landlady was so delighted to have visitors from the UK that she promptly served three large plates of complimentary pancakes topped with cream. Hospitality is still alive and well in this part of the world.
As always in the former Soviet bloc, however, a reminder of the bleaker face of history is rarely very far way.
We met 79-year-old Antony Kopp, who has painstakingly built up a museum recording the history of the village before it is lost forever.
Shortly after Russian troops took control in 1948, Mr Kopp was conscripted in to the army and sent to a labour camp. His "crime" was that he had been a theology student and therefore an enemy of the state.
He looks at part of the museum collection - a gallery of pictures of nine former village mayors - and points to one of them.
"He is the one who denounced me," he says, apparently without bitterness.
Kopp returned to retire to his home in the village after nearly 40 years of exile and the collapse of Soviet rule.
The area's rich history is celebrated with more joy in the fairytale town of Cesky Krumlov, around 90 minutes' drive away from the Ujzed farmhouse, where Richard and Helena offer self-catering or half-board breaks for up to 17 guests. They also offer facilities for corporate events, outdoor and cultural activities and guided tours.
Restored Cesky Krumlov, on a meander in the River Vltava 120 miles upstream from its arrival in Prague, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its castle, which is beautifully lit up at night, is the largest in the Czech Republic after Prague and now the country's third most visited attraction.
Painstakingly renovated houses and cottages line the winding cobbled streets, squares and courtyards of what is hailed as one of the best-preserved Renaissance towns in Europe, together with one of the world's two best 17-century baroque theatres.
Restaurants and taverns, one offering authentic live gypsy music, are scattered among the lanes of the town.
We ate in the welcoming cavern-like basement of the Satlav restaurant, where a huge barbecue grill warms the air. Traditional garlic soup comes with a loaf of bread serving as its bowl (1.50) and the main course of pecene koleno - roasted pork knee, with mustard, horseradish, bread and potato pancakes (6.50) could just about feed a family of four.
Beer fans will love Bohemia. The famous Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pilzen, producing beer for more than 170 years, offers informative guided tours and has an excellent museum nearby with its own pub attached.
But micro breweries are also enjoying a boom, with the number in the country doubling to more than 70 over the past five years.
We were taken to the Modra Hvezda Hotel in the picturesque town of Dobrany where master brewer Petr Petrulasek, 42, single-handedly and lovingly produces 40,000 litres of ale a year, all of it drunk in the hotel and restaurant's own bars.
At 11am the wood-panelled bar and dining rooms, dominated by the big copper brewing vats, were already nearly full with workers taking their traditional early lunch.
Petr rather alarmingly produces his list of beers, ranging from a modest 3.8% strength to a mind-boggling 9% special Christmas ale, and suggests we taste them all in turn. We opt for a more modest programme, bearing in mind the time of day.
He devotes his life to the brewery, which was founded by the hotel's owner 10 years ago.
"The big breweries try to hammer in to everyone's heads what they ought to be drinking and what it should taste like," he said.
"But people want something special and different that they can't buy in a shop. The discerning customer has arrived."
He saw us on our way with a glass of his speciality pivni palenka - a spirit distilled from one of his beers with a strength of 50%.
Fortunately, we had a driver!
Tourism in Prague itself is undergoing a transformation. Hordes of British revellers arriving for stag and hen parties are almost a thing of the past.
Tourist chiefs say that the number of overnight stays by Britons dropped by almost half a million from its peak in 2004 to last year. It seems the weekend partygoers head for other, possibly cheaper, European capitals such as Tallinn and Riga.
"The stag parties were never something we sought or welcomed", said tourism head Jana Hudcova.
"Now we want to revitalise our image."
Prague is the ideal city to stroll around, the best examples of its startling architecture all within walking distance.
We stayed at the minimalist but elegant designer hotel Josef, ideally placed for the Old Town Square with its pavement cafes and, at night, the illuminated spires of the Disney-like Tyn church.
From here it's a short walk through the Jewish quarter and to the span of the Charles Bridge, leading to the quieter streets of the Little Quarter, and above, the imposing Prague Castle and St Vitus' Cathedral.
Later we retreated to the Celnice Restaurant, housed in the city's old Customs House, for a reviving plate of traditional Slovakian halusky - gnocchi served with Tatra sheep's cheese, bacon and spring onion - and all for just over 5.
Prague remains one of Europe's must-see cities, and the ideal start and finish to exploring this charming country.
Travel Facts Peter Beal flew to Prague with bmibaby from Manchester. Daily flights start from 40.99 one way, including taxes and charges. BMIbaby reservations: 0871 224 0224 and www.bmibaby.com
He was a guest at the Czech Farmhouse, where B&B starts at 65pp per night. Visit www.czechfarmhouse.com, email helena@czechfarmhouse.com or call 07940 823 937 or 00 42 0376 394 073.
Double rooms at the Hotel Josef in Prague start at 142 Euros (approx112) a night. Visit www.hoteljosef.com or call 00 42 0221 700 930.
:: The holiday home website www.holidaylettings.co.uk lists nearly 50 holiday homes in Bohemia, ranging from apartments in central Prague to cottages in the Silent Valley National Park. Prices range from 100 per week for two people to 1,000 per week-plus for luxurious properties.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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