Deset things I love about Czechland

1. Prague... She's SO pretty. I genuinely have a serious crush on her. I want to go there every weekend and see new galleries and films. I think Prague is as beautiful as Paris, but so much more affordable and less pretentious. The architecture is beautiful, the bridge is amazing and there are castles! Ahhh..

2. Dobrý den - which literally means "good day". Czech language is complicated, I'm still struggling with the absolute basics in Czech, but I've mastered Dobrý den. I spend my time in Pocatky Dobrý denning anyone who comes into sight. I love to Dobrý den little old ladies! It's so cheerful, at least when I say it.

3. No fences - Thanks communism! You did something good. Fences are a rarity here, so you're free to wander around forests as you please, foraging for fresh, wild mushrooms, apples, plums and berries. At first I felt a little uncomfortable about blatantly wandering onto someone's property and harvesting their tasty fruits, but apparently it's kosher!



4. Dairy products - Okay, I feel a little weird writing this, but it has to be said. I was always under the assumption that NZ had the best dairy products (like everything else, of course) in the world... but I'm not so sure... I have discovered the most amazing jogurt in the whole world. While I'm stuck unsure of how I'm going to progress in my future career (yet to be decided) I am genuinely considering exporting this jogurt because it's basically gold.

5. The price of alcohol, method of delivery and availability - So alcohol is cheap here, cheaper than water (really!) - you can buy a decent sized beer for around 35 crowns ($2NZD) when you are OUT in a bar or restaurant. In Prague you can also have your beer come out on a train straight to your table... completely unnecessary but it was impossible to resist the child-like excitement when I saw my beer coming to me! On a train! And our supermarket in Pocatky basically has a 1:1 ratio of alcohol:food. Basically.



6. Trams! Well I've only used this in Prague, but they're so neat. Growing up in Christchurch I went on our tram once or twice, but soon realized it was just a tourist trap that served no real purpose except for doing a quick loop around something you could easily walk. However, in Prague the trams are a super easy, and scenic way to get around the city. They're also good for people watching (judging).

7. It gets super cold - okay, so I don't /really/ like the fact it's already super cold and soon will be plummeting into Izy-Death-Temperatures, but I'm so excited about the lakes freezing over and just going ice-skating a casual 5 minutes from my house. I did figure skating as a child but lost of all my talents. My plan is to buy a pair of ice skates, wake up early every morning (ha) and go skating. I really can't think of a much more wonderful way to start the day. And then there will be snow and skiing -- woop woop!

8. The scenery - it's beautiful here. The lakes are so still so it will be wonderful for pictures. Only 20 minutes walk from my house there are real forests with little bambis prancing around. The air is clean and crisp (compared to Asia). Czech people are very outdoorsy and I've enjoyed a lot of long walks since being here.

9. Location - Dobrý den Central Europe. This is probably the perfect location for exploring Europe, particularly Eastern Europe (which appeals because it's cheap and appears less touristy). It still blows my mind that I can catch a train to Berlin, Bratislava or Budapest. Which I'll do this weekend actually... Probably Budapest, but we'll decide later because I'm in Europe and I can travel to exotic places on a whim (yay!).

10. Flowers - they're so readily available, with little flower carts everywhere and they're so pretty, colorful and CHEAP. Flowers are ridiculously expensive in NZ - you'd expect to pay maybe $80 (NZD) for a nice bunch of flowers, which to me seems like a waste of money. But here, you can get something really lovely for $5-10. So yeah I wasn't a flower girl in NZ because it's too expensive there but, in Europe, I'll make an exception.

And these are just some of the reasons I want to stay here forever (or 12 months, legally). So dear Czech Embassy in Sydney - EMAIL ME BACK ALREADY. Thanks.