Traveling Light

Though many travel guidebooks offer nuts-and-bolts destination information, the titles in the Travelers' Tales series offer a unique perspective for armchair wanderers.  Instead of traditional service information, these books focus on personal stories that bring to life the human possibilities of travel.

The latest destination title from Travelers' Tales focuses on the Czech Republic — and on Prague in particular.  Featuring tales from visitors, expatriates, and returned exiles, Travelers' Tales: Prague and the Czech Republic resonates with the joys and contradictions of the city's post-Communist renaissance.  As Czech novelist Ivan Klima writes in the introduction, "I do not like stories about tourist experiences and I refuse to accept generalizations about a place, let alone people.  Fortunately, my concerns were unfounded.  The essays in this anthology are based mostly on encounters and experiences, sometimes life-changing and sometimes ordinary."  Story contributors are a varied bunch, from travel-writing legend Jan Morris, to supermodel Paulina Porizkova, to first-time authors.  They all share a passion for the Czech Republic, and a fascination with the myriad encounters it provides.

The volume is edited by New York-based writers David Farley and Jessie Sholl, who initially met in Prague and are now married (the details the affair are contained in Sholl's contribution to the anthology, "Going Off Script").  I contacted them by e-mail to discuss the appeal of traveling to Prague and the Czech Republic.

David, you lived in Prague for three years after graduating university.  What was the initial allure of the city, and what kept you there?

David Farley: I had a mullet haircut and I knew that at least no one in the former Communist bloc would point at me and laugh. No, really, I went there for a few days when I was a sophomore in college in 1992. I had no idea what to expect and was really enthralled by the place. The city had (and still has to some degree) an anything-can-happen buzz about it that was really infectious and intoxicating.  So a few years later I hopped on a plane for Prague with a one-way ticket in my hand.

But then what kept me there? Because the city has a real bohemian feel (after all, it's the capital of Bohemia!), it was really easy to slip into a vacuum of time and space and end up whiling away afternoons at ancient coffee houses chatting with friends and reading and not really think too much about it. Whenever I do that in States, I always get this nagging feeling that I should be doing something more "productive." 

The two of you met in Prague, and now you're married.  Is there an inherent romance to the city, or was that just a case of good timing?

Jessie Sholl: I think it's a bit of both. Certainly some of it was luck and good timing, that's just always the case. Also, Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and inherently romantic in that sense. But I think the romantic aspects of the city go beyond the haunting gothic spires, the snaking cobblestone streets, and the warm pubs and cozy teahouses. For me it's also the spirit of the city. I personally was very inspired, before I went to Prague, by the participants of the Velvet Revolution (which peacefully ousted the Communist government in 1989). That spirit of bravery is still present in the city, and because of it I felt inspired to be brave myself, and more open to meeting a stranger than I might have otherwise been.

Prague has long been a marquee destination in Eastern Europe; is there another region of the Czech Republic that you might recommend for travelers wanting to get off the beaten path?

JS: A few years ago, Farley and I went on a 150-mile hike across southern Bohemia and Moravia. The trail is part of the Greenways, which is a series of well-maintained trails that stretch from Prague to Vienna. They're intricate, yet relatively easy to follow. We'd walk about 15 miles each day and stop when we made it to a town with a pub and some sort of accommodation. We began the trip in the popular town of Cesky Krumlov and went through some amazing and lesser-known towns and villages, including Trebon, Slavonice, Telc, and Znojmo. We ended the trip in Mikulov, on the Czech-Austrian border. It was a great way to see the beautiful and varied Czech countryside, eat authentic food, and meet interesting locals. I highly recommend it to travelers looking to get off the beaten path.

DF: I think Olomouc (pronounced Oh-low-moetz), an old but vibrant university town, is one of coolest, most overlooked cities in Central Europe. It's in the northeast part of the country, about halfway on the Prague-to-Warsaw train line. 

In Noah Baumbach's 1995 movie Kicking and Screaming, there's an ongoing joke about how visitors to Prague invariably rave about the beer. Any favorite brands?  Any other food or drink you might recommend?

JS: Velvet beer is my personal favorite, though as most people know, there are a thousand good Czech beers.

DF: In terms of food, Prague's just starting to shake off its rather dismal reputation as a food city. In addition to all the sleek Asian-fusion-type eateries you can find there now, the most exciting culinary development is the quiet gastro-pub movement that's been happening there in the last few years.

JS: Smazeny Syr, (fried cheese) is a popular pub snack that I find irresistible. But they've really got everything: I'm always surprised in Prague at the high-quality and wide range of food options. For instance some of my favorite pizza is in Prague, at a place called Komatra.

Prague became fashionable for young travelers and expatriates almost as soon as Eastern Europe opened up in the early nineties.  Has it suffered at all from overpopularity?  What would be the best way to approach the city so that you aren't always surrounded by folks from Boise and Brooklyn and Boca Raton?

DF: Much like Venice, Prague is so bewildering and bewitching, and therefore it's no surprise the historical center is swimming with tourists. To some degree, it has suffered — try walking across Charles Bridge on a summer afternoon, and you'll see what I mean. But on the other hand, I think the people there are happier and that makes a difference with tourists. I'm not hearing as many people complain about the indifferent service there like I used to.

In terms of avoiding the crush of tourists in Prague, I like to stroll through the center of town early in the morning when I almost have it to myself. But really, when I'm there, I usually spend a lot of time in the outer neighborhoods, where many young Czechs have retreated. Neighborhoods like Vinohrady and Zizkov, beautiful districts with 19th-century tree-lined streets, have a lot to offer, including great clubs and restaurants and a legion of old school Czech pubs you won't find in the center anymore. 

JS: Some knucklehead dreamed up the "Prague Piss-up" a few years ago; these entail cheap group flights on Ryannair or another European budget airline with accommodation usually included in the — low by Western standards — price. The "roving parties" of mostly British guys get extremely drunk on Prague's cheap beer and rampage (always loudly, occasionally violently, and sometimes messily and publicly in regard to bodily functions) through the city. It's a real shame. Some pubs now have signs outside saying "no stag parties." The same thing is also happening in another favorite city of mine, Krakow, and I wish there was a way to stop it.

Next: Searching for the Cave of Evil

Previous: The Dark Side of Travel Romance

• Email Story
• Printable View

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Recommend It:

Not at All Somewhat Moderately Highly Very Highly

Average (Not Rated)

» Recommended Stories