Relax - Bohemian rhapsody

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(Above: Since the 10th century, the heart of Prague has been Old Town Square and it was its main marketplace until the beginning of the 20th century. Now bustling with tourists, it draws many with its numerous cafes, souvenir stalls, buskers and horse drawn wagons.)

WHAT do Bohemia and Bollywood have in common? Nothing much, you'd think. But there I was, in Central Europe last month, reminded of the old Hindi movie, Singapore. It has a song done Chinese-style (it's on YouTube) with a catchy refrain that translates to: 'Visit Singapore once in your lifetime.' Enchanted by my glorious surroundings, I felt this applied superbly to that region too.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia split peacefully into two friendly independent nations: Slovakia and the Czech Republic (which includes the historical region of Bohemia). Although proud of their respective languages and heritage, the neighbours remain very close culturally.

Which isn't surprising, considering how much they had in common earlier, as one country. Picture-postcard-perfect, they captivate the visitor with beautiful natural and man-made wonders everywhere you look.

Just an hour's drive from Vienna, Slovakia's capital Bratislava is a city of half-a-million people. A walking tour of the Old Town brings history alive as a guide points out a church from the 15th century here, an arch from the 14th there, a fort from the 12th further up - it seems every corner has something of historical note.

Sculpture dubbed "Peeping Tom" at Slovakia's
Old Town Square.

The Old Town Square is a scene right out of the past, all the buildings restored with their original facades. And on a pavement just outside the square is a public display of the Slovak sense of humour: the metal sculpture of a man with a naughty expression leaning out of a manhole, dubbed Peeping Tom.

A group of us visiting Singaporeans found it wonderful being able to walk for miles in comfort. In contrast to Singapore's heat and humidity, the 10 degrees Centigrade mid-autumn weather was most conducive to strolling in the streets, taking in the sights leisurely without any perspiration or lethargy.

Slovakia attracts millions of tourists every year with its rich folklore and scenic historic towns, castles, chateaux and manor houses; mountains and forests protected in nine national parks; over 100 ski resorts; and numerous spa towns. A tour of the Small Carpathians region and the Modra wine district near Bratislava provides a good sample of visitor delights. Cerveny Kamen, one of Slovakia's best preserved Renaissance castles, gives an insight into the lives of monarchs of a bygone era. We got to see their palatial living quarters, as well as dungeons where they kept undesirable guests.

It was on to a vineyard next, to get sloshed at a wine-tasting before we headed for a restaurant in Slovensky Grob village for a traditional Slovakian goose dinner.

Spas are something else Slovaks relish. Piestany, the country's most famous spa town, lies on the banks of the river Vah. The area is well known for the healing properties of its hot springs and therapeutic mud.

Some of us opted for a treatment there. We soaked ourselves first in a sulphur spring water pool for a while and then shifted to a mud pool, where we rubbed healing mud all over our bodies. (One guy even covered his face and head with it, looking like something out of a swamp.)

A few minutes later, we showered lightly to rinse off the mud and were wrapped up like mummies, to let all the goodness seep in while we napped. That rejuvenated us fully (especially Swamp Thing - everyone agreed he looked 10-15 years younger).

We also experienced Slovakia's folklore, first listening to a musician play the fujara, a long pipe instrument; and then watching adorable children from the internationally acclaimed ensemble KLNKA perform some lively dances, with lots of high kicks, screaming and boot-slapping.

Quirky sculptures at Danubiana Meulensteen Art
Museum, 15 kilometres south of Bratislave in
Slovakia.

The Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum 15 kilometres south of Bratislava is a modern attraction worth visiting. It is picturesquely located on a peninsula jutting out into the river Danube. We enjoyed abstract paintings by several famous artists inside, and were enthralled by quirky sculptures on the serene grounds outside.

The drive from Bratislava to the Czech Republic passes through scenic countryside with hops growing in the fields. After crossing the border, Telc is a lovely place to stop for lunch. The small town in the Bohemian-Moravian highlands is on Unesco's list of world cultural heritage sites. It has a chateau and several churches, and a very pretty town square with colourful houses in architecture spanning several centuries.

Another three hours on the road gets you to Prague. Driving through the city of a million people, you find it exudes a louder buzz than Bratislava, making you think it's a lot more modern too.

But that initial impression was quickly dispelled as we rolled up to our hotel. It turned out that the Crowne Plaza Prague Castle is a modern establishment, all right - but in a medieval setting. It's nestled within the grounds of the Strahov Monastery, a heritage building dating back to the 16th century and another Unesco-protected site. (There's apparently a lot worth protecting in that region.)

Our fascinating 'live' history lesson continued the next day when our guide Martina took us to the magnificent Prague Castle, which dates back to the 9th century (yup, Unesco has that covered too). Within its grounds is the grand St Vitus Cathedral, a venerated structure with mindblowing stained-glass window paintings and sculptures.

Czech soldiers hold historical flags bellow
the statue of the Czech legendary warrior
Jan Zizka during a ceremony in Prague.

Just like in Bratislava, we found it wonderful walking along Prague's cobblestone streets, enjoying the quaint spectacle of modern shops, designer boutiques and fast-food restaurants housed in ancient buildings. There's a certain romance about this happy co-existence of the old and the new which charmed us completely.

Charles Bridge links the two sides of Prague and offers great views of the spectacular surroundings. Along its half-kilometre length are many statues, the most popular being that of St John of Nepomuk. Legend has it that rubbing the reliefs under the statue brings good luck, keeps your secrets safe, and ensures that you'll return to Prague one day. So all of us eagerly did that - for whatever reason.

The Old Town Square a short walk away is the centre of Prague history, a marvellous collection of striking buildings in the architectural styles of different eras. There's also a centuries-old Town Hall Clock whose oldest parts are a mechanical clockwork and an astronomical face showing the positions of celestial bodies. The whole area has a vibe that totally delights the senses - a place that deserves a lot more time than we had.

The Czechs are long-time spa enthusiasts too, with the country's mineral hot springs having been used for curative purposes since the 14th century.

Karlovy Vary is one of the most popular spa towns, located in western Bohemia. The luxurious Carlsbad Plaza there provides spa treatments for many conditions. And casual visitors to the resort can drink from 13 mineral springs while enjoying a walk on a long promenade - a stroll which is recommended, to boost the benefits of drinking the water.

The town itself is another lovely resort with a wide range of leisure activities. So popular is it that it even hosts an international film festival every summer.

Already intoxicated by all that we had seen, our group's last stop was the town of Pilsen, home of the world-famous Pilsner Urquell beer. An interesting tour of the modern brewery and its museum acquainted us with the beer-making process. And the grand finale was in the historic brewery cellars, which are kept at a constant 5 degrees Centigrade: drinking beer straight from the barrels in which it is still prepared the traditional way.

Remember me saying that you should visit these two beautiful countries once in your lifetime? I was wrong. There's way too much to see and do in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in just one trip. So when it came time for me to fly home, I declared, Arnie-style: 'I'll be back!'

swaran@sph.com.sg

Bohemian rhapsody

By Swaran Kapur, The Business Times | Thu, Nov 26 2009

It's a part of the world that's very easy to fall in love with - Slovakia and the Czech Republic enchant the visitor.

Keywords

architecture

castle

church

Sculpture dubbed "Peeping Tom" at Slovakia's
Old Town Square.

It was on to a vineyard next, to get sloshed at a wine-tasting before we headed for a restaurant in Slovensky Grob village for a traditional Slovakian goose dinner.

Quirky sculptures at Danubiana Meulensteen Art
Museum, 15 kilometres south of Bratislave in
Slovakia.

Another three hours on the road gets you to Prague. Driving through the city of a million people, you find it exudes a louder buzz than Bratislava, making you think it's a lot more modern too.