Healthyish Places to Eat and Things To Do in the Czech Republic

Driving around the Czech Republic is probably something I wouldn't have done if I hadn't moved to Europe. When I told my dad I was moving, three years ago, he said happily, "well then I'll just have to come and visit you!" For a travel-happy Oregonian whose daughter had already lived in San Francisco, Colorado, New Mexico and New York, it was a natural progression of events.



If I want to see my family in person, someone's going to have to travel a very long way. And so we usually try to meet up somewhere interesting and call it a holiday (or...'vacation'). This time it was Prague and the rest of the C.R. I did some research, and some very foot-punishing wandering, to find some excellent AND health-conscious places to eat and share, just in case any of you are headed that way soon.



I ate the most delicious Indian food I've had in recent memory in Prague. My guide book named the restaurant, but said book was six years old and there was a wine bar where my Indian restaurant was supposed to be. Not bad, but I wanted something solid in my belly. We asked locals and wandered through multiple cobble-stoned mazes until we finally went under an arch, into an inner courtyard, under another arch and...there it was! If it weren't for asking others, I never would have found it. And luckily, my father is happy to be a 'destination eater' and our searching paid off.



Indian Jewel (www.indianjewel.cz)
+42(0)222310156
Tyn 6, 11000 Prague 1 - Stare Mesto

The mulligatawny soup was amazing, even though I barely made it through due to my low tolerance of chillies. It was garnished with tiny bits of browned garlic which gave it the most wonderful smoky, earthy flavour. Our mains were fabulous too. My mushroom and pea curry was spicy but not overpowering and super tasty. I tried a bite of dad's black lentils in cream and butter which was total creamy curry heaven: the texture of the beans and astringent cilantro taste kept it in balance.

The other 'best ever' in Prague was chocolate ice cream. That's right: best Indian food and best chocolate ice cream. Not bad, eh? The ice cream came from 'Chocolat Gourmand' in a lovely district full of grand old buildings and designer boutiques (I heart window shopping). It was made at a shoebox-size chocolate shop with a long counter of specialty truffles, and next to that, a small ice cream cart with maybe six flavours. Dad bought the 'dark chocolate orange' and I tried his. I also sampled the super dark plain chocolate which was outstanding.



Chocolat au Gourmand was joined with a pastry/cake/tea room/sandwich shop (called 'au Gourmand') which we returned to the next day for breakfast after drooling over the cookies in the window. I was more impressed with the ice cream but that's not to say there was anything wrong with the pecan chocolate chip cookies and cappuccino!



au Gourmand and Chocolat au Gourmand (www.augourmand.cz)
Dlouha 10, Praha 1 (and other locations for au Gourmand)
+42(0)723065248

We also found a quite good Thai restaurant with tons of great vegetarian options, and a tasty sushi spot near the Prague Castle. Sushi is a rare commodity in the middle of England, so whether or not it was the best sushi in Prague was of no concern to me. They were located in an area with tons of interesting-looking spots to eat, so even if you don't fancy raw fish, head there for other choices, and obviously for the Castle and cathedrals.

Lemon Leaf (Thai: www.lemon.cz)
Myslikova 14, 12000 Praha 2
+42(0)224919056

Susharna (www.susharna.cz)
Trziste 12, Praha 1
+42(0)257219759

And lastly, there was a vintage clothing shop that I loved. Even if you're not a shopper or browser, going to the shop takes you to the old town, the part you want to walk around in anyway:

Retro/Vintage
Michalska 18, Praha 1
+42(0)774273238
www.vintage-clothes.cz

On our way out of Prague, we stopped in the town of Kutne Hore and looked at the cathedral there. It was breath taking. And of course, if you know about the Czech Republic, you probably have heard about the Ossuary? Well, it's this church that's decorated with over 40,000 human skeletons. Yup. Very...macabre? Creepy? Thought-provoking? Whatever your reaction, it's definitely worth a stop. We caught the last 10 minutes of open hours, which, honestly, was plenty of time for me. It's located in the town of Sedlec.



Eventually we ended up in Czesky Krumlov, one of the prettiest European places I've visited. It's a well-preserved medieval town, a Euro-fairytale type of place. C.K. is a bit of a tourist trap, but it's also stunning and has a castle on a cliff, many riverside cafes, and if you're there in the off season, you'll miss the crowds. They also have a nice vegetarian cafe, Laibon, on the banks of the river Vlatava that runs through the old town. The menu descriptions were more exciting than the food itself, but it was such a relief to find real vegetarian appreciation for a few days. There are tons of little cafes in the same area, perfect for having a Pilsner Urquell and staring at the river while you get some sun on your pasty English legs.



Laibon
Parkan 105, Cesky Krumlov 381 01, Czech Republic

Our last stop was Karlovy Vary, an old-school spa town where the Russian Mafia seem to have a presence. It was also really beautiful, and I think in the winter it would be a great place to do some hiking and then come down for a dip in the hot springs. If you want to do spa stuff, plan ahead so you can sift out the tourist traps from what you want. We didn't, and missed out. Oh well. We did have a fabulous end-of-trip meal at a restaurant on a bridge over the river that runs through the old town. I can't remember the name of it, but...if you walk to the bottom of the old town and end up at the Grand Hotel Pupp (the famous fancy one), then turn around and walk back (north-ish), you'll see people eating on one of the little footbridges over the river, just a few minutes walk up from the Pupp. It was asparagus season when we were there, and what I remember most was the dessert my dad ordered: strawberries cooked with green pepper. Apparently, pepper brings out the flavour of strawberries in a whole new way. I loved it, actually. Spicy strawberries. I don't think it was green bell pepper, though perhaps it was this with a bit of peppercorn, too; they had removed the evidence, those sneaky devils, so if I had to guess I'd say green peppercorns. Or maybe it was green bell pepper with a bit of black pepper. They had simmered the strawberries down into a sauce with the pepper, then removed it, and served it with custard or vanilla ice cream.