Camping in Czech Republic vs. USA
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- 🇺🇸Get out of Prague and into the Nature...but don't expect a camping trip like you'd have in the US! Camping and canoeing is totally different in the Czech Republic and in this video, I'll give you a peak into both styles of adventure.
🇨🇿Letos v létě jsem se dostala z Prahy a do přírody ... ale k mému překvapení byl český kemp a kanoistika úplně jiný než v USA! V tomto videu vám dám vrchol v obou stylech dobrodružství.
Camp grounds and facilities at Kemp Branna: www.kanak.cz/?lang=en
For more American adventures in Prague:
Instagram: / jendreamsprague
More info on how you can move to Prague: www.dreamprague.com/
What kind of videos do you want to see about life in the Czech Republic? email me at hello@dreamprague.com
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Playing music out loud is rude even in the Czech Republic. Some people just dont get it. Too many of them :/
i dont thinks so, i love nature, i protect nature, but music doesnt harm anything we are part of it :) there are really more serioues things to not do to protect the nature than not singing :)
@@MrMajsterixx There is a difference between playing on guitar and singing with campfire burning and close friends drinking with you ...or playing some Skrillex dubstep from your speakers in camp full of strangers
@@MrMajsterixx Music harms other peoples experience of nature. A little respect for other people goes a long way.
@@bremCZ Don't be such a drama queens guys. It's just a Czech style, nobody has a problem with some music on the river here. ;) And also people there are probably drunk so they don't care. ;)
@@eliskahyankova8430 Yes, some of us do. It is not Czech style. It is the style of some Czech people and it's fine, so long as others in the same place are respected. It's no different than playing loud music in your apartment.
Jen: nobody is wearing safety vest in CZ! Rivers in America: super wild dangerous rivers. Cesky Krumlov: basically lake with drunk people
In Czech the nature is more civilised.
Firstly I want to say that this was a cool video and your dog is adorable. But in my opinion you are kind of comparing apples with oranges or "jablka s hruškama". The canoeing trip you took part in was a classic Czech canoeing/rafting (vodácký) trip where the focus is more on spending time with friends and drinking a lot. These trips usually take place in Bohemia where population density is pretty high unlike in Oregon and there are camps and bars all along the river. It is a part of the Czech culture and I personally don't enjoy that very much. Sometimes some Czechs want to go on a canoeing trip that is more about the nature and the sport. In these cases we go to more mountainous and wilder regions with less people, often abroad to places like Austrian Alps or Romanian Carpathians where the trip is much more like the American trips you described.
Thank you for your comment! Yes, after hearing from some Czechs now I realize it was like comparing Apples and pears! :) Next summer we definitely plan to seek out wilder regions for our trip. I still had a fantastic time on our Czech camping trip, even if it wasn't exactly representative of most Czechs camping in nature.
@@DreamPrague I agree it's a totally different concept of camping. But it's because of the country and history reasons. There are no uninhabited places in the Czech Republic. Not even remotely similar to the parks in the U.S. Even if I could get to the loneliest place in the CZ, it would be just a few kilometers to the nearest village.
So, we have no choice :)
Já bych to neviděl tak černě... Co třeba taková Lužnice? Tedy... Když je voda... Na Sázavě také moc lidí není...
Vltava je extrém co do pozitiv i negativ, které Jen celkem hezky popsala, jinde je to klidnější. Mnohem klidnější.
A třeba já celé dětství každoročně sjížděl Berounku - a přestože se tam postupně vyrojily kempy, tak nocování v kempu je stále spíš věcí komfortu (WC, restaurace), než nezbytnosti. Pořád je možné se utábořit mimo kemp a na zajištění večeře si s sebou vzít rybáře co chytí pár plotic.
@@FalkonNightsdale Na Sázavě jsem byl minulý rok, bylo tam docela málo vody, ale lidí všude hodně. Možná ne tolik jako na Vltavě, ale kemp v Kácově vypadal podobně jako na videu - stan vedle stanu. (byli jsme tam přes víkend)
@@vojtechkubat5593 Loni jsem byl na víkend na Ohři - dost pršelo, takže kempy plné, voda prázdná. 8 dospělých, 5 dětí, celkem na pohodu, ale podle stavu kempů, kdyby bývalo bylo hezky, voda by byla přeplněná...
rafting in the Czech Republic is just a pretext for heavy drinking, the rafting part is just optional extra. :))
I like those priorities 😂😜
tím bych se moc nechlubil ... čecháči, klasika... pivko do ruky a jedem...
@@ukazuticestu2246 A jé další sebemrskač...
Czechs were just like having a big party just like they do anywhere on the weekend only they'd moved it to the river :D
Affirmative
Nice touch with Smetana's 'Vltava'!
Also, to share my little story with "camping": I'm from Moravia and 2 years back, a few of my friends and I decided that we should do a little trip on foot in Jeseníky. We were five people.
We planned our waypoints, bought some cans for 3 days (it was a shorter trip), took our sleeping bags and such, etc. We didn't want to sleep in tents because there are parts of Jeseníky where it's forbidden *but* you can sleep just on the ground almost everywhere. It was a fun adventure, I recommend it to anyone that likes hiking.
lol those "little waterfalls" are called "weirs", used to harness the power of river in mills, sawmills, to generate electricity or to make river navigatable (there were rapids like in Oregon where dam Orlík stands now). Most of the weirs have no use today, other than throwing canoes upside down that is ...
Oh actually the weirs do have a purpose. They are meant to prevent the calmer parts of the river from freezing. I still remember the stories my grandfather used to tell about how Vltava used to freeze over.
Sure if you are unfortunate enough to go to the most crowded camping spot in the whole country, I get how you might feel that way.
It's true, this was probably one of the most crowded camping days of the season. Still super fun though!
@@DreamPrague Vltava river is the worst for caoeing trip by my opinion. My family has a tradition of going every year for a canoeing trip, but we never went on Vltava because its so crowded there. Any other river is less crowded and you have much more peace there and still do the same stuff you described
@@DreamPrague vltava is amazing river for canoying, BUT.... in last years ( +/- 10) it became so overcrowded. these people make from amazing river for canoying the worst river for canoying in CZ.
really, on vltava there is about 10x more people then all other rivers combined.
it's ok in september...but september is pretty cold for canoying :/
+ Vltava is full of people who "never visit nature before", like these loud people, etc.
Well, we can only envy you that you can enjoy the real wildlife and nature in US. It´s just too small here + too many people.. BUT:
There is strong tradition.. of not only canoeing.. but "tramping", backpacking.. Before the revolution, it was pretty popular, we couldn´t go anywhere else+ there was this continuity from before the communists, so it kind of was a way of getting away from the society as it was and oposing it. People packed a tent or tarpoulin, some pots to cook on an open fire (how do you say it?), sleeping bag, guitar and a group went anywhere for a couple of days, in the evening you just made a fire, sat around, cooked, sang... Mostly country songs, inspired by US country, which again, was a really specific way of dreaming of adventure, freedom etc..
No danger here :). There´s avillage every 15 kms but it was quite complex subculture..
Hello Jen, your blogs are awesome. It is always interesting to see someoneelse opinions about our country. You did ask for some other tips for places to visit, so here is my list:
1. Olomouc
2. Mikulov
3. Litomyšl
4. Karlovy Vary and Loket
5. Modrava and Šumava region
6. Telč
7. Jindřichův Hradec
8. Liberec
9. Ostrava
10. Kutná Hora
11. Česko saské švýcarsko (Děčín, Hřensko)
12. Český ráj (Turnov, Jičín)
Best regards
Zdeněk
Well to compare Vltava between Vyšší Brod and České Budějovice with basically anything else in Czech Republic is like comparing Prague with 500 inhabitants "large" village :-) Yes, Vltava is overcrowded, but if you select a different river, it will be a lot better. But with Vltava you have 95% certainty you'll have enough water, since there is the huge dam upstream and they let out enough for tourists even during drought.
I grew up near the Yellowstone River and you described my thoughts exactly when we started canoeing here. Both amazing and fun, but so different. You captured it perfectly.
Thank you! Yeah, I was super surprised how much of a party it was here in Czech! But it was a great time. Next time we'll have to venture deeper into nature :)
Adding Ma Vlast at the end ! super !
Hello! Thank you so much for your amazing channel! :) I'm Czech, but I currently live in New Zealand and it always makes me laugh when I watch your videos about Czech culture! :) Keep going! :)
great video,very funny told in a typical Jen style,I loved it!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻tom
Hi, very nice video.
But in fact, Vltava is very crowdy river. I suggest Otava or Berounka for more quiet experience.
Thanks for the tip. Hopefully next year we will!
@@DreamPrague i do not suggest Berounka river at all! there´s reason why it´s no crowded.. is poor of water already in july, too slow to enjoy, you paddle only all the time. and is far dirtier than Vltava.. Sazava river might be better)
@@hanahkonvesz Sazava's already crowded as well and also kind of slow imho.. But that is because there is no water here.. :( No snow in winter, no water in spring.. But my favorite Czech river is Morava.. Love the place, love local people, love theirs beer :D
jj..ale posledni dobou je malo vody a vltava ma lipno a minimalni prutok..tak je vzdycky splavna..mam rad loznici nebo vltavu nad lipnem
@@DreamPrague And what about Jizera? I was on water just once in my life (it was early june) and you can enjoy the nature there as well, but still not like in Oregon. Our group was there almost alone. If you are lucky to have enough water, these waters can turn out pretty wild in some places between Železný Brod and Turnov. According to my experience and to this video, Jizera should be something in the middle of Vltava and Oregon.
Well, the density of CZ is 133.97 p/km² and the density of USA 34.54 p/km², 15.0 p/km² for the Oregon, thats not much place to start with. Also, you went to the most overcrowded part oh the most overcrowded river in the most overcrowded part of the year. :D There are lots of places, where you can have a peacfull hike or canoee trip, however it´s almost imposible to not meet anyone the whole day.
The think is, that there is big camping culture in Czech so even the peolple thath are not really into nature go camping sometimes, but it´s more of a social event for them (talk all the day and get drunk in the evening).
Do some hiking in Orlické hory or better Šumava if you want more autentic nature oriented camping.
I concur. Visiting less frequented places is closer to proper outdoors camping.
My parents used to take me and my brother camping/canoeing to a bit more remote river in Slovakia. They wanted to avoid the party guys, because we were little kids and they wanted more of the quiet nature. But it was still more like the Czech experience - we did meet some people (a lot less than you), everyone was interacting, loudly greeting, safe jezy, there were shops, toilets (mostly latrines and some had no door, but a forest view, which I loved). We did one thing though that you might find interesting - since there were lots of kids and one lady was disabled, we had our stuff in cars. Every morning all the drivers went to the destination camp by cars and returned in one car or by train, so when we arrived to the camp, our stuff was already there :). It looks like you had a blast! It's great to see, so thank you.
I am Czech, living in US, I like your videos and how you compare the two countries, good job.
Also there Is an unwritten rule, you HAVE to Scream when you see stranges or friends ,,AHOOOOOJ!!!" Its like- even people who arent kayaking Scream this to you
I had a very different experience with camping growing up in Czech republic because I was in Scouts. If you want true camping very close to the nature, try and contact a scout group, they might let you use their camping site (=the park of forest/meadow they use as scouts never really use the camping sites). I am sure there would be few willing to do so.
That’s a good idea Martina! I’m sure my experience this summer was not the typical Czech experience, but it was definitely new to me!
@@DreamPrague I used to be in a canoeing group of Pionýr (that was the version od Scouts) in the comunist time. That wasn´t so much drinking than and also not the toilets everywhere. We brushed our teeths in the river, cleaned our plates there with sand or dirt and instead of WC we digged holes and cover them aftewards. No speakers, just music instruments and singing. But always fun. If you want to go here enjoy some nature nowadays you have to go to some mountains. people are stil lazy and there is not so much of them. And deers you can see here just from bus, you don´t have to go to some forests.
@@drakulkacz6489 That's the kind of Camping trip I was expecting! Next year, we'll go to the mountains :)
We always had a trip on Berounka, it was quite peaceful.. I cannot imagine to bring a speaker.. It just doesn't go together.. The guitar is a pretty common instrument for camp sides here too, BTW 😊 oh and a pack of cards for sure! Me and my husband we like to turn on the radio before going to sleep to listen to radio plays on radiozurnal, hearing sounds of nature and a soothing voice of a narrator 😊👌
Great video. Agree 100% in Czech when I went rafting in 2013 on a 2-week trip from Colorado, but never camped in the USA. Lots of stops along the Salsava river.
I'm from Cesky Krumlov. I know the river well here!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Try hiking in the mountains in Slovakia - a nature experience!
Really and we have several beatiful rivers too for rafting - Orava, Dunajec, Malý Dunaj, Bodrog. In general Carpathian mountains are similar to Apalachian mountains. And full of bears. ;)
I live in Canada and this crowded noisy campground is my version of camping hell lol. But it's good to see in the comments that you can find less crowded places and have a more authentic camping experience. The restaurant and toilet thing is awesome though! Much love💗
I just want to say that I picked up the Vltava reference on the soundtrack and enjoyed very much.
I rafted only 2 smaller rivers in Czechia, my local peeps said NO TO VLTAVA! It was beyond great, my young kids loved it so much that my daughter took up a guitar so she can play with others at the next trip's customary night camp fire. 2 years later she could do " Madridske Slaviky". My teens son's highlight was 1/2 of roasted chicken lunch, " boruvkove knedliky se smetanou" the next day and finishing it with baked goose leg quarter with cabbage and potato "knedliky" on the last day. Hike to some castles along the way, fell off a swing which would be illegal in any other country, bonded with their peers singing songs around evening fire. Beat that, Green River. ...The funniest thing for an American? Most local kids spoke some to decent English, some of them were very good.
Thanks! Well it was more romantic and adventurous back in late 90's and earlier on Vltava. Even now if you want to go on the upper part (from Lenora to the Lipno dam), you need to ask for allowance and it is forbidden to camp anywhere between Lenora and the dam. In the past we used to have some food/beer with us and we usually made campfires and played guitar and no more than three groups were on the same place. Also some falls were destroyed and before reconstruction, so little bit harder and there was just one book - describing every river in Czech Rep/Czechoslovakia but only description of various obstacles and how to go cross them with river distance measure . There were no plastic canoes and raft was something that almost nobody could afford. Only made of fiberglass, and repairing kit was mandatory accessories. Vltava is a drinking attraction now and I recommend to go to some Slovak river, there are no tourists, no big restrictions and you can enjoy the nature. But beware of Slovak beer!
Please do more travelling /outdoor videos .
It's fun.
Great content, thanks.
Thank you for taking the time to comment!
You didn’t mention the morning beers or sailor striped shirts…. Love those!
For nature experince you need go to muchrooming or hike. :)
Good to hear a comment from outside of the bubble. The Czech Republic's population density is about 135/km2, in the US it's about 35. Assuming that you travel far outside the towns in a car the density in US countryside will be even lower compared with a tourist hotspot of Cesky Krumlov in southern Bohemia. That could explain much of the difference, though not the typical Czech lack of respect for another person.
Like your video, please keep it up. Lovely dog.
Vedel som, že česi majú radi vodu. Ale až američanka mi ukázala ako to u vás funguje. ❤😄👍🏽
If you want to have a remote camping experience, you should go to the east like Beskydy.
You named it well in the end part of the video - cruising down the Vltava river, especially in summer state super-holidays, is more a huge cruising party than a trip to nature or adventure. The social aspect is highly preferred here and it's powered with low difficulty of the river in this sections, so even total beginners can attend without much risk.
But this is not the only way how to go canoeing in Czech Republic. There are many smaller rivers (especially in mountain regions) which are way more wilder, natural and where much more skills are required. For example upper Jizera. The problem is, that most people join canoeing only with summer, when most interesting rivers are pretty dry. So the canoeing business and visitors as well focus on regulated rivers like Vltava where all-year operation is possible
oooo emmm džíííí :D great start in kanoe :D
great stuff , i love to try both of them , czech on i did many ears ago like a kid with my parents , amarican one hopefully soon in my 40es :)
Hi there, I just found your channel and I must say, that each and every one of your observations are so spot on, that I just couldn't stop laughing. Mainly how you summarized the whole camping experience as "Czechs found a way to move the party to the river". Me and my friends always say, that drinking on the river does not make you an alcoholic, it makes you a pirate :-) I would just note that it seems you made the mistake of going canoeing in the main season and also on the most crowded river. My choice would be Berounka or Sázava and go ideally at the start of June and not in the middle of the summer. Anyway, I really enjoy your videos and I'm looking forward to learning more about myself :-D
7:00 - That's a large Benny (a name summer camp instructors would use for the bottle of spiked tea behind the boat).
Vests are required for kids and recommended at some places or bad weather.
Asi před 40(?) roky jsme sjížděli Vltavu od Soumarského mostu až do Týna nad Vltavou (kolem Lipna autem a elektrárna v Temelíně ještě nebyla) a celé 2 týdny jsme jeli téměř sami.
Tenkrát musel každý mít vlastní loď (nebo si jí vypůjčit už v Praze), lodě se musely nějak dopravit na místo = nebylo to úplně jednoduché. Na řece nebyly ani kempy a ani pivní stánky, vařilo se na miniaturním lihovém vařiči nebo v kotlíku, zavěšeném na trojnožce nad ohněm, šlajsny byly polorozpadlé nebo provalené, při vyšší vodě to bylo někdy dost divoké, ale krásné.
Malá vysvětlivka: šlajsna - z německého "Schleuse" = propusť v jezu, kudy mohly projíždět vory. Vor je několik kmenů stromů, pevně spojených vedle sebe, z několika vorů svázaných za sebou se stane "pramen" - a takto vozili voraři dřevo po proudu řek až do Prahy - a někdy až do Hamburku - dokud nebyly na řekách velké přehrady.
Jestli jste chtěli zažít romantické dny v přírodě, hůř už jste si vybrat nemohli. Z romantiky se stala "masová záležitost", na řeku se dostane každý - i když to neumí, korunu tomu nasadily půjčovny lodí, ve kterých posadí "vodáky" do lodí (turisty z ciziny, od nedávna i z dálného východu), a o několik kilometrů níž po proudu večer loví z vody to, co z nich zbylo.
Spousta lidí "vodu" ani moc nezažije - celý týden stráví "naložení v lihu", a podle toho to tam i vypadá.
Vltava má vždy dost vody (z Lipenské přehrady), ale z této výhody byznys vytvořil nevýhodu - stal se z toho "jarmark", a kdo si chce užít týden na Vltavě má šanci jedině v době mimo sezónu.
Vysvětlivka: jarmark - z německého Jahresmarkt = výroční trh, ve městě, na který přijedou lidi z dalekého okolí a nakupují a konzumují.
Naštěstí jsou i jiné řeky. Do módy dokonce přicházejí alpské nebo francouzské řeky).
Omlouvám se za vysvětlivky, ale nechci vás trápit hledáním významu archaizmů nebo germanizmů, které podle mého názoru hovorovou češtinu oživují a jsou docela výstižné (= mají jednoznačný význam) 😉
(=
Good summary. It actually shows the difference between country where you can hardly ever get lost, and a country, where you might die of dehydration when walking from village to village. :D
Hopefully, someone will take you for a proper camping (vandr, tramping, čundr) :)
Dobrý výběr hudby na pozadí ;)
Sounds like your puppy was the only one who wasn't drunk all the time. Good puppy!
Well, what I like on canoeing in Czech Republic is, when you pass the fishermans or other tourists on the river, they mostly greet you by "Ahoj" shouting on you over the stream. Czech watermans (vodáci - idk if I can translate it like this) have their own vocabulary, e.g. háček (the one sitting in front of the ship), porculán (the one sitting in the middle of the ship - when there are 3 people on the board), kontra (rear view of paddle), udělat se/cvaknout se (turn the ship upside down), volej (totally stagnant water on a river) etc.
Hi Jen, I have been camping in Pennsylvania several times. To my surprise we weren't allowed to pick wood in the wood and we had to pay for it. We also had to stay quiet at 10.00pm which is unimaginable here in Czechia 😊. I am surprised that you were allowed to drink beer while rafting in Oregon. It wasn't allowed in Pennsylvania, I also remember that we had to undergo some safety course before boarding the raft and of course vest was a must.
The grooover 😱😱😱
So jealous of the trip to Oregon! Thats something there is not a chance of that here in central europe. So overcrowded over here.
From my hiking experience a nice bathroom is a great investment for any beer joint / pub / stand out there - I mean pooping in the woods is all fine and dandy, but as we always agreed after few days, porcelain is porcelain :D In any case I can recommend the border regions for hiking, esp. outside summer - esp. along the former Iron Curtain you have a basically depopulated belt of woods and stuff.
I love how Czechs piss on safety rules :) Currently living in Cornwall in the UK and in here you cannot even mop the floor without putting out WET floor sign :D that is just fudged up! :D Just look where you stomp..
Jenn i recommend also Slovakia - neighbor :) we have so nice places where you could go. High Tatras, Telgárt viaduct and mountains, castles - Spišský hrad, Betliar, Sv.Anton and many other places :)
A dokonce i medvědy :) téměř jako v Oregonu...
Je mi líto, že jste poznávali české vodáctví na Vltavě. Tohle je řeka pro Němce a ožralce. Skuteční vodáci jezdí jinam. (Tedy, řeka je krásná, ale ta společnost je otřes a předražené a přeplněné kempy jak by smet.) doporučuji Ohři, nejlépe mimo sezónu. Nějaká ta vybavenost tam je, ale řeka není přeplněná a ožralků je poskromnu. Příroda je krásná a průzezd Loktem je moc pěkný. Zajímavý výlet je i "Moravská Amazonka" - Zámecká Dyje.
Za mě na Ohři nejlepší Svatošky a úsek kdy po levici jsou Krušné a po pravici Doupovské hory
Ohře mi učarovala, kolem krásná města od Chebu přes Loket až po Vary. Kluci, co nám loni půjčovali lodě na Otavě, nám doporučovali Lužnici, že prý je to tam poměrně nepolíbené a nemají tam ani moc vybavené kempy, jen je problém s tím, že nebývá voda.
Lužnice je krásná. Jen je škoda, že dnes jsou už všechny šlajsny zavřené. S vodou to není tak zlé, tedy ze Sušice, ale vršek chce spíš zavřenou loď a jaro. Hrozný je pouze nekonečný volej před Pískem :-)
Mluvil jsem samozřejmě o Otavě. Na Lužnici jsem zažil podobný nával jako na Vltavě a pokud jedeš Novou Řeku je to docela volej. Krajina samozřejmě krásná. Stará Řeka byla v té době ještě prales a tak skoro nesjízdná, ale po povodních to prořezali.
Just found your channel (great btw), the little "waterfalls" you described are called weirs in english i think, and yes they are man-made low dams to rise the water, in the past for water mills, now small hydroelectric power stations. And the rapids or peřeje in czech, were mostly flooded with dams built in communist era, for example (if i'm right) there were rapids in the canyon of the Vltava river between České Budějovice and Prague before Vltavská kaskáda was built and the dams flooded the valley. Zdravím z Východních Čech
Hello to Eastern Bohemia! Thank you for these excellent details - "weirs" is a new word for me. Thank you for your comment!
If you want some unusual forest experience, try some Czech LARPs, they are sometimes basicaly a campaign in a forest with a group, or staying in and old uncept castle :) i would love to see video about this :D
You can finde the best from both Czech and US in Ukraine. We are nature lovers as you are, we appreciate silents and sounds of nature. You don't need any groover, you can easily just poop in woods,wich is amazing as for me. We have natural waterfalls, and you can choose, some real extreme wild rivers, or the one calm and wide.
river bars? really ?! :o ... hahahaha :D that's amazing .... looks like fun.
I know the place where you drop out, me too on this place. We just take Camping like a "week of drunk" (týden v lihu).
týden v lihu!! That's great! 😆😆
I kinda prefer the Oregon way :) To be fair there are less crowded rivers in Czechia than Vltava.
15:23 - litte vodopád :-D :-D :-D So cute...
doufám že budeš pokračovat v rozdilech ČR vs amerika. námět je to dobrý. ;)
Děkuji! Tak jo! Mám hodně napady o tom! přiště zkouším v češtinu. 😨
Come with group of my high school friends to the boat trip on Ohře river this summer, you'll see the other part of Czech nature from river :)
In czech is survival camping, but not on river :D
On river it is big party, as you said :D
(If you drink in/on watter you are not drunk that much and it is fun, not like sit in pub)
Hi, thanks for your video. I am watching your videos from the perspective of a Czech who has been living abroad (NL+DE) for 20 years and this year I will be living back. So basically a foreigner who happens to speak Czech. Many things will be different from how I used to know them 20 Sears ago. Like this canoe trips on the Vltava. With beer bars and music over speakers I would not so much like them I guess... How good is your Czech meanwhile? Can you read books? If I may, I'd like to recommend to you reading this sort of bible of the 'vodák' from the 80'ies, Zdeněk Šmíd: Proč bychom se netopili. It is one of my favorite books. About canoeing and friendship. Cheers and thanks again! Jesika
Why are camps so crowded? It's actually illegal to camp in nature in a number of national parks here, hence why people pick the camps to avoid fines.
Here 'canoing' is just another way of saying 'a HUGE party where literally everyone is invited' XD
The thing is... camping and canoeing is not different here, just your friends (I take they are not very experienced campers) took you to the Moldau river, which has become basically a lunapark over the past years. It caters to the tourists, families and drunk stag parties so the veers have been reshaped, the river cleaned and the camps turned into disco-party-all-you-need sites with all amenities and such. If you are really into nature and don't just want to get wasted on a raft, there are wonderful rivers which are not nearly as full, (Ohře, Morava, Lužnice, Otava...). Yes, you will also share the camp with other people, but maybe a few other groups. And hell yeah the waterproof speakers are absolutely rude and idiotic. The river-riding used to be big bonfires, bringing people together to play guitars and share various brandies. Now it is several groups playing loud music over each other and the only way to evade that is to pick an "off-season" weekend or do one of the less touristic rivers.
Super videa moc mě tvoje tvorba baví. Bohužel plné kempy stanů a žádnej klid jsou výsledkem toho, že jsme opravdu malá země jsme 4x menší než Californie a Evropa je celkově dost hustě obydlená. Proto tady neujdeš v lese kilometr aniž by jsi na někoho nenarazila :)
I was thining a bit about what you said about the camping and stuff and realized... Oregon is about 4times larger than Czech and has less than half the population, its pretty much impossible to find really empty place in Czech but I would guess in Oregon there are spots where nobody ever walked
I love this video :-). If I could decide to go down the Oregon or Vltava river I will choose Oregon (non crowded area :-)) but except your toilet :-D despite of avoiding the presence of a bear during the pooping :-D :-D.
Hi, Jen! So you've had the experience :-)
As many comments below mention, Vltava, actually, is quite natural choice, which probably makes it not the best one. It used to be way less crowded but it has changed a lot over the last decades. Fortunately you can get much closer experience to your Oregon one on other rivers (the camping infrastructure being quite neat there too, though). I've prefered Ohře for some time now, since the scenery is close to Vltava but there are not so many stag/hen parties ;-) Or you can go rafting to Slovenia or, say, Italy, where - under the Alpes - it is really a wild water, not like here.
By the way, the cute way you desribe the "small vodopád" can be slightly more explained. The "natural" thing, which you probably mean, are the "rapids" (?) - PEŘEJE (you can still find some on our rivers), whereas the man-made equipment, meant basically for water retention for various purposes (no, not too various, it in fact means the use of the water energy), is a "weir" - that is JEZ.
However, don't worry, next time you can try a different place and you can believe us that you get at least slightly different "vista" :-D I like the wilder way more, too, and it only depends on how much you want it. And yes, sometimes you need to pack your cooking equipment with you as well, and camp somewhere in the middle of nowhere (as much as it can in Czechia be).
(Groover je boží, ale "cvaknout" bych se s ním nechtěl :-D )
You obviously did a typical mistake in CR: you went in the main season and most frequent river. Next time try some smaller rivers with no camps - there are no crowds and it's amazing and in way more style as in U.S. ;)
I miss my country!!!!
I'm watching you show all the time!! Amazes me how much knowledge you have!! Everything you saying is true!! And you speak Czech very good!! I'm very happy you said Lotto nice thing about Prague🏰 you are wonderful pretty lady🏰
Thank you very much for all of this points of view :)
I actually envy you that real peopleless trips, big views and waterfalls and danger... It is not possible in here. I guess it´s forfeit for almost 100 % safety. If we wan´t be hurt or lost or in danger, we must TRY - like not wearing a life jacket or just go canoing in the US :D
You can get nice rafting in Austria. The Steyr river in the Alps and such.
Yea you see normal people go camping to relax. We go camping to get non-stop wasted :D
Like that time in Latvia, that was class. We drank so much rum with coke and then some Latvian Beer that was too heavy to drink and topped it with some good greasy roasted sausages. Good times! :D
Also, camping in America seems like too much work, me no likey.
we are not running away, we are running to something else (but you are right it is crowded)
To hear about your experience was painful for me as me and my siblings were being taken since we were very little by my dad and his bunch of friends and were always tought to be quiet in the nature and respect out surrounding.. There was a guitar by the fire, preferably separate place to camp, army clothes, but that's very rare now as canoeing trips became drinking holiday..not that there wouldn't be beer and rum before, but there were more traditions and respect in general. Now it's not allowed at most places to camp in an open nature, therefore the packed camps and in the season the crowds are the worst..Otherwise since we're small country with way smaller rivers and less uninhabited nature than US the surrounding differences make sense :) But! If you want a bit more natural experince(although still with a normal toilet :) ), try other rivers than Vltava and idealy before the summer holidays start :)
Kateřina Zadinová thank you for your comment, I will seek out quieter rivers next summer. I really did have a wonderful time though! 🥳
in Czech Republic is a problem, that we haven't got enough space to have all these forgotten rivers with falls and beautiful nature around, you know there are people everywhere, where it smells like adventure
The first time I went to Cesky Krumlov, I went for the weekend...6 months later, I was still there for just one more weekend. The best part is I lived with locals. It's the only place I've been to where you could get a job by walking into a cajovna...I can't get the diacritics right.
I must make one gastronomical correction. Halušky doesn't have to be Slovak dish. There is also a Wallachian dish of the same name. We make it with dough from boiled potatoes and mix it with with sauerkraut and bits of smoked pork (don't tell my ancestors, but it's the ideal dish to practice your chopsticks skills 😆). The truth is even most of Czechs don't know that. I moved just outside of Wallachia and found out what aliens we are to the rest of the country, but no need to spread it further 😁.
By the way, I really enjoy your videos. I have relatives that emigrated to the USA in 1980s and every time they come visit, they act really ignorant about this country. Really nice to see someone with no roots trying to learn the language and really understand the culture. And I especially enjoy the comparisons between the American and the Czech.
i am last duke of rosenberg and really apreaciate that u like our capital český krumlov :)
Hi :)! If you would like to try canoying in Czech Rep. more similar to canoying in US (still without wild river), you have to choose another river then Vltava. The Canoying in Vltava is mostly only about social event. If you would choose rivers as Sázava, Berounka, Morava or other from 57 rivers, except for Vltava from Vyšší Brod, all of the rivers will be much more about nature and canoying. (but Vltava is fun :).)
Well, still no Czech river has waterfalls and rapids comparable the US part of the video. You have to go to Austria or Slovenia for this.
Since you've mentioned bears, are bigfoots a big problem while camping in the US and Canada aswell? Are they aggressive? What safety measures would you recommend me regarding that? My friend from Toronto invited me for a visit and camping will be a part of that, so I just want to prepare properly. Thanks for the answers. :-)
We wildly camped in Arizona near Show Low city in desert.The Lake and above the rock our Chevi station wagen (our bedroom in the night).I have forgetton dog food in a bowl near fire place.On 2 a.m my wife waked up to me and ask quietly."Do you hear that din?I got out of my sleeping bag and saw a coyote enjoying dog pellets.
You could be interested to research this -
"čundr" slang for "Czech tramping"
From Wikipedia
Tramping (in Czech and Slovak language) is a movement incorporating woodcraft, hiking/backpacking/camping, and scouting, with a characteristic flavor of and styled on American culture, especially the Wild West. The latter is particularly noticeable in the tramping song, a song and musical style associated with tramping.
Tramping originated in Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the 20th century and is still present in today's Czech Republic and to a lesser degree in Slovakia. It manifests itself in a distinctive style of clothing, hiking culture, and tramping music. For the urban youth, it was a specific form of a "return to nature".
Well the way in US how you do "camping" reminds me the style of camping when I was a child in Czechia, it was quietly similar, but I think that we just changed with the time and did not t keep the original reason and way of the right camping ... nowadays are also more people than in past and that is why we have so many busy camping places to overnight in a tent and we are also smaller country, that means more people and less space... that is only the way I see it, greetings from Switzerland (with the heart from Czechia :))
but there are still a lot of small villages in cz that don't have so many people. i live in the rural US and a small town here is like 2,000 people, which i don't understand because we don't even have trains and buses coming to the small towns. i have camped in some really beautiful quiet places in cz :).
Love your videos... just one thing, lol, somebody should edit your subtitles... 'slehacka' in subtitles is "slight Hachiko" which is "wood cream"... haha (should be "whipped cream"). Not allowed to "poop" in the woods is "open the woods" "Rizek is "Zac"... The little "vodopad" in subtitles is "little votive pod". Ever been to "Chester love" should be "Cesky Krumlov" ...just saying :) I think you have software that translates it, maybe?
If you hear heavy breathing, wresting when you are camping you can be pretty sure it's a couple having a good time together. You know sailing on a river in Czech Rep is just notoriously known for young people drinking beer and loosing their innocence. The whole nature thing is kept only with hardcore sailors which are usually over 40 years old. Generally rivers in Czech Rep are very commercial.
Czech republic population density is 134 people on 1 km (rouhly 2/3ds of mile) squared. Oregon population density on the same area is 16 people. The water streams were cultivated by man, much more than half a century longer in Czech republic than in Oregon, and there are no comparable rocky mountaineous area inside CZ alongside any river. It does not seem so, but alcohol is actually prohibited on a boat (same as on the bicicle, or behind a drivers wheel). Therefore, if you happen to flip your boat and someone drawns, and you will have alcohol in your system, you are in extradeep troubles.
If the Czech countryside or wilderness seems crowded, try visiting Slovakia every now and then. The wilderness is generally wilder, and things are sparser over here, even at camp sites. ;-)
I love the US style!
There is a lot more space in US with low population density, I think that makes the experience different. In a small European country like Czechia, as you move around you will always find lots of small villages and towns. There is no such thing as a five day long trip through nature where you don't meet any people, because everywhere you go, someone already lives there.
Funny :-)) I think that canoeing in Czech nature started in a pretty similar way like in U.S. in the beginning. It just has degraded over the years. Ooops :-/ But we have parts of nature which are not crowded and where you can experience serious hiking and stuff...
BTW I don't know if you're aware of it but there are two parallel worlds here in Czechia which is quite a phenomenon. There's one "normal" world with normal Czech culture and then there's another world imitating the U.S. Wild West with American style country music etc. where there are groups of people hanging out in isolated places in the woods where they have log huts and fireplaces and where they are living in their leisure time like in old times. It's called "tramping" in Czech. I'm not sure if it's still going on that much but it was very popular during Communist times when it was also a kind of protest and a secret admiration of American life that was put dow by communists...
The canoeing in the USA = survive. In the Czech Republic = fun.
mazarek haha true!!
About the vests...czechs are very good swimmers (we have swimming lessons in 3rd grade in schools)..so...who does need vests? :D
super video ale mrzí mě že jsi byla jen na Vltavě. Vltava je turistická atrakce na jinych řekách je to jiné. Doporučuju Sázavu nebo Ploučnici ( ta je opravdu velice přírodní :D ).
Sázava je sice o dost opuštěnější, ale je to hrozná nuda :D Nicméně ano Vltava je takovej říční Václavák
Doporučuji kolektivně k přečtení Zdeňka Šmída, Proč bychom se netopili, aneb Vodácký průvodce pro Ofélii. Česká vodácká národní infekce je, spolu s chatařením/chalupařením prostě takovej naprosto českej kulturní znak, kterej se tady vyvinul za naprosto unikátních podmínek, jaký nikde jinde na světě nenajdeš 😉
That's a Bohemia for you. If you go camping and canoeing on Dyje in Moravia, that´s a lot more private. On Vltava river it is such mass turist trap that there is a lot companies which offer camping sites, canoes etc. Also real camping is more private thing as have imagined and people bring music instruments for playing by the campfire.
Hi Robin, thank you for your comment. Yes, I think I experienced a particularly rowdy time and place, and it's not true about most camping experiences in the Czech Republic. But I would love to camp in Moravia...Can you recommend a good place for us to try?
I don't have personal experience, but friend recommended either start at Hrádek nad Dyjí, Vranov nad Dyjí or Znojmo. Between Vranov and Znojmo is national park Podyjí (not navigable, only by foot or bicycle and only on marked trails www.nppodyji.cz/). If you take longer trip, you should be to canoe from Znojmo to Mikulov, to Břeclav. Vranov, Znojmo and Mikulov and Valtice/Lednice are historic sites (also UNESCO). Ideal time for longer trip is summer, if like to taste young wine juice, then late summer (end of August /first half of September) Also here are web pages of one of canoe rentals: pujcovna.vodaci.org/
I think you are a very charming lady and I like watching your videos.
Hi Jen, if You hear "Dueling banjos" - RUN!!!!!!!! it doesn't matter if you are in the US or CZ :D
P.S. I love Yours videos, great job. Thumbs UUUUUUP!!!!!
If you want more nature, try a different river than the "tourist trappy" Vltava next time ;-)