Prague off the beaten path: Vršovice district

Prague off the beaten path: Vršovice district

Vršovice may not be at the top of everyone’s Prague to do list, but Vršovice doesn’t mind. This Prague neighbourhood, nestled safely behind the grab-all-the-attention Vinohrady, is a hidden gem that feels a bit sleepy / more neighbourly than most of Prague’s residential districts. Full of parks, easy slopes and great views, Vršovice is perfect for half-a-day stroll far away from the madding crowds of the historical centre, and a glimpse at what real life in Prague outside of the historical centre may look like.

First mentioned in 1088 and becoming a part of Prague in 1922, Vršovice lies just south of Vinohrady, on a south-facing slope and at the bottom of that slope. It may not have the grandeur of the Belle Epoque Vinohrady district, but we actually love the small-town feel of the district and its unpretentious nature.

Now, we take a more liberal approach to defining Vršovice - to us, that includes the Grébovka vineyard and the Grotto (albeit these may still be formal parts of Vinohrady) and anything south of Ruská street, all the way down to the to the Eden stadium and the Nádraží Vršovice train station.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 64 - Social Media with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 64 - Social Media with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Zaprvé moc chceme poděkovat, že nás posloucháte - po roce jsme se koukli na statistiky poslechů a ty vady. Díky moc!

No nic, tento týden se se Zuzkou bavíme o sociálních sítích. Co se nám líbí, co se nám nelíbí, kolik času na nich strávíme (ani se neptejte), jak jsme se k nim dostali a jak vůbec obsah tvoříme? Bavíme se taky o followerech, lajcích pod fotkou a hejnech, taky o tom, jak si vybíráme spolupráce a na kterých sítích se vidíme do budoucna. Tak snad se tento díl bude líbit!


Our Prague guide to St Martin's Goose and Wine

Our Prague guide to St Martin's Goose and Wine

Easy. St Martin’s Day falls on the 11th of November and it celebrates St Martin of Tours, one of the first „non-Martyr saints“, a soldier-turned-Bishop who lived in the 4th Century. There are many legends surrounding his life, but only a few are relevant for us specifically.

Namely, it’s St Martin goose, St Martin rolls, St Martin wines, and St Martin arriving on a white horse.

Traditionally, St Martin is said to be arriving on a white horse, meaning that November 11 tends to coincide with the first snow of the winter season. Well, due to a little thing called climate change, this hasn’t been the case very much lately. Still, St Martin is the day on which you feast on comfort food before the Nativity Fast hits on November 28: there’s a few legends involving geese and St Martin (they either made loud, annoying noises during his sermons, or he hid among geese when they came over to make him a Bishop, and they ratted him out - in any case, they misbehaved and must be punished one way or the other), but the fact is St Martin goose with cabbage or sauerkraut and dumplings is an absolute St Martin’s Day classic, along with sweet rolls filled with either nuts or poppies.

St Martin’s wines are a much newer thing in the Czech Republic, although they do follow some historical logic - St Martin was about the day when winemakers stopped working for the masters who hired them. Marketing-wise, the denomination of St Martin’s wine was introduced as late as in 2005, as a Czech and Moravian response to Beaujolais Nouveau wines. Not all young wine are eligible to be St Martin wines. Only some grapes qualify (the more aromatic whites like Muller Thurgau, Moravian Muscat and Veltliner Frührot, and St Laurent, Blauer Portugieser and Zweigeltrebe for reds and rosés), and allowed residual sugar is capped. All wines that want to bear the denomination must be approved by an independent committee. In 2020, 328 wines by 80 wineries will bear the mark.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 63 - Breakfast with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 63 - Breakfast with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Tento týden jsme vás o tématu nechali hlasovat… a vyhrály snídaně! Takže se bavíme o našem nejoblíbenějším jídle dne (nebo ne?), o tom, zda jíme snídani doma, nebo venku, jestli máme rádi slanou nebo sladkou, a samozřejmě se dotkneme i oblíbeného tématu Honzy, hotelových snídaní.

A kde jsme se nejlépe nasnídali ve světě a kam rádi zajdeme v Praze? Dozvíte se to v tomto dílu. Tak snad se vám bude líbit.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 62 - On Parenting with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 62 - On Parenting with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Se Zuzkou máme jedno dítě, čímž pádem jsme samozřejmě odborníci na rodičovství. A protože se o naše hluboké vědomosti nebojíme podělit, natočili jsme o rodičovství rovnou podcast. Tenhle je pro všechny z vás, kteří už několik let nespí, nebo se na dítě teprve chystají. (Haha.)

Bavíme se o očekáváních a realitě, o (ne)spaní, školkách, dvojjazyčnostti a mnohém dalším. A taky samozřejmě o minulém týdnu.

Tenhle díl je opravdu dobrej! (Ne jak ty ostatní.) Tak snad se vám bude líbit.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 61 - What Do We Actually Do for a Living, with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 61 - What Do We Actually Do for a Living, with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Tento týden jsme zodpověděli velmi důležitou otázku: čím se to vlastně živíme? My jsme osobně vždy překvapení, když to někdo neví, ale je pravda, že to na sociální sítě moc nedáváme, protože asi máme pocit, že to lidi moc nezajímá.

No, podle počtu dotazů, které jsme od vás dostali, to lidi očividně zajímá. No nic. V tomhle díle vysvětlujeme, jak si vybíráme podniky, kam s prohlídkami chodíme, jestli tam máme nějaké zvláštní zacházení, odkud jsou většinou naši hosté, a jak jsme se k tomu vůbec dostali. Bavíme se i o spolupracích na Instagramu, o naší práci na sociálních sítích pro restaurace a podniky, a o pronajímání bytu a chatičky v Bousově, což jsou naše čtyři zdroje příjmů. Jo a taky máme novou rubriku - Co týden dal.

Tenhle díl je opravdu dobrej! Tak snad se vám bude líbit.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 60 - Ask Us Anything with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 60 - Ask Us Anything with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Dnešní podcast se Zuzkou je jednoduchý - poprosili jsme vás, abyste se nás na něco zeptali… a vy se opravdu zeptali. Nejčastější dotazy? Výsledky voleb, oblíbené obchody, nejdražší večeře, nejvtipnější příhoda z prohlídek… a spousta dalších. Tenhle díl bude takovým zábavným nahlédnutím pod naši pokličku

Pokud chcete znát odpovědi, musíte si tenhle podcast pustit.


Prague off the beaten path: Letna district

Prague off the beaten path: Letna district

Letna district is arguably one of the best places to live in Prague. It benefits from its location just across the river from the busy historical centre, which means you’re near it all if you want to, but not in the middle of it all if you don’t. Nestled in between two parks, the Letenský park and the Stromovka, the area is great for families: there’s always somewhere to go or something to do, and far from traffic, too. Also, the people of Letna create a lively, healthy community, as witnessed by the mayor of the entire Prague 7 district, who was voted in as an independent candidate of a purely local movement.

The Letna is spread over a hill and the plain at its top has always been a strategic point for military purposes. It was even used by Soviet helicopters that landed here during the 1968 invasion. Today, it is known for its relative affluence, a Bohemian feel with lots of art-related spots, incl. the National Gallery or the Academy of Fine Arts, and a plethora of independent galleries, and for the splendor of the ubiquitous 1930s Constructivist buildings.

It is also a great place to visit if you want to see something outside of the centre and just browse a few streets with the locals. Last but not least, Letna is the neighborhood of our awesome Prague rental apartment (if you’re reading this from the apartment now - because we set this as the load page on the computer's browser - welcome in Prague!).

Now, we have suggested a cool walk from Letna to the Holesovice district a while ago on this blog, but we thought Letna needed a closer look. Here’s our small guide to the neighborhood.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 59 - About Prague with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 59 - About Prague with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Tento týden jsme vás na Instagramu nechali hlasovat, zda máme mluvit o Praze nebo o rodičovství. Vyhrála Praha (což je zvláštní - my jsme totiž přes rodičovství experti, máme totiž jedno dítě, haha), takže se bavíme o tom, jak jsme se do Prahy vůbec dostali (jeden z nás je náplava, no a Honza se tu narodil), kde všude jsme bydleli a proč se nám „na šestce“ tak líbí. Uměli bychom si představit žít v Praze někde jinde, nebo úplně mimo Prahu? Co se nám na Praze nejvíc líbí a co naopak nemáme rádi? Co jsou naše skrytá oblíbená místa, kam chodíme nakupovat a co nám v Praze chybí?

Pokud chcete znát odpovědi, musíte si tenhle podcast pustit.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 58 - Czech Elections with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 58 - Czech Elections with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Dnes tu máme se Zuzkou velké téma: volby! Podle nás jsme na tom asi stejně jako vy - zdá se nám, že není koho volit. Půjdeme tedy vůbec k volbám? A komu to tam hodíme? Co nás tady a v české politice štve? Co nám tu chybí? Založíme si vlastní stranu? A bavíme se o politice s rodinou? Má to vůbec cenu? A kam se budeme stěhovat?

Pokud chcete znát odpovědi, musíte si tenhle podcast pustit.