Living in a city vs Living in a small town

A dear friend of mine gave me an idea for this blog post earlier this week. I was walking to the station from work, rushing to get there as soon as possible knowing if I was 5 mins late, the train would be even more packed. I mentioned it in my text (yes, I was texting while power walking to the station) and he said he had just come back from a paddling session at the lake in the sun and was basically just chilling at home. I, on the other hand, was in a crowd of people that were all doing the same thing as me. Trying to get to the station as soon as possible with a promise of perhaps one empty seat on the train to make their journey home a bit more comfortable. I started to think what this rush was for and how different living in a city is to living a small town. 
I cannot really compare it to living in the countryside because I only ever lived either in a small town or a city.
Semily, where I grew up is the small town I know the best and I loved the sense of community and safety. Also freedom! We used to run around after school and only went home in the evening when we got hungry. Nobody knew where we were! Some of our activities were not the safest I must admit (think walking through a train tunnel)but mostly we were just riding around on our bikes, being in the forest building little 'houses' and playing games. This is also very different culturally, I don't think English children do this anywhere! It was safe though, nothing ever happened, apart from a few bruised knees.
When I got older and started going out there were two main places to go to - the Bowling bar and the 'Club'. You could go out on your own and you would always meet someone you knew so it was easy! Summer holiday Club Wednesdays will forever stay in my memories! We had so much fun and I am grateful for my teenage years spent away from the bad stuff kids can come across in the cities.
I moved to Prague when I was 19 as I was studying university there. I had never liked Prague before, I'd thought it was too big, scary and impersonal.
I lived there for 4 years and then left for London. Well, obviously London is slightly bigger than Prague!! For some reason though it did not feel as scary in the beginning. 
I do get a bit worried these days when I come home late at night and never really walk on my own in the darkness any more. You just never know. It is a bit sad that this has also made me feel scared when I am back home in Semily.
What I do love about the city life is that there is always something to do, shops are always open and it feels like you can do anything you'd like. I do miss the sense of community though, I know so many people in my home town and London can feel very lonely. I have made friends after 9 years but in the beginning it was a bit tough. 
I do prefer the small town atmosphere, it makes me think it's more 'family' like, nobody keeps rushing to the tube to get a seat on the train, supermarkets are not overcrowded every single weekend and times just slows down. 
I don't think I could live in the countryside right now, I feel I got used to the buzz of the city but it does wear you out and sucks out your energy. I have also found to be more aggressive after nearly a decade in London. It does that to you. 
I am hoping this year we will find a compromise and a middle ground of moving slightly out of London (I am hoping to a little town) so we get the best of both. 
What do you prefer? Small town or city life?

Places of my heart

Living in a big city often makes me crave green spaces and nature. I have a few favorite places in the world and I thought I'd share them with you.
I will start with the place where I spent my childhood and teenage years. It is still the place where I lived for the longest time in my life, solid 19 years!

Semily,Czech Republic - it is a little town of 10,000 inhabitants that lies in the northern part of the Czech Republic in between Bohemian Paradise (Cesky raj) and The Giant Mountains (Krkonose). I grew up exploring the area, going for day trips and hikes with my parents, either to rock towns or the mountains. It is a beautiful mixture of mountains with lakes and forests, lots of castles and history. I love to breathe the fresh air and go for long walks.

All photos are courtesy of my dad Tomas Hyka (www.photohyka.eu)

Rokytnice nad Jizerou,Czech Republic - this is another small town in The Giant Mountains (Krkonose), a place where my grandmother lives and where my mum comes from. I have so many beautiful memories of summer holidays spent running in the forest, building little fairy houses in the tree roots (think moss for carpets and furniture from twigs, roof from leaves). Also swimming in the cold river looking for cute stones to add to my collection or for skimming and doing all sorts of crafts with my granddad.

Bordeaux area, France - I am a mountain girl, flat land does make me nervous and the vastness feels somewhat overwhelming however the area around Bordeaux in France is a lovely place on Earth and I have lots of nice memories of places and people from there. I love the beach nearby and just watching the sunset when there are no crowds, enjoying the smell of the ocean and hot air in summer.

Wandsworth, London - This is the place in London where I first lived when I moved here but I had known it from before as well and it holds a special place in my heart. I love Wandsworth Common, all the beautiful houses and the fact you can walk everywhere and you will get to a shop/shopping centre but it is also quite easy to get to the city by train/tube.

Zell am See, Austria - This is where we go skiing nearly every year (sadly not this winter). I love the peace of the mountains, the silence, the calm. Also the fact it will always surprise you weather wise - good and bad! This is where Martin 'passed his imaginery skiing exam' and learnt to be a really good skier. I like the style of the buildings, chalets with a lot of wood and beautiful tall trees spread on the hills and mountains. I would like to visit in summer for some hiking and swimming in the lake!