Beyond Prague: a taste of Czech

Advantages: The other side of Europe: interesting, surprising, varying walks
Disadvantages: Cycle tracks and hotel towels!

..., then joining up with the walking group under the aegis of the CzechTrails company to head out for four days walking in the Krknose and the Jizersky Hory. Upon our pick-up at the airport we discovered it would not be quite like that. “The group”…well, we were it. This did come as something of a shock. In retrospect there are pros and cons to finding yourself in this situation, but there is a lesson to be learned: if you are booking with a small company, and particularly if the ‘group experience’ matters to you then do ask your hosts to confirm party lists ahead of time ~ if you’re travelling solo in the hope of meeting up with like-minded individuals you may even wish to make your booking conditional. Most small companies will understand this and will be happy to let you transfer to a different date...

hiker 25.06.2004 (26.06.2004) · Read review
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Review of Czech Trails

Czech Prague Out

Advantages: History, Architecture and Culture
Disadvantages: Lots of walking, steep hills and cobbled streets

...We were planning a weekend break away but the first problem was where. I wanted somewhere with historical interest. David had always been fascinated in the culture of Prague. And so, Prague it was. Knowing we only had limited time in the city, we wanted to ensure that we got as much as possible from the trip as we could. With this in mind, I set about researching the city and its points of interest using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Prague and the many sites available on the Internet particularly (http://www.prague-tourist-information.com/). We booked the flight and holiday for the cost of 300 pounds each. We could have paid less but we had specific requirements in mind for the trip. Czech Airlines ran a direct flight from Manchester which gave an arrival time of 10.30 a.m. thereby giving us almost a full two and a half days...

MAFARRIMOND 30.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Prague (Czech Republic)

Czech Holiday of an Englishman

Advantages: Fantastic Scenary & lots of history
Disadvantages: Limited Communications

...Dobry Den, I recently travelled to Klatovy, in the Southwest Regions, with my Czech girlfirend. Sightseeing is great. We saw a whole variety of sights which I will go through, believe me, if you have not been, I would recommend it to anyone. The "Katakomby" was brilliant, well presented, however, I feel there could have been a little more information in relation to how the "mummies" were discovered. As for the presentation, again, I was impressed. They are situated in a crypt and all are in a coffin shaped box with a glass cover, to be fare they are a little ugly, however, I don't suppose I would look so good after been dead for over 300 years..... It cost 40 Koruna (approx £0.95) and in my eyes, this is value for money, especially if you go in the summer as the venitlation brings some very welcoming cool air. I feel that whilst I...

Pugz1 24.07.2006 (25.07.2006) · Read review
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Review of Czech Trails

Czech Republic, A Time Machine of Adventure

Advantages: Varied Culture, Warm people
Disadvantages: Spoilt by joining the EU

...People talk about the Czech Republic, when they really mean Prague. Prague is like most major cities in Europe, its big, beautiful, and has its own certain cultures to attract tourists, it is however, too commercial for my liking (read my other reviews about what I do, and where I go) I favour the other side of the coin, and my journey\'s reflect that. Flying to the Czech Republic is easy, and many do it using it at as a lilly pad to hop to another country, but for me, the only way to experience the world, is by road. Entering at the German border from Annaberg Buchholz, south ish of Germany, I crossed over to Bozi dar, the same entry point Adolf Hitler used. The border is as sureal as it gets, on the one side are the German Polizei with their new Police cars, surrounded by oppulence and large old cold war observation points...

gt5952 15.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of General: Czech Republic

Higher Learning Film Review

Advantages: Characters, Issues
Disadvantages: A little over-ambitious in places

...John Singleton?s Higher Learning deserves some serious respect for exploring a number of sensitive issues that many University students encounter at some point in their lifetime-- some of which include institutional racism, rape, and the individual desire to be accepted. While some of the characters lack emotional complexity and the story at times may feel a little "preachy", the film is still a very enjoyable and thought-provocative experience -- one that'll linger with you for quite some time afterwards. Primarily, it's a film concerned with identity, with the numerous individual struggles interlinked. Malik Williams (Omar Epps, In Too Deep) is the campus track star convinced that everyone is against him because of his skin colour ("It's no longer about what a person says but what they think," he says. "So in my mind, you've been...

andycarrington 05.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Higher Learning (DVD)

Small-town Czech (& Poland)

Advantages: Cheap, friendly, and still very 'foreign'
Disadvantages: You need to be able to communicate without English

...PLEASE NOTE: Part of this review previously appeared under Czech Trails. Space there did not permit the full op & this section has been extracted and completed. For those who have not read that opinion, it covers the walking aspects of the holiday. Here we look at the towns and villages we encountered. PRAGUE: Prague is too big a concept for this review. Just know that everything you’ve heard is probably true. We loved it. LIBEREC: Day One proper of the Czech Trails trip is the transfer out of Prague to Harrachov. This is where small companies and (very) small groups come into their own, because options become available which are more difficult to accommodate on tight schedules and with large numbers of preferences. We were offered a diversion to Liberec. This was at (modest) extra cost, but did include lunch. As we...

hiker 26.06.2004 · Read review
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Review of General: Czech Republic

The Czech equivalent of Eastbourne

Advantages: Very quiet, lovely architecture in the old town centre, the spring water is good for you
Disadvantages: Very little else to do except visit the spa, and it's definitely an acquired taste!

...That says it all really - this is one of the quietest and most sedate towns I have visited! I went to Marianske Lazne (also known sometimes by its German name, Marienbad) on the way back from a trip to Karlovy Vary, as these two towns are both famed for the revitalising powers of their famous hot springs. It is situated in western Bohemia, just 50 kilometres from the German border and about 30km to the south of Karlovy Vary. It is not on any main roads, so the journey will be quite slow and bumpy if you are travelling by car, and if you are really lucky you'll have a cement mixer block the entire road for 20 minutes while some workmen throw rocks into the river. Strange but true. The approaches to the town from the main road are not particularly welcoming, a feature that appears to be common to many towns in the Czech Republic...

JVL 20.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Marianske Lazne (Czech Republic)

GO to see CZECH mummies!!!

Advantages: Cheap prices, friendlines, easy to get around
Disadvantages: Not many people speak english, communication is easier in german

...and full of fish!! :)) Make sure you take a phrase book as not very many czechs in the countryside will speak any english. It is often easier to communicate with school kids or students who learn english at schools. And don't forget to try some of czech dumplings - knedliky!!!! Yummy, my favourite ever meal!!! Hope you enjoy as much as we did this year!! EK....

evina25 20.07.2006 (31.08.2006) · Read review
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Review of Czech Trails

Learning Puppy

Advantages: Learns and teaches, brightly coloured, sounds and noises
Disadvantages: none

...** INTRODUCTION** I bought the learning puppy for Ethan for Christmas, he loves it. He smiles when you give it him, and gets excited when the sounds come on. He triggers the sounds off by accident as he doesn't really understand how to do it yet, but he is getting there slowly. ** ABOUT THE LEARNING PUPPY ** The puppy was something I was looking for Ethan, its fun, entertaining; it will teach and learn Ethan when he is older. The puppy is colourful, parts of the body is labelled to help with the learning process. Each part of the body makes a sound, plays learning games, and plays learning songs. Turning the puppy on is easy, there is a Orange patch on his left foot with the turn off, ABC, and the music trigger. Although when turning the puppy off any kind of interaction with the puppy will trigger it off again, and can be...

AngelEyes76 05.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Fisher Price Laugh & Learn: Learning Puppy

Learning the world, one review at a time...

Advantages: Brilliant depiction of alien society
Disadvantages: Ho hum sunliner full of augmented humans

...Ever since H G Wells wrote War of the Worlds and described the Martians ruthlessly zapping the Home Counties, we've seen countless visions of how we might react to learning we're not alone in the universe. From government cover-ups and conspiracies to all-out interplanetary war, aliens coming to visit is a science-fiction staple. Learning the World - a novel of first contact In Ken MacLeod's Learning the World, however, humanity has a long way to go before meeting new life. MacLeod suggests a universe so vast that humans conquer space travel and colonise vast numbers of star systems before finally encountering intelligent life. In this novel, we are the invaders. And most of the ship's crew has a different opinion on how to go about things. Aboard the sunliner 'But the Sky, My Lady! The Sky!', it's clear that a lot...

Olly_Plimsoll 13.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Learning the World - Ken MacLeod