In love with Czechia

In 2023 and 2024, on occasions of residing in Wisła, but not only, I have visited Czech Republic a few times year. The Poland south-western neighbour is a country to be either loved or disliked. With each next venture there, I belong more to the former group and with each next trip I see more reasons to fall in love with the country.

I am fond of the country's residents, straightforward, cheerful and laid back. As many Poles, I find their language hilarious, yet with time it gets intuitive, hence despite many false friends, I find it easy to communicate with a Czech, when each of us uses their mother tongue.

Unlike Poland, Czechia is not a flat lowland. Its landscapes and undulating and much better looked after than in Poland. While outside towns the nature beckons, in towns public and private spaces are clean and tidy.

The country can boast of infrastructure friendly to anyone. Elderly, disabled, parents with prams, cyclists, pedestrians - they all have it easy to move about in the public space, whereas motorists are none the worse off it.

Czechs are more keen to take moderate physical exercise as a pastime activity. Stats show 55% of Czechs do regularly at least one sport, in line with the EU average and 20 percentage points more than in Poland. Sadly, my compatriots are third from the bottom in the ranking of most physically active EU nations.

The friendliness of the country spurs fertility. Atheist Czech Republic, where abortion on demand is allowed, has fertility rate between 1.70 and 1.80, while in catholic Poland it recently declined to 1.16.

Czechs tend to spend more time outdoors, including eating, drinking and socialising. Prices at eateries and bars are much more affordable than in Poland. A half-litre beer or a glass of wine for less than the equivalent of 7 Polish zlotys, or a decent lunch with a beverage for less than the equivalent 40 zlotys are easy to find.

We took a trip to the southern neighbour again, for the long weekend. We both had an intense time at work, which prevented us from extending it, so we drove out of Wisła on Thursday morning and returned on Sunday.

Our first stopover was in Pustevny, some 100 kilometres from the Polish border. We hiked through the forests and had a lunch at a beautifully preserved former mountain hostel.

The next stop was a town of Roznov, with a nice market square and a viewing tower overlooking the town. From there we headed for our lodgings in Luhacovice (a sanatory resort).

The region is not as full of vineyards and cellars as the southern Moravia, but still you can find plenty of them. Here, we pass some windowless wine storage huts, on our cycling trip (75 kilometres covered on two wheels on Friday in heat reaching up to +34C).

Given the strain, the heat and distance of over 30 kilometres from our accommo- dation, we resolved to return to Luhacovice by train (our bikes hung on racks similar to those in Koleje Mazowieckie trains). Another thing I adore in Czech Republic is that the country does not leave its citizens car-dependent. Each and every village has a few buses a day running, while the train we boarded connected Luhacovice and Prague, the service runs every two hours on weekdays!

The very spa town of Luhacovice dates back to the nineteenth century and is a heritage of Austro-hungarian realms, with superbly preserved pieces of architecture erected before WW1.

On the second day we took a round trip from Bzenec which is a centre of wine-growing industry in Zlinsky kraj. A three-kilometre ascent to the winery proved rewarding.

The next trip to Czechia is quite unlikely in 2024, yet looking forward to the next voyages in 2025.

Into the mountains for a long weekend

Back from a very intense, nine-day holidays (with only three working days taken off) spent in Wisła (free-of-charge accomodation) and around. In terms of physical exercise, it was a demanding time.

On Saturday, 27 April we had warm-up bike trip south of Wisła, with some significant elevation. 32 kilometres cycling done.

On Sunday, 28 April we girlfriend ran across the mountains west of Wisła, while I kept her company on my bike. Except for uphill sections, when I had to manhandle a bike, a piece of cake. 24 kilometres covered.

On Monday, 29 April, we drove to the Czech Republic with bikes and did a 27-kilometre trip, including an ascent to more than 1,000 metres above sea level. I am falling in love with Poland's southern neighbour even more.

On Tuesday, 30 April we went on a 22-kilometre climb to Skrzyczne, which is the second-highest peak in Beskid Śląski. Due to temperature topping at around +25C, this was the most exhaustive activity during our stay. The snap shows Jezioro Żywieckie, as seen from the final ascent to the Skrzyczne summit.

The first day of May, as a proper labour day, was the time of rest.

On Thursday, 2 May, again we packed the bikes into the car and went for a 47-kilometre cycling trip into Lysa Hora, which included an 8-kilometre uphill section with elevation of 700 metres. Covering it, either on a saddle, or manhandling, was memorable and splendid views from the peak, 1,368 metres above the sea level, came as a reward.

On Friday, 3 March we drove to Górna Rycerka to take a leisury 16-kilomtre hike into Przegibek and Wielka Racza route. With mere 700 metres of elevation, that was a relatively light expedition, with only some breathtaking views. The one to the right shows snow still lingering on northern slopes of Slovakian mountains.

On Saturday, 4 May we ventures to a cosy historic Czech town, Stramberk, located some 80 kilometres from Wisła. The pics shows the market square (or rather rectangle) visible from the historic castle tower.

History of the town dates back to the fourteenth century, however the wooden huts in the central part for which the town is famous, were built in the eighteenth century and remain superbly preserved.

The town has a hilly landscape and the six-kilometre stroll was full of ascents and descents, abounding in unforgettable panoramas (in the background the castle tower from which the first photo was taken).

On Sunday, 5 May, we took a short (mere 28 kilometres) trip to Ustroń by bike. In nearly flat terrain it brought a nice ending to the calorie-burning weekend.

Back to Warsaw to drown in a daily gring, counting down days to the oncoming Corpus Christi weekend.

Moravian vineyards by bike

Back from the long weekend spent mostly on two leg-powered wheels in South Moravian region. My in-laws hatched the idea of venturing there some time ago, but some issues put paid to their plans and eventually we have put them into practice. 

The region are the former lands held by the Liechtenstein family (the one whose tiny state is squeezed between Austria and Switzerland), yet were expriopriated in 1940s by the communists. Despite passing time the region still stands out in terms of well-preserved architecture which does not resemble a typical ex-communist country.

The South Moravian region is not far from Poland (7 hours of drive from Warsaw with 110 kmph at tempomat) and mere 3 hours from the Silesian agglomeration. Despite its proximity to my homeland, it remains undiscovered by my compatriots and by tourists from other countries too. Despite the mid-August peak of holiday season, the places we visited were anything but crowded. If somebody tells you the region is a little Tuscany, just take it for granted.

On our way there we made a stopover in Olomunec, a former capital of the region and of the entire Czech Republic. The city is now relatively small, but can boast of an epic old town, with eye-pleasing tenements, town hall and several monuments.

We have booked a last-minute stay in Lednice, probably the most enchanting town in the south-eastern corner of the Czech Republic. Four nights in a reasonably well-equipped apartment set us back only PLN 1,300 (or PLN 160 per night per person).

The castle, surrounded by a French garden is the centre of the town. The area must be looked after by cleaners and gardeners, with neatly trimmed lawns and plants enchanting visitors, but as Michael would argue, not moving with the times climate-wise. Oddly enough, the entrance to the gardens is free of charge and the park is not even closed overnight.

The region is famous for its vineyards, despite climate not much warmer than of Warsaw (average temperature across the year in Brno is one Celsius degree higher than in Warsaw). The area is most effectively sightseen by bike, with several trails marked out and many spots not reachable by car.

Valtice, here seen from the distance from a top of a hill overgrown with vitis, is the second most beautiful town in the region. Note excellent visibility on sunny, dry day.

Sonberk is one of the most renowned vineyards in the region, offering both bottled wines, as well as wine tasting on a terrace with a view on vitis trees, fields, lakes and mountains. Looking at the photo only, would you guess it was taken in the Czech Republic?

On one day we took a tour via a section of the iron curtain cycling trail and rode past Austrian villages. Our biggest discovery there were the crude oil extraction fields operated by OMV. Here, a pumpjack overseen by a matka boska naftowa.

The village of Vrbive can boast of the only wine cellars in the region. In line with the best practices, wine is stored underground, in properly ventillated dark facilities.

On our way back to Poland we dropped in on Brno. The current capital of the region stood little chance to lift my spirits if temperature outside was +34C and actual temperature on paved streets in full sunshine reached probably more than +45C. The Czech Republic still needs to catch up on unpaving its cities and getting the cars of out city centres.

This was my fourth visit to the Czech Republic within 1 year and I am growing fond of the country. It is generally clean and tidy (no litter nor dog turds on streets), people there are friendly, like physical exercising, drivers are considerate and respectful towards cyclists, prices remain affordrable.

If I was to recommend moving around the area I visited, a bicycle (for many an electric one) is an excellent choice, as many picturesque places cannot be even reached by car. Three full days for cycling trips (223 kilometres covered on bikes while the car sat idle) are just enough to visit major attractions of the region.

Prague

While staying in Szklarska Poręba, we hatched the idea it would have been a shame not no pop in on Prague, which was mere 130 kilometres away. We ventured there on Saturday, 4 March and it was my first foray to the capital of the Czech Republic since 2001.

To the right – after an ascent through Petrinske Sady park we reached the Hrad hill from which one can delight in a remarkable panorama of the old town and districts of the eastern bank of Vltava. The weather was not splendid, overcast skies and +4C.

Having ambled around the Hrad hill we headed towards the Charles Bridge and passed by the John Lennon wall, which oddly enough is listed as one of main landmarks of Prague by Google Maps.

Having shunned crowds and paid entry to the Golden Lane we roamed past the afore- mentioned bridge which turned out to be the most crowded place out of those we visited. Prague’s historical part looks definitely superior to the one of Warsaw, fully destroyed during WW2.

The market square in Prague still suffers from excess concrete (betonoza), insufficient greenery and not prohibited access of motor vehicles. That very venue was actually a letdown.

Incidentally, we ran across the spot I best remember from my school trip to Prague in 2001 – Vaclavske Namesti alley and the Narodni Muzeum in the distance. The place is also (in)famous for picture of soviet bloc intervention in Prague in August 1968. Note Marks & Spencer has not wound down its business in Czechia.

Back close to the Cerni Most P&R close to Prague’s Metro B line terminus, where we left the car for the entire day for the equivalent of PLN 10. For those visiting the capital of the Czech Republic an excellent solution, since the car park is just 2 kilometres away from the motorway. On my way back I was snapped by the speed camera – for driving 59 km/h were the speed limit was 50 km/h I was fined the equivalent of PLN 200, which I duly paid. I must admit our southern neighbours are less tolerant to those speeding and do not take their time in chasing the disobedient motorists. I Poland road authorities and the police turn a blind eye at speeding below 10 km/h and photos from speed cameras arrive months, rather than a week later.

Wisła – the longest stay so far

A quick photo coverage of my foray to Wisła. I grabbed the opportunity of not having to pop in to the office during the theoretically slack period around Christmas and resided in the mountain resort for 10 days. One event I slightly regret as a zealous weather observer was missing out on experiencing the January heat record for Warsaw and the whole Poland (+18.9C on 1 January 2023). Where I was temperature in full sunshine barely climbed above +10C.

Higher into the mountains, remnants of snow lingered until the end of the 2022. During our trip to Trzy Kopce Wiślańskie on New Year’s Eve, we came across regular snow at 700 metres above sea level and such ice 100 metres higher. The dog was elated. We made it to the peak thanks to winter footwear we had worn.

On New Year’s Day we drove to Jaworzynka, a village close to a place where borders of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia converge. We hiked to the spot and to two other countries from the village, while other tourists had to carry their arses in their cars up to the venue. Twoje serce przypomina – piechotą zdrowiej. To the right – viaducts being a part of D3 motorway in Slovakia. I drove here in May 2018 not realising such valley was beneath the road.

A snap taken on the same day shows the undulating landscape of the Czech village Herczawa, which we later ambled through during our 11-kilometre hike. The weather was March-like and while we were ascending, two layers of clothing were absolutely sufficient.

The very tourist destination where the borders meet is in a state of reconstruc- tion. Instead of grass, mud is all around, presence of solar panels and wind turbines is notable. Sadly, cars in the background remind for many one mile is a far too long distance to cover on foot. Entry to such spots should be prohibited to visitors’ vehicles.

On 6 January we hiked to Stecówka. We cycled through part of that route in August, but this time we rambled up a shorter trail. To the right, a panorama from the viewing platform en route. In the fog one sees the confluence of Biała Wisełka and Czarna Wisełka. Where the two brooks join each other the river Wisła officially starts.

As we roamed downhill, we passed the winter residence of the president of Poland. Due to unfavourable skiing conditions (the weather resembled late autumn), Mr Duda was absent at that time.

As my girlfriend rightly claims, you should not stay in Wisła for too long, not to get accustomed to that place. After at most two weeks you should return to Warsaw to foster the longing for the place. For business (quite many tribulations at work) reasons I doubt I will visit the town in the coming weeks.