Through the city of Prague flows the Vltava River. Prague is know as the city with a hundred towers but could also be called city of a hundred bridges, according to Prague.net. There are over three hundred bridges within the city. As you cross some of the main bridges, you often can see a fantastic view of Prague, including but not limited to the castle, the dancing house, and ornate spires and towers. But, take a step lower and the views and experience from the river Vltava itself can be unmatched.
One experience I took part in was a paddleboard tour on the Vltava. Our group began the trip at the Yacht Club CERE where we met up with our guide, Ondra. He is a student studying at the Technical University here in Prague for engineering, but he enjoys spending time outdoors and guided us as we learned the basics of paddleboarding. On the tour, Ondra led us in keeping our balance and steering the board but we were also able to enjoy discussions with him exploring Czech culture, perceptions, and sharing about our own experiences and culture. We learned that he is from a small town about an hour from Prague but recently moved here to go to university. Genevieve discussed with Ondra about her cultural theme which is focused around physical activity in Prague. Ondra informed us that about half the people he knows enjoy spending time outdoors, working out, and staying active while the other half enjoy spending most of their time sitting around and drinking beer. We talked with Ondra about the name change of his country from Czech Republic to Czechia. He said he hadn't realized there was a name change until a few years ago when he was backpacking in Norway and was meeting with some locals and trying to describe where he was from. He told them the Czech Republic but they didn't quite understand until someone stated "Oh, you mean Czechia?" On a previous tour I had taken, the guide did not like the name change but she was also a bit older whereas Ondra seemed to accept it as the name of his country without any disagreement. Another discussion we had with Ondra was about stereotypes. It was interesting because there is a very similar word in Czech so he knew exactly what we were talking about. He informed us that the stereotype of Americans is often that they are fat and lazy but we were surprised that their was no stereotype of Americans being loud. He also told us that it is believed that the United States and Russia are getting very friendly. It was fascinating to learn about Czech perceptions of others as well as to have insight into certain norms of the Czech people. The views from the river were also beautiful. It was a great chance to see the Dancing House from a different angle and the Castle from below with the river Vltava in the immediate foreground. The experience is listed on AirBnB and I loved getting the chance to have discussions with Ondra with Prague as our background.
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by: Genevieve Stearns Three brave souls with nerves of excitement departed from their hotel with their eyes set for a two hour adventure of paddleboarding. After a short tram ride and a two minute walk later we arrived at the Yacht Club Cere. Now to find the guide. With the sun peeking behind clouds, we descended a staircase the lead to the river front and our guide. Ondra, Andrew in English, greeted us with a bright smile and a hand shake. Within minutes we were putting on our life jackets and learning paddle board basics on dry land. He helped us adjust our paddles and corrected our technique. He even went as far as far as to explain the physics behind getting the angle of the correct stroke. Perfect for the math teacher in our group. Then one by one Ondra carried our boards to the water and helped up get out on the water. Any nerves I had were left on the dock as Ondra instructed me on how to get on the board without falling in. He was reassuring and patient. Success! I were kneeling on board and didn't fall into the water. Next challenge....standing on the board. Recalling our five minute lesson two of us were up and paddling. One took a tumble into the extremely cold water. Barely able to form words, she chose to use the board as a kayak for the rest of the tour. Note to self, don't fall in. On the open waters, Ondra pointed out important Prague buildings and answered endless questions we had about Czech culture. The trip up river and into the wind was worth the challenge as we were rewarded with stunning views of buildings and bridges. An hour later we reached our turn around point and enjoyed a refreshing bottle of water before heading back to the marina. Our guide took several photos of us with the beautiful sights of Prague in the background. The most valuable and enjoyable part of paddle boarding were the conversations with Ondra about Czech culture. I learned about the school system, life outside of the city, culture differences between several countries, and even had a good laugh about stereotypes. The return trip back to the marina went quickly in spite of the change of wind. Head wind both ways didn't dampen our spirits. It was an enjoyable time both paddleboarding and being able to ask Ondra any question! Here I thought we would just be trying to survive the cold river waves and see the sights and instead we learned so much about Czech Culture. If you are hesitant to try paddleboarding, don't! You are missing an opportunity to try something new and learn about a new culture! Český Krumlov, located a two and a half hour bus ride from Prague, is a beautiful and bustling town. When we got off the bus, it was a short walk to one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen, the castle at Český Krumlov. As you walk under a walking bridge that connects two parts of the castle, you quickly come to another bridge. I was delighted when I saw people in cables and rafts floating down the river. So much nature! The town really is beautiful, with plenty of shops and restaurants you can spend time in. Meg and I decided to go canoeing and enjoy the outdoors. Canoeing was so much fun, and even involved recreating scenes from the Disney movie, Pocahontas. After a break of fish and local Elderberry Lemonade, Meg and I went again to tour the town. Just past where we went canoeing, but not easy to see from the street, is an absolutely gorgeous park that twists and turns with the river. We had found Southern Meander. As we entered the gate, we passed one of the man-made water slides (rapids) in the river. The sounds of laughs and screams of delight float through the air. We continue to walk against the current and spot a gazebo where tourists are taking pictures of the church on top of the hill. The gazebo is actually a music pavilion that was constructed between 1924 - 1930. Originally built for promenading, now it is mainly used for weddings, and today, picnics and pictures. The park is massive, with less than ten people walking around. There are benches all over, and plenty of shady places to sit and eat lunch, as other park goers were doing. Southern Meander is home to many other buildings including a synagogue originally constructed in 1909 with renovations in 2013, ans St. Martin's Chapel which was originally built in 1585, but reconstructed in 1717. Once, I was done taking in nature, but mainly because it was time to head back to the bus, and to Prague, we headed towards the gate, but stopped to take pictures of the Church of St. Vitus. The view I got from the park, was unlike any view of the church I had seen all day. I would highly recommend visiting the park to take in the view, remember history, and to just relax. |