Olomouc - Tea time at the hookah bar

Sunday was a delightful sunny day spent walking through the town from one end to the other, visiting a church and a museum, and (per Cameron) stopping too many times for snacks and coffee. The church was of particular interest because it was in great condition inside and the painted walls were intact.  I learned that a lot of churches have cleaned the walls and no longer have the paint.  Some churches look dark and dingy because their painted walls are unkept.  This was beautiful and I took so many photos, both broad and detailed, that I will also post the details in a separate post.

Shawna wanted to stop one more time to get a spot of tea.  That is when Cameron loudly voiced that we had already stopped THREE times that afternoon for breaks and he didn’t think it was necessary.  I am sure that this is what the other two males were thinking, as they both quickly volunteered to go back to the apartment with Cameron.  I over heard “Let’s just give them their time alone to chat…”  So understanding.

Shawna said that the place had great tea. We walked through the street door, and down a long hall.  The doors were all closed and a faint aroma filled the air.  As she opened the door, I could barely see in the dim light but was able to make out tea shelves lining the wall behind the counter. I looked to my right after hearing a strange gurgling sound, and quickly realized that this was a hookah bar!!  I said this to Shawna, she brushed it off and say, “yea, but they have great tea.”  We took a seat at a table in the back (I made it past the hookah guy without staring much) and the waiter brought menus.  I looked around and saw a raised platform with people sitting on the floor around low tables, some reading, some drinking tea, some doing the hookah thing, and some meditating (sleeping???  Passed out???)  The waiter returned with two menus in English and we browsed. Shawna was reading about the light white teas, and I quickly found the selection of Pu-erh teas.  She was willing to try one after reading the description and also ordered a plate of tea biscuits.  The brew was made and brought to the table. We sipped from little cups, snacked on the molasses bisquites (Shawna, correct me if I’m wrong about this taste) and chatted…one more infusion of tea…and chatted.  We even got to ring the little table bell to summon the waiter for the check.  We paid 110 Czech Koruna ($6.30 US) and I tipped him a 50 coin. He handed it back to me and said “this is 50”.  I smiled and said, “Thank you, this was very nice and tasted good.  Thank you.” And smiled again.  (To my son…winning the world over one tip at a time!)