There's no better time to travel than during a global financial meltdown. Price wars between airlines have led to plummeting ticket prices, and posh hotels are practically giving away their beds. Promotions on all kinds of products – ranging from hot chocolate to haute couture - make it possible for even unemployed bankers to get a taste of the good life. We asked our local bloggers to uncover the best deals, and to tell us about the simple and inexpensive pleasures that can always be found in their cities. With cheap tickets and insider advice, there's no reason why a shrinking economy should stop you from expanding your horizons.
Prague
As an expat living in Prague, I’ve seen massive shifts in the exchange rates since late 2006. At that time, long-term expats were already complaining about the changes they’d seen since the 1990s. In finding ways to reduce expenses, discovered a few places in the city center where I can grab a good lunch for less than 100 Czech korun (around 3,5 euro). These are by no means the only places, but they’re the ones I’ve become quite fond of in the last couple years. Note: many places offer “tourist menus” that cost two to three times as much.
I discovered Velryba within a few months of moving to Prague and, with a large menu that includes vegetarian items, it’s my top choice for pasta proportions that are worthy of their price (the blue cheese dishes are my favorite). On a street that runs behind a main street, and thus often overlooked by tourists, Velryba tends to be filled with locals or art/film students from nearby student housing. The interior is split into three sections: a café, a pub/café, and a downstairs exhibition gallery. Though rather smoke-filled in the evening hours, it’s not much of a problem during the day.
Just a block or so from Velryba, with open views of a quiet streetcorner, is Café Rybka, a smaller place where the air is just as electric with possibilities… a feeling that could be from the hundreds of books on the walls, as well as the tables full of tomorrow’s great Slavic innovators. The menu is limited food-wise, but the blue cheese toasty (at 30 Kc last time I was there) is perfect when you only need a snack. From here (or Velryba), it’s about a one and a half block walk to Prague’s legendary Globe Bookstore.
A dozen or so meters from Betlemske namesti (“Bethlehem Square”), Krasny Ztraty (“Beautiful Losses”) is a more recent find for me, but I like it enough that I’m there at least once or twice per week. An in-house library, art/photography on the walls, and seating options that, in addition to standard tables, include comfortable sofas, all of which make it a relaxed atmosphere where professionals, students, moms, etc., can regenerate with some tasty food items (good vegetarian options) before going back to the reality outside.
Countless traditional Czech restaurants serve my favorite Czech item, smazeny syr a hranolky ("fried cheese and French fries"), but when I'm feeling like I don't want to fall asleep right after I eat, I opt for the lighter fare of the above alternatives. I still get filled up with Czech-style food, I'm able to chase it with a cerne pivo ("dark beer"), and I don't have to sit among hordes of tourists for lunch.
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