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December 5th, 2008
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Child's Play

A hot spot for winter

January 23rd, 2008 issue

By Cecilia Sanchez Beltran

 For the Post

Go for snow

General information
www.spindleruv-mlyn.cz

Pension Erika
Tel.: 732 186 539
www.penzionerika.cz

Bobová dráha
Tel.: 499 433 430
www.bobovka.cz

Snowtubing Park
Tel.: 737 956 976
www.snowtubingpark.cz

If the kids are getting tired of playing indoors, head north to the Krkonoše Mountains for some fresh air in a town called Špindlerův Mlýn. It’s a great, child-friendly place to visit during the snowy season.

Špindlerův Mlýn is situated at the confluence of the Labe River and Dolský Creek near the Polish border. Though deceptively low-key at first sight, the town is a major destination for international winter sports events, such as the Moguls World Cup Freestyle Skiing Competition. A bus from the Černý Most station at the end of the yellow (or B) line in Prague will take you there.
From the rooftops of this picturesque town, chimneys send white smoke dancing up to the blue sky on a clear day. A crackling river runs around boulders topped with snow, like icing on a cake. Rows of snowy pine trees on the surrounding mountaintops provide the finishing touch to a picturesque winter wonderland.
At the town center, resorts and pension houses pepper the snowy valley. During a recent weekend visit, a 5-year-old was sledding down one of the slopes with a teddy bear. Behind a ski shop set in a steep alley, a father and daughter were going up and down in a rented wooden sled.
A snowman with a carrot stick for a nose stood on the path beside the Start Hotel that leads to the ski lift for little children. There, a mother and her 4-year-old grabbed the lift and rode up, while beneath them, several 6-year-olds expertly cruised down the slopes on their little skis. They had probably taken skiing lessons the day before.
One ski school for young children is The Nanook Snowboard Ski School at the Snowtubing Park, where experienced tutors teach winter sports to children as young as 4. Sometimes they will teach 3-year-olds if the little one seems eager and ready.
After kids are confident on skis, they can head for the lifts. The park has a 130-meter (427-foot) and a 200-meter ski lift. “The children often go to the 130-meter lift,” says Nanook owner Jiří Červinka. “There is a special lift for snow tubing,” he adds, with a note of caution: “A very young child must have one of his parents with him. The safety of their child is their responsibility.”
Another place for children to snow tube is the ski center at Svatý Petr. You can get there via the chairlift Hromovka, which is located right next to the Hotel Olympie in the Svatý Petr valley.
Then there’s the Bobová dráha beside Harmony Hotel, which bills itself as one of the best bobsled tracks in the world. A parent and one child, or two older children, can share the bobsled. It conveniently has brakes, so you can decide how fast you want to go down the winding metal slide.
After all this winter fun, you’ll be glad to know that there are great places to eat with children’s tastes in mind. In the daytime, The Orange le Moon inside the Hotel Bedřiška offers fresh pineapple pancakes. For mealtimes, there are Virginia chicken strips. This restaurant also has an outdoor playground that’s great for mild winter days.
One of the best places in town to eat is Pension Erika’s Bakchus steak restaurant and café, which has an indoor fireplace. The New York Times gave Bakchus plaudits for having “the best apple pie” (it’s actually apple strudel). Children love it with ice cream on the side, which they can eat while doodling with paper and crayons that the restaurant provides.
Špindlerův Mlýn is a fun place for children to enjoy the outdoors while learning some winter sports. Or go just to have fun frolicking in the snow.
Cecilia Sanchez Beltran can be reached at
features@praguepost.com


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