Well our Czech is slowly improving and of course we have mastered the
important phrases such as "do you have any ice cream" (title) and "a large
beer please"! It is slightly more difficult on campsites as our phrase book
only really gives hotel bookings. However most of them seem to have a
smattering of German, if not English. In fact the default position here
once they are aware you are foreign is to speak German, which really
doesn't help me much as I probably now have about as much Czech as German.
It is amazing what you can achieve though with a few smiles, gestures and
a phrase book, even if sometimes you're not quite sure what will arrive. We
currently have a lump of meat in the fridge that we think is pork, we will
find out when its cooked.........
We have being doing holiday camps Czech style for the last few weeks. Most
of the campsites have a large area of wooden chalets, and a smaller area
where they fit in the tents and a few caravans. They are generally well set
up for social life though and we have had a few fun evenings in their
bars/cafes and met some interesting people. The wash blocks however are a
bit more hit and miss. I have come to appreciate a shower with a curtain
and an unlimited supply of hot water. We have had places lacking both, and
the last one turned the hot water of at 9am. You will all understand how
upsetting that was to me!!! I'm not even going to start on how wrong having
to make polite conversation (whilst naked in the shower ) with other happy
campers is!
I also now really appreciate the invention that is the washing machine.
Launderettes are few and far between here so we have been relying on the
campsites. This has been interesting, as 9 times out of 10 their machines
seem to be "kaput" , a fairly universal word it seems! If I am lucky I am
then introduced to the alternative washing machine, which is more 19th
century wash day, in Tabor I had to fill one machine with hot water in a
bucket from the shower, hand rinse in the sink without a plug (much thanks
go to mum for the plug she gave me before we left which was very useful!)
and then use a separate spin dryer. I was really tired by the time I had
finished all that and very much in need of zmurzlina! Generally though the
sites have been a lot of fun with a great holiday atmosphere.
We have been sampling the local delicacies whenever possible. There was a
folk fair on in Telc while we were there with a street market selling all
sorts of yummy sweet things. A particular hit has to be the "bangle"
cinnamon roll covered in sugar. As a treat we had lunch a few days ago in a
restaurant specialising in moravian cuisine. Chris had roast beef, not very
adventurous I hear you say but it was served in a spinach sauce, and with
bread dumplings. He wasn't all that impressed with the level of green the
meat was hidden under it has to be said, and came to the conclusion it was
the moravian equivalent of mushy peas! I tried Slovak gnocci covered in
sheep's cheese, and fried bacon fat which was. great!
Today we have moved on into Slovakia and are on a great campsite by a river
on the edge of the mala fatra mountains where we hope to have a cheap few
weeks walking and cycling. More soon .......
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