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TRAVEL >
Christmas inside-out
Written by: Milan Duda
Photo: Tomáš Kubeš, Allphoto images, www.isifa.com
Christmas needn't mean just bustling,
consuming lots of food and alcohol, or watching television. If
you're one of those people who prefer to escape from the temptations
of the holidays, you might enjoy our guide to locales where, instead
of getting fat, you'll get a peasant dose of endorphins.
Slalom on the steppes
The most popular skiing venue in Russia is the several-hundred-meter
thick glaciers of the Caucasus, where there is year-round
snow. The Elbrus and Čeget centers are popular, and the latter
offers some of the most complicated trails in the world -
extreme skiing fans like the Čegetskije bugry black trail
or the Dollar trail in the northern part of the complex.
In Russia you can enjoy a "second" Christmas and
New Year, as Grandfather Frost hands out presents on 6 January.
Some Russians spend Christmas Eve outdoors in the snow with
their Christmas trees. New Year's Eve follows four days later.
Zajezdy.cz
5. 1. - 12. 1. 06, price 24 390 Kč, www.zajezdy.cz, tel.:
568 839 611 |
Feasting in Bulgaria
Beautiful mountains with great skiing conditions that rank
with famed Alpine centers - that's Bulgaria. Improving
services, beautiful countryside, and nice people are drawing
ever more Czech tourists, mainly to centers like Bansko
and Borovec. If you want to spend Christmas in the spirit
of local traditions, be prepared for real feasting. The
Christmas Eve menu has at least 12 courses (one for each
month) consisting of beans, all sorts of nuts, dried plums,
and cakes - but you won't have any meat at all on this
occasion. Sopka.cz,
multiple dates, from CZK 3,448,
www.sopka.cz, tel.: 257 941 306
Invia.cz
multiple dates, from CZK 2,796,
www.invia.cz, tel.: 226 000 622
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North for the aurora borealis
Canoeing, fishing, boat trips, horseback riding, and skiing
- all in the middle of wild, untouched nature, in uninhabited
forests, among lovely, clear lakes, with the northern lights
dancing overhead. You might not even notice that during
this inimitable Christmas in Lappland, in the north of
Finland, the sun won't rise. No matter - when you take
part in the local traditions and folklore, your holidays
will be truly unforgettable.
CK Periscope Skandinávie
dates as requested, weekend price: about CZK 45,000
www.skandinavie.cz, tel.: 542 213 346 |
Like at home, in Vietnam
In this land with a cultural tradition of over 4,000 years,
you'll spend a somewhat untraditional Christmas. Forget
about snow and skis and get ready for limestone cliffs
rising from the sea or cooling off in the azure ocean.
You'll learn about work in rice paddies and marvel at the
mozaic of pulsing towns and ancient villages. Vietnam is
a land of Buddhism, but there has also been a large Christian
minority since the times of French colonialism, so Christmas
is celebrated much as it is in Europe. On Christmas Eve,
people go to Midnight Mass, followed by family celebrations
where traditional chicken soup is served. China Tours
26. 12. - 3. 1. 06., price 19 900 CZK
(+ CZK 34 000 for airfare including fees),
www.chinatours.cz, tel.: 271 741 364
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Sri Lanka still like paradise
This island quickly recovered from the destructive tsunami
and is again prepared to show off its tea plantations,
national parks, and endless sandy beaches. You'll be enchanted
by the varied flora and fauna, the ancient, "desolate" royal
towns, and the friendly people. The Christmas holidays
are a mix of Christian traditions and local native customs,
with enormous fires blazing, and processions with lanterns,
torches, and fireworks. Adventura
27. 12. - 4. 1. 06, price 18 900 CZK
(+ about CZK 29,000 airfare including fees),
www.adventura.cz, tel.: 271 741 734-6
Marco Polo
23. 12 - 5. 1. 06, price 49 990 Kč, www.marco-polo.cz,
tel.: 241 718 646 |
Paradise on Earth
The first inhabitants of the Seychelle Islands thought that
the natural preserve Vallée de Mai on the second-largest
island, Praslin, was the true biblical paradise. They might
not have been far from the truth. It's hard to imagine
the beauty of these islands slightly below the equator
in the Indian Ocean. The clear, turquoise-blue sea bathes
endless, white beaches. Inland there is a unique bend of
fauna and flora. Marco Polo
22. 12. - 30. 12. 05, price 46 990 Kč, www.marco-polo.cz,
tel.: 241 718 646
Travel & Business Centre
departures based on individual agreement,
www.seychelly.cz, tel.: 224 234 964-5
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Up to your knees in snow
At a time when most of the Czech Republic is cloaked in a smoggy
inversion, the Jeseníky mountains are usually bathed in
sun. The highest mountains in Moravia and Silesia are an
ideal venue for Christmas holidays for other reasons as
well. For example, Praděd, with the deepest, longest-lasting
snow cover in the country, offers excellent skiing. You
can relax in local spas - in Jeseník, in Schrot's Spa in
Lipová, or in Karlova Studánka. Sopka.cz
multiple dates,
price from 1640 Kč,
www.sopka.cz, tel.: 257 941 306
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Fast as the wind
In the winter the Radhošť Hills attract skiers, mainly to the
Pustevny center. It's only six kilometers from Frenštát
pod Radhoštěm and is dominated by wooden, folk-style buildings
designed by Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič. A total of
nine trails with 11 lifts may save you from the usual post-Christmas
gorging hangover. Čedok
23. - 27. 12., price from 3 530 Kč, www.cedok.cz, tel.:
800 112 112
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Adrenaline nearby
Krkonoše are a traditional destination for Czech skiers offering
them ideal conditions. Apart from well equipped slopes and
ski lifts one can find there tens of kilometers of traces for
crosscountry skiing with improved orientation system and numbers
of mountains' cottages.
And in recent years the services are adding up. What about
trying a five-kilometer sled run from the heights of Krkonoše
to Špindlerův Mlýn? Or trips on skidoos or four-wheelers, snowtubing
(a ride in rubber boats through an ice corridor), or bobsled
and toboggan runs? In short, today Krkonoše isn't just about
skiing. And in the evening you can relax with fitness, wellness,
or beauty procedures offered by spas like Jánské Lázně. Invia.cz
22. - 29. 12., price from 720 Kč, www.invia.cz, tel.: 226
000 622 |
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