By: Jean-Paul Courville
On January 1st, 1993 Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I turned 21 that same year while in Okinawa and I recall the changes within Europe and the former Soviet Union vividly.
22 years later I visited the Czech Republic, absorbing the mystique of Prague and hiked in the north-west Bohemian Switzerland National Park bordering Germany.
Prague has a specific elegance from being a back drop in numerous spy movies, an international allure in novels of espionage, to the secrets of the communist era, and the charm with old cobblestone streets and cafes, its a dynamic place.
The Bohemian Switzerland National Park was established on January 1st, 2000 and covers an area of nearly 80 km2. It is the youngest national park in the Czech Republic. There was an old fashioned gondola boat ride through a gorge before starting the hiking path. The forest, the mountains, and the sunset on the border with Germany are forever etched in my memory.
The food in the Czech Republic was divine; pork knuckle in the middle of the forest to the Goulash and Schnitzel on the streets of Prague you had me at "Dobrou Chut'" (Bon Appetit)
Until I see you again, Czech Mate.....
Bonus: Trying to find my rhythm in the Czech Republic
Yorumlar