BW Communities

Czech This Out

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[Should I or should I not… pray?" "Is there God… or Godot?" And finally, "…what is the point…?" We are standing in the middle of the stunning Charles Bridge in Prague looking at the placid, dark waters below. The air is thick with contemplation. Dusk has fallen as we've traversed shadows, spires and tramps singing their little piece in return for a coin. We have sat by the city's incredible clock tower, looming, serious, the world's oldest astronomical clock chiming by the hour, dined picturesquely on a terrace full of rich tourists and wine waiters, and now the night in this beautiful literary city of castles and churches seems only slightly melancholy. But perhaps this is my overwrought imagination— existential dilemmas forced upon a wannabe writer in Kafka city. Alena, a young Russian student at the university here, our self-appointed guide tonight, is insistent: "Make a wish," she says, pointing to a spot in the middle of the bridge where you must stand, left foot on a particular spot, right hand touching a shrine, eyes looking through the grille to the distant horizon. "Wishes do come true, you know," she says wisely. And so I do. Wish. Will the evening turn out to be beyond compare — a night that you may encounter only in Prague, on a summer weekend? <table style="width: 100px;" border="0" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="6" align="right"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="/businessworld/system/files/images/July/Czech-Church_150x225_0.jpg" width="150" height="225"></td> </tr> <tr> <td>BONE IDENTITY The Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora is decorated with human skeletons </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Gilded buildings, stunning architecture, castles and Kafka's home, beer and a vibrant nightlife: These are, of course, only some things that draw tourists to Prague. But there's more to the city than its cultural reputation and more to the Czech Republic than its seductive capital. So even as you make the most of your literary or romantic inclinations, wander through a couple of other towns in Moravia and Bohemia, dotted with castles, shrines and architecture ranging from the baroque to the gothic to Modern functional, and a countryside that may remind you of the dark The Lord of The Rings (never mind New Zealand or the Emerald Isles) terrain, not to mention Count Dracula's kingdom. What else are castles for, after all? (Here, there are more than 3,500 of them.) In Telc, southern Moravia, founded in the 13th century on the crossroads of a merchant route between Moravia, Bohemia, and Austria (this region was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire), a 17th century Renaissance-style chateau is the piece de resistance. It has an English garden with a fountain where schoolchildren have found refuge for the moment, but such distractions are unbecoming of serious students of architecture.  My favourite feature in Telc, however, is the town square, where 17th century restored houses stand colourful, making for quite a picture postcard against the clear sky dusted with white clouds. It's the perfect place to break for a Czech lunch—hearty meat and potatoes with the distinctive Knedlíky (large dumpling, sliced up and served like thick pieces of bread). The country also has the highest per capita consumption of beer in the world, made since the early 12th century, when Brno, the second largest city, got the right to brew. The two cities most associated with Czech beer are Plzen and Ceske Budejovice (Pilsen and Budweis) with Pilsner Urquell (the world's first pale beer) and Budweiser Budvar the most recognisable brands from here. Whitbeer is obviously a big draw. But, in studenty Brno, at a local pub, I also discover a dark ‘ladies beer', slightly chocolatey, on tap. On the evening we visit, churches are open till midnight and there is free music.   <table style="width: 400px;" border="0" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="6" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="/businessworld/system/files/images/July/Sedlac-Ossuary-Church_lg_0.jpg" width="600" height="207"></td> </tr> <tr> <td>PHOTOGENIC Picturesque Telc makes for quite a perfect postcard</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The next morning, we stop by at the Tugendhat Villa. Designed by German architect Mies van der Rohe, this is the first instance of the Modern Movement applied to a residence. With its clean lines, functional surfaces and furniture and huge glass windows to let the outside inside, this is a remarkably contemporary building— a home in south Delhi may still follow the same principles. The Czech Republic has one of the highest concentrations of Unesco sites in the world. Of these, the Zámostí quarter in Trebíc is a special draw for anyone interested in European history and the Holocaust. But for all its sights and sounds, there's one that is bound to send shivers down your spine. At Kutná Hora, the ancient mining town, the main attraction is the Sedlec Ossuary — decorated with human bones. Everything from the chandelier to the wall décor is made from human bones. That's a memory that I do not want to dwell on as I stand at the Bombay Bar in Prague, impossibly crowded, with a glass of High Society in my hand. The cocktail is heady, the music faintly Indian, the bar apparently very popular. As the evening wears off, I escape to the relative quiet of the streets outside, take off my weary heels and walk the cold, dark pavements…. Anoothi is a Delhi-based food critic and travel writer   (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 16-07-2012)