PragueBuzz!

To
the South of Prague hidden a wonderful summer recreational center where you can rent a boat, drifting along the Sazava river and camping outside on the river bank. The place has not been overrun by tourists and remains unknown to many local Czechs; an expat friend of mine accidentally discovered the spot during a car trip outside of Prague.

The basic one-day, 16-km, six-hour trip from Tyznec nad Sazavou to Petrov carrying you through various scenic routes where you can catch glimpses of Czechs’ summer pastime. Canoeing has been very popular activity for the Czechs, from avid sport-lovers who exersise religiously to couch potatoes who go on canoe trip because of school requirement. Honza told me that almost every Czech had gone on a canoe trip at least once.

Czech rivers might not fulfil a hard-core adventurer’s adrenaline dream but they do
statisfy every average Joe’s weekend escape. The still current will surely indulge a lazy person who fancies nothing than to sip on a beer can. But by the time you finish that
beer, you will find yourself struggling in rippling water fully of rocks and have to paddle hard to avoid cap-side. The water level can be low at some parts that your ass will bump against one rock after another, sharp, round and irregular-shaped. Sometimes you find yourself and your boat sitting on top of stubborn rocks and continue staying there no
matter how rhythmic and synchronized your and fellow riders’ butt-movement are to slide the boat down. When the water is high enough, it’s fun sliding down flat bedded rock slope, dropping two-meters or so and getting soaking wet.

Then you can relax again beholding serene landscape along the way: old men fishing, wooden cottages dotted along the river bank, inhabitants sitting outside their cottages having picnics or simply watching people watching them. Made-shift sausage and refreshment stands offering typical Czech greesy, oil-dripping sausages and cold beers await you at a couple of spots the river bank. Eat and drink the unhealthy food as much as your heart desires because your boat trip probably sheds a few decagrams off your body fat. Besides, those sausages and foamed beer make your Czech experience more Czech.

Hurry up while the summer is young and the sky is dry even though it has been pissing baby rain shower for the last month.

Tips

• Saturdays are packed, so you should book one week in advanced.
  
• Reservation:You don’t pay for reservation, but please do cancel one day before. You
  will have to pay for all reserved boats if canceling on the spot. Even if this happens, try to sweet talk the cashier for a discount.
  
• Late fee: you must reach the final destination by 6 p.m. to avoid late fee. I don’t know if they charge by boats or by the hours. We paid 300 czk for 2 canoes and 2 rafts one hour and a half late.
• Pickup time is from 9 to 12 am.
  
• Raft or canoe: The minimum required water level is 45 cm. It’s really no fun to row and row on shallow water. Do not rent a raft unless you have your own or want to ruin your boating experience. Rafts are not made for Czech rivers, especially on low water. You will spend most of your energy and time to push the raft of rocks.Canoeing is very safe even forbeginners.
  

Website: http://www.bisport.cz/?lg=en

How to get there

By car: Takes only 50 minutes. [See map]

By train: Train departs from either Hlavni Nadrazi or Nadrazi Vrovice to Tynec
nad Sazavou and takes from 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 45 minutes. [Sample train schedule @ idos.cz]. On your way home, you can either returing to where you started, Tynec nad Sazavou, to pick up your car or can take the train back to Prague. The trains for both directions will start at the same station, Petrov u Prahy, on the same track heading opposite directions.

Bored by the city and looking for something new? A-Tout Prague compiles an interesting list of activities you can do during this holiday.

• Krivokl�t Krivokl�t Castle
  

• Traditional early Christmas celebrations in the courtyard, large craft market, advent concerts and masses, theater and puppet performances, Christmas music, jugglers, dancers, etc. The Krivokl�t Nativity Scene.

• Folk Christmas, exhibition, Ginger Bread decoration, singing and painting

• Jesus is Born In Bethlehem - Christmas exhibition. Showcasing traditionally decorated rustic houses, nativity scenes and various Christmas tree decorations.
• St. Nicholas Caroling and Train Ride
• Christmas Production - cooking and folk crafts program 16 Dec.
• Christmas Eve traditions - feather plucking, spinning wool, baking Christmas cookies, discussions on Christmas

• Christmas in a Miners` Home and Presents in the Prokopska Adit - a 19th century home of a family of miners decorated with Christmas items, nativity scenes carved out of wood, production and decoration of Christmas decorations, pouring hot lead in water, preparation of Christmas meals and caroling; ride the small mine train through the decorated Prokopska Adit, tour to the historical underground spaces, Christmas traditions and customs of miners.

• Open: year-round except Mon. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., in December - daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. . Children will have the opportunity to purchase Christmas presents here. 

• The Karlstejn Royal Nativity Scene. The largest Czech puppet nativity scene covering 80 m2. It is composed of 46 wooden puppets dressed in period costumes. Gingerbread nativity scenes. Freshly baked gingerbread nativity scenes.
• Gingerbread tale: Gingerbread fairy tale characters.
• Permanent exhibition: 50 nativity scenes, some of them over 200 years old. Most of them are carved from wood, but some are made out of bread, sugar or paper. Included are also unique miniatures - small nativity scenes in hazelnut, walnut and coconut shells.
• V�clav Havel`s presidential nativity scene

[AToutPrague]

Too busy to take a long vacation? Or simply don’t have the money? Doesn’t matter. Student Agency (the colossal yellow bus) offerers attractive weekend trips to many European cities for quite decent prices.

Some of the girls at work were planning to Athena for the weekend but then changed their minds because the city was too far and it would cost them a fortune. But is this too good to be true?

Trip to Athena - 3184 CZK (Feb. 7 to May. 20 2008)
Include: airport and service fee, 2 night accommodation  in 2* hotel w/ breakfast (double), return ticket with SkyEurope

[Link]

I went to Karlovy Vary for a weekend trip during the International Film Festival.

Read more about the Karlovy Vary, see photos and receive travel tips.