Thursday, 18 March 2010

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Time to taste the tea.
In June of 1993 on Wenceslas Square, Aleš Juřina and his two friends opened Dobrá čajovna tearoom.
Today, under the company Spolek milců čaje, there are Dobrá čajovna branches in nearly every major city in the Czech Republic.
Czechs have slowly developed a deeper appreciation for the taste and smells of the beverage, combining their visits to tearooms with buying their own blends for home.
They can choose from more than 350 tearooms across the country.
It's an alternative to pubs which sometimes get too smoky and laud.
Čajovna Ve věži is housed in the upper level of a tower.
The views are as important as the decor.
Amana has a laidback vibe.
It's the details that give Amana its otherworldly atmosphere.
The extensive collection of teapots, plates, bowls and cups suits all kinds of tea.
Bílý jeřáb is known for its clean, simple design.
It sells teapots and other paraphernalia in its store located one floor up from the tearoom.
It's all about the space.
Prague tea party
Martin Mráz
21 January, 2010
Tea revolution
thom jernigan
New Year's in Prague
Thom Jernigan
14 January, 2010
My New Year's flag
Buddhafest in Těnovice
Vladimír Weiss
17 December, 2009
Photographer attends Buddhist session in ČR
Photographer Jan Přerovský took an ordinary mannequin on a trip outside the shop window. What started as a low-budget fashion shoot became a social study.
Some humans seemed stupefied as a dummy stood among them.
Přerovský placed Laly, as he calls the mannequin, at a tram stop. Within seconds a couple of girls tried to strip off her clothes. “Just the glasses!” shouted one girl.
Passersby who would scarcely notice a mannequin in its natural habitat were startled to see Laly out and about.
Přerovský placed Laly in different locations around Prague to observe responses. He used a telescopic lens on most shots.
“The most striking thing was people's diverse responses when confronted by the unexpected,” Přerovský said.
“The usual reaction in tourist areas was curiosity,” Přerovský said. “Lots of people took pictures posing next to the mannequin.”
“I think the interaction in a way brought the shop mannequin to life,” Přerovský said.
Mannequin on the Move
Jan Přerovský
30 September, 2009
Naděžda Šimková, 75, has been coming to her rustic cottage since 1949.
Šimková’s cottage is one of the few rustic ones left in the area; those who have money convert theirs into bigger, more comfortable houses.
She and her friends used to call their community Indiano. Her walls are decorated with photographs from that time and old paintings by her husband.
The cottage is small, with a stove and a double bed in one room and a space that serves as a living room.
Šimková’s grandchildren visit her from time to time, fix what needs mending and bring her groceries. But they don’t stay long. “My granddaughter needs a bathroom.”
She visits with friends, reads, does crossword puzzles and listens to the radio. “Watching television is as much fun as staring out the window when nobody is passing by.”
Šimková enjoys watching the world outside: horses, a squirrel on the porch and the grasshoppers.
Šimková lives alone at the cottage all summer, but says she is not bored.
A Natural Woman
Ondřej Bouška
21 September, 2009
Retro retreats
Jirka “Krtek” Kratina’s rustic cottage is located in Berounka‘s Údolí hříchu (Valley of Sin).
Údolí hříchu (Valley of Sin) is one of the oldest tramping communities in the Czech Republic. It was founded in the 1920s as a place for overnight camping, not permanent residence.
Krtek grew up reading stories about the Wild West and named his cottage Yukon.
Krtek enjoys sitting around the campfire and playing guitar and cards.
He visits his home in Rakovník at least once every two weeks to bathe and get rid of the bugs. Krtek’s wife doesn’t visit the cottage much.
Krtek worked as a waiter his whole life and has enjoyed tramping since he was a child.
Krtek’s cabin has no running water. He drinks from a nearby creek, adding lemon, or boils the water to wash the dishes once every few days.
Krtek goes shopping once a week for “tramping food” such as instant goulash soup with potatoes and salami.
He has a cellar to keep butter and similar items cool. He has also installed exercise equipment that he built himself.
He doesn’t like noisy neighbours. “What a peaceful place this was before they turned the forest trail into a road,” he says.
Sin Valley Days
Ondřej Bouška
14 September, 2009
Retro retreats
Long trip and early hours are no problem for devoted fans of Bohemka.
All this love, and it’s only 8am.
Daniela Hiřmanová keeps the kangaroo close to her heart.
Kangaroo candies keep Robert Poláček’s breath fresh.
So long, Třinec, Richard Mikovec seems to be saying, we won’t see you next year – when we’re in the first league.
Daniela Hiřmanová is practically evangelical with the green and white.
Cops ‘n’ kangaroos: The view from the visitors’ cage.
The team can port 150 people on three buses for away games, a thousand-plus might arrive independently on trains and by car.
Dáša Střelcová – better-known among her comrades as Kvocna11– headed to Třinec to represent the percussion section.
The goal that kept the streak alive: Had the Bohemians 1905 managed to score six days later at home against Ústí nad Labem, they would have gone unbeaten for the season.
If you’re fan enough to travel to the Polish border on an on-again, off-again rainy Sunday, well, you’re fan enough.
The high price of pyrotechnics became apparent when a security guard commandeered two half-litre cups of Radegast to stop the sizzling.
The respect and admiration is mutual.
Richard Mikovec bears the flag of the Bohemka nation a long way from home.
Hearts of Green
René Jakl
4 September, 2009
Hearts of green
The site of the sounds
Martin Mráz
26 August, 2009
High on Horňácko
Milada Squat
René Jakl
14 August, 2009
Taking shelter
Maple Dreams
René Jakl
14 August, 2009
Canada calling