The Dancing House or the Dancing Building prominently overlooks the Vlatava River and is situated at the corner of Rasinova Nabrezi and Reslova Street near the Jiraskuv Bridge and was built by Zagreb-born Prague-based architect Vlado Milunic, who had the original idea for the building, and the celebrated Canadian architect Frank Gehry who had also built the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain which is covered in titanium. The Dancing House which houses several offices is also popularly known as the Fred & Ginger Building. Probably, the architecture was inspired by the legendary dancing duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the building houses a fine dining restaurant on the 7th floor known as La Perle de Prague. The restaurant is located on the top floor of this building and offers magnificent views of the City of Prague including the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge and the Vltava River.

The building is unique in structure as the construction is from 99 concrete panels each of different shape and dimension, each therefore requiring a unique wooden form. After its construction, there was a public uproar due to its unusual architecture. However, almost 10 years after its construction, in 2005, the Czech National Bank issued a gold coin with the motif of the Dancing House, as the final coin of the series "10 Centuries of Architecture."

So, when you plan a trip to Prague do visit the Dancing House from the outside and if you want to visit it from the inside, it wouldn't be a bad idea to reserve a table at the French restaurant on the 7th floor and enjoy some lovely food along with a beautiful view of the city of Prague. Moving away from Prague and the heart of Europe, another must visit place is just 3 hours away from Prague and is a UNESCO town by the name of ...

Ask a local at Cesky Krumlov and they will say that it is undoubtedly the world's most beautiful town. The name of Cesky Krumlov was derived from Old Germanic - Krumben Ouwe which means bent mead or crooked meadow. The course of the Vltava River had attracted Celts to this region in the New Iron Age and the Slavs had first inhabited this region during 6th Century A.D. The town has a very intriguing history and the town and castle reached its peak of development and prosperity during the Rozmberk era who had their seat at Cesky Krumlov for three centuries from 1302 AD to 1602 AD.

Cesky Krumlov is 180 km south of Prague near the border of Austria and the nearest airport on the Austrian side is Linz which is 70 kilometres away. The first recorded reference to the castle dates from 1253. A round tower and a palace then stood on a rock cliff and today constitutes the Hradek or the Small Castle. A settlement, presently known as Latran, was founded at the foot of the cliff. In 1274, a town was founded on the opposite side of the Vltava River and in the 14th and 15th centuries, the castle was extended and the St Vitus Church was erected.

In the Renaissance period, the Gothic castle was rebuilt as a comfortable chateau. In 1586, the Jesuits arrived in Cesky Krumlov and built a beautiful college (the present-day Hotel Ruze). The citizens of Cesky Krumlov built a brewery on Siroka street which currently houses the Egon Schiele Museum. Examples of the Baroque style are some additions to the Minorite monastery, the Jesuit seminar (a Museum at present) and interiors at the chateau.

The Zámecká Jízdárna is located in an impressive Viennese Roccoco Building and is a restaurant with an ambience of a concert hall where you can have large functions organized especially for incentives. In Rytírská Krcma Markéta, you will find a Renaissance Tavern that is part of the Castle Gardens where you can enjoy grilled specialties on the open fire. Whilst walking through the town make sure of seeing the following - The Clad Bridge which is a multi-tiered bridge which connects the Upper Castle with the castle garden; Na Ostrovì which is across the river and a place from where you get a unique view of the castle; the Square or Námestí where you will find the Renaissance town hall which was formed by joining two buildings way back in 1580 and is a very distinct architecture.

The Church street is worth walking down to as this narrow lane is magical and alluring. The Wooden bridge is worth stopping at to enjoy a view of the castle and the Castle stairs lead you to the courtyard of the Cesky Krumlov Castle and en route you can see a family of bears. This region has its own beauty in winter and if you are around Christmas time, it is ideal not only to see the old fashioned Christmas markets in the square but the entire town has an ambience of Christmas with all the historically buildings well adorned during this period.

And you get great value for your accommodation in Christmas. You can go to Hochficht and Sternstein on the Austrian side to enjoy some great skiing in winter. The town of Cesky Krumlov has its beauty and there are people who come here for a day trip and vow to come back to spend days as this town is not only the most beautiful in Southern Bohemia but amongst one of the most beautiful towns in the world. Closeby you can also visit interesting places such as Holasovice - the UNESCO village, Ceské Budejovice- the largest and economically the most important city of Southern Bohemia; the romantic mansions of Hluboká nad Vltavou which is so picturesque as if it is straight out of a fairytale book; the fishing town of Trebon or the picturesque town of Pisek which has the oldest stone bridge in Bohemia.