GOING ON HOLIDAY
For us vacations and holidays are time when we do not need to go to work or school. We look
forward to this time with anticipation. We often plan what we will do. The knowledge that we
will do only what we feel like doing is enough to make us happy. If we want we can only idle
away our time. It is actually up to us how we spend our free time. For many people vacations
and holidays are the most beautiful time of the year. This is the right time to fulfil our dreams
and ideas.
People have different expectations for their holidays. Some want only to lie by the water and
sunbathe. Others practically don´t leave their house, sit by the television, go out to have a
meal, read newspapers and again sit down in front of the TV. Some people spend their
holiday doing sports, hiking or travelling. In this way they improve their minds as well as
their bodies. Other people go to their cottages where they collect mushrooms, go fishing, pick
strawberries, raspberries and herbs. A lot of people like hiking. They walk through the forest,
sleep out in the open and enjoy the beauties of nature.
Holiday and vacation time is usually connected with summer. In July and August
schoolchildren have their two months´summer holidays. During this period most of the
recreation centres, amusement areas, restaurants, camps and hotels are in operation. In the
Czech Republic we don´t have just summer holidays. Even during the school year we have a
chance to enjoy holidays and vacations.
We often take our vacations or holidays abroad. In 1989 the Czech Republic´s borders were
opened to the world. Nowadays anyone can choose any place in the world which he would
like to see. If he has enough money his wishes mostly come true. Tourism is an important
source of revenues for our country. Travelling to other countries has become a very
fashionable affair, especially for young people. The reason for their frequent travelling abroad
is to gain new knowledge, enjoy themselves, become familiar with other people´s cultures and
habits and see the historical places of interest.
We can arrange our trip abroad ourselves, or it could be arranged for us by travel agency.
There we choose the country we want to visit. We also choose a length of the trip and the kind
of transport we want to use. A travel agency also arranges our accommodation. We can stay
in a hotel, a boarding-house, a tent or a cottage. We can choose from many different offers. A
travel agency will insure our luggage and ourselves against accidents in the country of our
choice. To cross a frontier we need a valid passport. It doesn´t concern countries of the
European Union because our country has been its member since 2004. In case of accident, it´s
good to have an international health card. If we take a dog or a cat with us, we have to take
the animal health certificate with us. If it is necessary, we ask the vet to inoculate it.
We can also spend our holiday in our country. The Czech Republic is the state which we live
in and which most of us were also born in. This inland coutry is situated in Central Europe. It
is said that it lies in the heart of Europe. With an area of 78,864 km2 it is located in the
temperate climatic zone. Our republic has four neighbours. In the north it borders on Poland
and in the south on Austria. The shortest border is with Slovakia in the south-east and the
longest with Germany in the west. The Czech Republic has a population of about 10,3
million. Some live in Bohemia, others in Moravia and some in Silesia. The three oldest parts
of our republic are Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Besides Czechs, Moravians and Silesians,
different national minorities live there as well. There are Slovaks, Poles, Germans,
Hungarians and Roma.
Mountain ranges form our country´s natural borders. The surface of our country is rather
hilly. The highest mountains in the Czech Republic are the Giant Mountains. That´s where the
highest peak in the Czech Republic, Sněžka, is located, reaching a height of 1602m. Other
mountain ranges visited by the tourists are Krušné Mountains, Šumava, Orlické Mountains,
Jizerské Mountains, Beskydy, Hrubý Jeseník and the Little Carpathians.
Czech nature can offer tourists much that is of interest. Sandy rocks in Český Ráj or stalactive
caves in Moravský Kras are a frequent destination for visitors. The underground rivulet
Punkva flows there. The greatest abyss, called Macocha, which is also situated in Moravský
Kras, is 138m deep.
The Czech Republic doesn´t have any seacoats, but it has many navigable rivers. Thanks to
the Elbe, Morava and Oder we can use the ports of neighbouring countries. The Elbe has its
source in the Giant Mountains and leaves our native country at Hřensko. It flows through
Germany and enters the North Sea. The largest and most important tributary of the Elbe is the
Vltava. Several dams have been built on this river, such as Lipno, Orlík and Slapy. These
dams aren´t only used for the production of electricity, but are in the first place a favourite
destination for people who come here for recreation and amusement. A lot of people spend
their holidays or vacations there. Another important river is the Oder that drains water from
our country into the Baltic Sea. The Morava and its tributary the Dyje flow into the Danube,
which flows into the Black Sea. So Czechia is connected to other countries which are adjacent
to this sea.
South Bohemia is known fot its large and numerous ponds. Freshwater fish are farmed there,
primarily carp. The largest pond, Rožmberk, was artificially created in the 15th and 16th
centuries. Czechia has a large number of spas. Spa services have a long tradition. They are
visited by healthy as well as sick people from our coutry and from abroad. Among the most
famous are Karlovy Vary, Františkovy Lázně, Mariánské Lázně and Jánské Lázně. Other
important spas can be found in Moravia – Luhačovice and Velké Losiny.
The Czech Republic has fourteen regions (including Prague). Nevertheless, the number of
country settlements keeps increasing. The largest city in Czechia is Prague, other large cities
are Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Olomouc, Hradec Králové, Ústí upon the Elbe, České Budějovice,
Pardubice and Havířov.
Our country is very rich in minerals (black and brown coal, lignite, sand for glass making,
etc.) and the fuel and energy industries are very well developed too. The most frequently used
means of transport are rail and road, representing approximately 98.5% of the total. After
these air transport and, quite rarely, river transport are used.
On January 1st, 1993, the former Czechoslovakia split into two countries – the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic. Both countries adopted new constitutions. On March 12th,
1999, Czechia joined NATO and from May 1st, 2004, it has been a member of the European
Union. Ther head of state of the Czech Republic is the President. He is elected for five-year
term. Real power, however, is wielded mostly by parliament and the government. The state
flag consists of two horizontal stripes (white on the top, red on the bottom) and a blue wedge.
The Czech crown is the currency of the Czech Republic. The crown consists of 100 hallers.
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. It´s home to more than 1.2 million people. Prague
is often considered as the city lying right in the very heart of Europe. Others favour the
expression ,,hundred-towered Prague“. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic as well as
the biggest city. It´s the seat of the President, parliament, the government and the other
supreme state and political authorities of the Czech Republic. Prague has a large number of
monuments. The most famous are Hradčany, with Prague Castle, which was founded in the
ninth century and became the metropolis of the medieval Czech state. Prague became a
Gothic metropolis of European significance during the government of the king and emperor
Charles IV, who founded the New Town and Charles University in 1348. Among the most
frequently visited places in Prague is the Old Town Square, Malá Strana, Wenceslas Square,
National Museum, National Theatre, the Týn Church, and the Gothic Vladislav Hall or Saint
Victus´Cathedral that are parts of the Prague Castle. They are the most popular places of
interest in all Prague and in all the Czech Republic at all.
(and the last part of theme is: the main attractions in your town)
Michal Blaško 8.P 2007/2008