Decín

In June 2017, just a few weeks after I moved to my new home in Stará Oleška, a new café opened in nearby Decín called ‘Coffee & Books’. It is located almost next door to Vesta Reality, the real estate business who were responsible for selling me my house. During the house purchase process, I often saw the sign on the neighbouring door declaring, ‘Coffee & Books, opening soon’, and regretted that it wasn’t already open 😉

The café was set up by Honza and his wife Jana. Honza had been made redundant from his previous employment and Jana had previously organised cultural events in Ústí nad Labem. Their vision was to have a café offering good coffee and food, but to also be a venue for a variety of cultural events. Six months after opening, Jana’s daughter Martina, returned to Decín from living and working in the USA and joined them in the business.

The following two photos were taken at a party held on 22^nd June 2018, celebrating the first birthday of Coffee & Books.

Having constantly spoken English during her five years in the USA, Martina was keen not to lose her use of the language. So she had the idea of a monthly evening event which she entitled ‘English Small Talk’, for people like herself who could speak English and wanted to practice it. Here is the poster for the very first edition of English Small Talk, held on Tuesday 9^th October 2018.

Advert for the first edition of English Small Talk

For the first hour, it is effectively speed dating in English 🙂 You talk in pairs for five minutes until the bell goes, then you form another pair for five more minutes of conversation. The second hour is less structured and gives you the opportunity to continue a conversation that was interrupted by the bell. Or you can talk to someone you didn’t get to speak to during the first hour.

It is through English Small Talk that I have made several English-speaking Czech friends. They are nearly all much younger than me and predominantly female. The age difference is because Czechs who are over forty, were never taught English at school. They were forced to learn Russian. The gender imbalance is harder to explain. I am one of only two native English-speakers who attend.

On the afternoon of my sixty-eighth birthday back in February 2020, I arranged to meet Michaela, one of my ‘Small Talk’ friends, in Coffee & Books. I had nothing special planned for the day and I knew that Michaela, who is a school teacher of English, had her half-term holiday that week. I looked forward to coffee, cake and a pleasant chat in English.

But what did Michaela do? She arranged for several other mutual ‘Small Talk’ friends to be there as well. And she told Martina, who duly produced a birthday cake and a bottle of Prosecco. Here we are with Martina.

From l to r: Martina, me, Michaela, Tereza K, Lenka, Iva, Tereza H © Martina Víchová

And here are my English-speaking friends again, minus Martina, but with the addition of Daniela who arrived just after the first photo was taken.

From l to r: Michaela, Lenka, Iva, Tereza H, Tereza K, Daniela © Ricky Yates

Sadly, just after that delightful surprise event, the Covid pandemic hit. We had three different lockdowns in which cafés and restaurants were closed or only allowed to serve takeaway food through the door. Cultural and social events like English Small Talk came to a complete halt. Whilst there was some financial compensation from the Czech government, businesses in the hospitality sector suffered badly, including Coffee & Books.

In the Spring of 2021, Jana organised an online fundraising appeal seeking financial help to keep Coffee & Books afloat. There were prizes or future rewards, according to the amount of money a person donated. I’m pleased to say that the appeal was a success with over two hundred people donating. I made a contribution with my reward being to work as a trainee barista for a few hours, once Covid restrictions had finally come to an end.

On Wednesday 15^th December 2021, I finally received my ‘reward’. Here I am, very carefully making a cappuccino for Honza the boss.

Carefully making a cappuccino for Honza © Jana Erdela Víchová

And it was a pleasure to pose for this photo with Martina and the rest of the team on duty that day.

With Martina & the team © Jana Erdela Víchová

After an initial get-together at the end of July 2021, English Small Talk restarted on Tuesday 14^th September and on every second Tuesday of the month since then. It has been great to meet up again with my English-speaking friends and to make new ones. I’m very much looking forward to the next edition on Tuesday 12^th April.

…….Sunday 27^th March 2016 was Easter Day. The following day, I put myself on a train from Prague to Decín, intending to spend my post-Easter break, walking for a few days in Ceské Švýcarsko – Bohemian Switzerland, fulfilling the promise I made to myself when I had paid a day visit to the area, some six weeks previously.

Surprisingly at the time, I never wrote about this visit here on my blog. But a combination of the fourth anniversary, together with the need to occupy my evenings whilst currently in lock down because of the corona virus, means I’m doing so now. And whilst I have previously explained here, why I chose to retire and live in North Bohemia, I still regularly am asked why I chose this particular part of North Bohemia in which I now live. This post may help to answer that question.

Around midday on that Easter Monday 2016, I set off from Decín station, first alongside and then over the Labe river, through the town centre, in order to join the red waymarked route and walk to the border village of Hrensko.

After a steep climb up this zig-zag path, I was rewarded with a splendid view of Decín.

Further on, there were wonderful views of Kanon Labe which I have described and illustrated in this more recent post.

The path then took me for several kilometres through the forest to the village of Labská Strán.

Sign on outskirts of Labská Strán © Ricky Yates

On the outskirts of the village was this delightful sign. To the left you will find the Hrbitov/Cemetery, whilst to the right is the way do vesnice/to the village. But the top fingerpost tells you where to go Na houby/for mushrooms, whilst the bottom fingerpost tells you where to go Na pivo/for a beer 🙂 Only in the Czech Republic!

From Labská Strán, the path descended into, and then along, an almost dry river valley before becoming a narrow pavement alongside the main Decín – Dresden road and the Labe river, for the last 1.5km into Hrensko. Having walked over 20km, I was very pleased to reach Hotel Labe where I had already booked to spend the night.

The next day, I continued along the red waymarked route, repeating the first part of the walk I had undertaken on my day visit, six weeks earlier. This took me up to Pravcická brána…..

…..and then along under steep cliffs…..

…….to the small village of Mezní Louka. But it was whilst I was on this section of my walk that I had an unfortunate mishap. My old but faithful trekking pole snapped and would no longer support me.

Whilst walking the Chemin de St Jacques, in France, in 2002, I became a convert to walking with a trekking pole. Particularly as I have got older, I don’t feel confident walking on an uneven path, without a trekking pole in hand, to help me keep my balance. This is especially true if I’m also carrying several kilos in a backpack. Therefore I was quite pleased to reach the road at Mezní Louka, without falling over!

I had planned to continue walking along the red waymarked route, to the village of Jetrichovice, where I had already booked ahead to spend the night in Penzion Drevák. But without a functioning trekking pole, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour. Instead, I took a different route, partly consisting of gravelled tracks and the rest along tarmacked roads. Thus I safely walked into Jetrichovice, later that afternoon.

After checking in at Penzion Drevák, I went for a short walk around the village. Within sight of the penzion was a bus stop, on which there was the timetable of bus service 436, into Decín. Believing that a town of 50,000 people, next to a popular walking area, would have a sports shop selling trekking poles, I noted the time of a bus departing mid-morning the next day, and told my hosts at the penzion, I would be staying with them a second night.

The next morning after breakfast, I went to the bus stop in good time and waited. Very close to the designated time, along came the bus. There followed a very scenic bus journey lasting nearly an hour, through a whole series of attractive villages, including one called Stará Oleška 🙂 Yes, that bus journey actually took me past the front door of the house where I now live!

Upon arrival in Decín, I searched the town centre, looking for a sports shop, but couldn’t find one. Eventually I spotted new shopping complex slightly out of the town centre, with a large Kaufland supermarket – the place where I now do nearly all my food shopping. Next to it was, and still is, a large Sportisimo sports shop. Inside, I found a pair of trekking poles for a very reasonable price. Mission accomplished!

After a pub lunch, I caught the early afternoon bus and enjoyed the same scenic journey of a few hours earlier, in the reverse direction, back to Jetrichovice.

The next day, I did walk part of the red waymarked route I had avoided two days earlier. I climbed from Jetrichovice, up to Mariina skála, from where there are wonderful views over the surrounding area. Very worthwhile, even though it was a bit misty that day.

Jetrichovice as seen from Mariina skála © Ricky Yates

Slightly further on is Balzerovo ležení, an interesting rock formation which has a picnic table beneath it. Please note my shiny new trekking pole propped up against the table 🙂 Then, rather than retracing my steps, I made a circular return to Jetrichovice, via the yellow waymarked route.

Balzerovo ležení with picnic table © Ricky Yates

On Friday 1^st April 2016, I once more caught the 436 bus in Jetrichovice, all the way to Decín railway station for my return journey to Prague. Exploring this specific area on foot and then by bus, left a permanent impression on me. Whilst I never said to myself that I wanted to live in a village on the 436 bus route, when nearly a year later, I saw the house in which I now live, on the Vesta Reality website, I knew immediately where is was. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Tag: Decín

Coffee & Books and English Small Talk

Four years ago……