Cozy Cafes of Prague (2) – Kavárna pražírna Voznice

My second choice for Cozy Cafes series is family run Cafe Kavárna Pražírna Voznice , “kavárna” meaning cafe, “pražírna” is (bean-)roasting house and Voznice is a name of village, where the family comes from. To describe the cafe I can use just two words: pure friendliness; and wonderful coffee as well :-).

Entrance to YMCA, with the Cafe welcome sign (KAVÁRNA).

The cafe was opened in September 2015 when Jiřina and Petr Čermákovi (Čermák’s family) decided they want to roast their own coffee. The coffee was tested on friends and finally the idea of opening the cafe with perfect coffee was on the table. By coincidence (can you find a better way than coincidence? or is it “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”? in Czech we have very nice “Fortune favors the bold”) the place in YMCA palace (you can read more about it here) got available (being wine-bar previously) and that’s it.

The bar area.

For my post I am asking baristas couple of questions, which are:

1. why are you at this place, this cafe?

2. what would you get being a client in this cafe

3. your favorite place or recommendation what to see and where to go in Prague

4. nice story from the cafe

The answers for Kavárna Pražírna Voznice are:

Why this place:

Petr: I fell in love with the brick wall and the bar. When I first stood behind the bar I felt it immediately: here I belong. It was love at the first sight.

The Wall.

Jiřina: From the first moment I had a really good feelings about the place. I liked the floor and brass frames of windows and doors. Most of the furniture (tables, chairs) were left here from the previous wine bar and it gaves the place almost vintage atmosphere.

Marie: I like the building itself (YMCA, where the cafe is located), I love its first republic atmosphere (for Czech People the First Republic – period 1918-1938 – bares lot of nostalgic connotations, like “the good old times” when everything was nice, traditional, I love this atmosphere as well :-)), but also people from the company who takes care of the building are very friendly and helpful. Our cafe is in the city center, but not at the first sight, its a little bit hidden, that is what I like.

My perfect choice.

What would you order from the menu:

Not surprisingly – as we are at the specialized cafe (roasting beans by themselfs) – the top of the menu is coffee, namely espresso, therefore for Petr and Jiřina espresso was their choice from the menu, Marie has extended this choice :-).

Petr and Jiřina: Espresso.

Marie: Espresso and something sweet (as something sweet goes with coffee prefectly)

Katy (me): I usually get filter cafe and I love the cakes from Od Bobu that you can get here.

You have a really wide choice of coffee beans.

Your recommendation what to see or where to go in Prague:

Petr: I really like the Bank building just close to us. The building used to be a bank for legions and now it belongs to another bank. It is really beautiful.

Former Czech Legion bank in Rondocubistic style.

Unfortunately also in this building making of the photo is not allowed, but also in here I was able to steel some pictures for you.
Gallery

Jiřina: I used to work at Žofín palace in Slavic Island (Slovanský ostrov) and I really like this place. There are beautiful views to the river, National Theatre, even Prague Castle. Go there and see by yourself.

Žofín Palace from the back.

Gallery:

View to Prague Castle.

Marie: I like the area around our cafe, The Square of Republic (náměstí Republiky ). I like the brutalist (being the architectonic style) building of Kotva shopping center (from 1975 year), the Christmas and Easter Markets, and also the farmers markets. Being in the middle of the city and I can feel like in a village as well. This point is really good for starting the city adventure.

And I (Katy) add: In my opinion the area around náměstí Republiky is great for accommodation, as everything is close and in walkable distance, and what is not, is easily connected by public transport, as the square is perfect traffic hub.

Square of Republic with Kotva shopping mall at the background.

Gallery:

Nice story from the cafe:
We were not able to think about one nice story, because all of them are the small pleasures of everyday life. When the cafe was opened, all people going around in the passage looked in through the big windows, it felt like being inside of huge aquarium. And now people go to the cafe like going home, sometimes they forgot to pay (do not do this please) and then they come back, they forgot they are not in their kitchen, but at the cafe.

Jiřina a Petr.

Daughter Marie.

At the cafe you will also find little display where earrings, brooches, rings… all decorated with real coffee are for sale, made by dobrunda atelier. In fact during my very first visit I have purchased cufflinks for my husband and brooch for me :-).

Couple of picture of the cafe and photos that were not turned to watercolors yet

Gallery of my realized watercolors

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Night Walks (3) – Yards of the Old Town (2)

Lights at the garden.

And now I go on with my walk through the yards of the Old Town, and its after dark. The previous part you can find here. We ended the previous post at Cathedral Cafe, and we are not leaving yet, as its courtyard is really nice as well.

And the next picture is really interesting, look at the white chairs and table, what they are standing at?

Is it a well?

Yes! It is an old well, older then the buildings, so when the buildings and courtyards were built, people just put halves of the well to the different yards. Let’s look at it from the other side.

Much better, what you think :-).

And a little closer look.

No water, but snow.

Courtyards of the Old Town and House by a Stone Bell.

Beautiful blue light at the yards of the Tynska street.

Brick a brack and cafe and private appartments.

House by a Golden Ring, museum that much worth visiting.

House by a Stone Bell stands on the Old Town Square and not long time age it had Renaissance facade. When I watch movies from 1970 and there are shots from this place, I wait to see it in its Renaissance version. But at late 70s they reconstructed the building and gave it the original Gothic appearance by taking down the Renaissance “dress”.

How it looks inside of the Stone Bell yard.

Look up.

And we are at the Old Town Square.

From Old Town Square I went through my favorite spot the Tyn yard to finish the evening at lovely Cafe No.3.

Ungelt (or Tyn).

Cafe no.3.

My espresso.

Cafe no.3 is fortunately (for me) empty at his time of the day and year, as it s cozy but small place with just a few seats and I am happy when I can have a chat with the owners Pierre and Zbyšek about life, taste Zbyšek’s delicious dessert (the pecan one, but others are great to). Sometimes I have just espresso, but mostly I get “štrudl” (hot apple juice with whipped cream and cinnamon), or London fog and white hot wine, that is just great as well.

CTU’s Rector Inauguration

CTU stands for the Czech Technical University in Prague (in Czech we call it ČVUT) founded 1707 being the oldest non-military technical university in Europe and every forth year it chooses its head. We call him (or her) rector. University has 8 faculties, and their heads are called deans. And when the new rector is elected, there must be some celebration and official inauguration.

The best place for such an occasion is of course the ceremonial hall of CTU, that can be found in quite important and historic building, which is the Bethlehem Chapel. Historically it is known as the oldest reform church, where Jan Hus used to preach (BTW Jan Hus served as rector of the University of Prague, now known as Charles University, in 1402–03).

Bethlehem Chapel.

The entrance hall.

The interior of the chapel is quite pure, just paintings on the walls and Hussite chorals, meanwhile everything is ready for the celebration.

In a moment the chapel is filled with people and with the beginning of the ceremony the “university people” are coming in their wonderful gowns. Members of the scientific board, senators of academic senate, deans in chains and their beadles with wonderful scepters. Invited rectors of other Czech Universities, and finally heads of the faculty senates and the head of the academic senates, behind them the old (emeritus) and new rector.

After speeches the new rector gets the golden chain, it is real gold, being brought from the safe in Czech National Bank just for this occasion.

The head of Academic senate giving the speech…

… and the chain to the new rector.

More speeches are on the scene, newly appointed and elected deans of 4 faculties get their chains, and the ceremony is over. All the people in given order are leaving the space to go the crypt of the chapel (its the same place, where Christmas exhibition took place in December) for refreshment. It lasted a bit more than 2 hours.

University scepter.

And the scepters of 8 faculties:

New rector with student members of Academic senate.

Choco Cafe by A Red Chair.

After the ceremony and refreshment I make some pictures in front of the chapel and the I go to my favorite Choco Cafe. They have wonderful rich chocolate and my favorite is hot peach with mint leaves, but today I take coffee and after I warm up I go for a little walk around the hidden streets of the Old Town.

Used to be a museum of old postcard.

Lot of chocolate.

Weekly Image Of Life: Summer

It is almost summer, but the weather this year seems to think it’s not. And what summer means to me? I will show you at some shots taken in Southern Moravia 3 years ago during our family vacation.

Summer is seeing sunflowers at the fields.

Sunflower field in Lednice

Summer is visiting castles and old palaces around Czech Republic.

Lednice castle

Summer is doing nothing and enjoying the sun whenever and wherever you want.

Garden coffee at Lednice garden

Summer is when there are flowers on the street.

Mikulov

Summer is when you don’t go to sleep at the evening, because you go to the summer festival for music.

Meky Žbirka at Bernard Fest in Humpolec

Summer is when you don’t go to sleep at night, because you are having fun with your partner and with your glass of beer.

At Bernard Fest Humpolec

Travel theme: Costume

I love costumes, I love dressing up for some special ocassion and I really love taking vintage photos.
A few years ago we visited Bulgary, we travelled around the coutnry and several days we spent by the sea at small town Pomorie. I really enjoyed the atmosphere there, specially evening walks on promenade and by the sea. Fortunatelly, the first evening I found a special stall, where they had a lot of beautiful colorful dresses and they were doing vintage photos.

Promenade and colorful dresses

We were looking in astonishment how a family with small girls were carefully dressed up, every little detail was handled.

Family getting ready for the shot

And finally I made my husband to go for a photo as well.

Choosing the right costume and dressing

The next day, as we went for the final photos, we were watching another family being taken, really great again!

Great family shot

So I made my husband for one more photo!

Our two shots, my husband is astounding in uniform

And as a result we have two beautiful photographs taken hundred years ago :-).

Final vintage shots

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says

Last weekend I have visited Kutná Hora and there I had found a nice sign that I want to share with you for The Sign Says Weekly Photo Challenge. More about Kutná Hora you can find on this link.

The sign I found in the souvenir shop simply said:

The sign says: 2 + 1 free

A bit strange and scary to find it at the souvenir shop at the bone chapel, which inside looks like this:

Bone chapel

And all the decorations in the chapel are done from the same “material”, the real human bones and human skulls.

Decorations

Therefore it is really strange to find this special offer:

The sign says: 2 + 1 free

Fortunatelly the small sign next to the first one says:

This sign explains what’s on sale – certificate

Still I would feel a bit strange to buy three skulls, despite the fact that one would be for free :-).

A Word A Week Challenge – Face

Lot of Faces for A Word A Week Challenge I found in a beautiful park in France, at the place called Clos Luce in the city of Amboise on Loire river. Leonardo da Vinci lived at the house and now you will find there his museum. Surrounding garden is very beautiful, with lots of devices invented by da Vinci, but also decorated with his works unusual way. Enjoy walking throug the park and meet some famous paintings.

Hidden in the trees

Famous faces.

Do you recognise them?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

Escape from the rush of everyday live, in the heart of the metropole. People enjoying the day at the quay of Seine river in Paris.

Paris, quay of Seine, one summer day

Weekly Image Of Life: A Mother’s Love

A few shots from our family album for A Mother’s Love Challenge. The best mum in the world is on the first gallery, with her only child (me).

My mum and me

Our first beloved dog, Tabitha, with her first children Fanynka and Bertik, they grew up in a perfect dogs, already getting old now.

Tabitha and her Tiffany (Fanda) and Hubert (Bertik)

Fanynka with her own children and one foster, from Tabitha, she was not able to care about it, maybe you will find the smallest youngest one :-).

Fanynka (Tiffany) with her own herd (Sára, Andy, Kačka, Žanynka)

Travel theme: Dance

I want to dedicate this week’s Travel Theme: Dance to my friend Gaga from Yemen. I met him in Yemen, where he was our guide. He took us to the small village in Haraz mountains, where he grew up and where he started his career as a dancer of traditional dances. See him on the two bottom shots with yellow/black scarf on his head.

Musicians and dancers in Haraz mountain, Hajjara village (photos by Jarda Dohnal)

Few years later he came to Prague to visit us and one evening we spent with my parents. Dancing in Yemen is a mens business, so my father joined Gaga for dancing and we had a lot of fun.

Dancing in Czech-Yemen style

But the biggest fun came later, when our Fanda couldn’t resist just watching and she entered the dance, so keen, even standing on her back legs (sorry, too quick and no chance of making a picure :-(). She enjoyed the dance a lot and we did as well, watching her.

Fanda rules!