Czech Detecting Tours For Spring-Fall European Metal Detecting 2012 Season

Pretty similar to detecting in England really, same ages of finds, similar countryside. What's different is the language mostly. If you've never spent time in a foreign country, it certainly will be different, but I think most people adjust fine after a few days. 

I think first off what sets us apart is that from your arrival you find yourself becoming a part of living in town. You're not apart from the city in a large hotel. There are only two English speaking television channels on TV, so what this does is it encourages you to get out and about more than you would if you were isolated in a hotel watching TV.

     The town square, where everything happens, is only a block from the pension where everyone stays. You're much more on your own after the days outing than you might be in England. Of course you can always stay in and order room service, jet lag really puts the zap on me personally so I understand if you do. But I would say all in all CDT is geared for people who want to get right down to detecting real fields, while living in small town Europe for a while, shop in the town square and rub elbows with the locals.

     I don't run "Disneyland" tours, where the Saxon stuff is over there, the Romans are over at that end and I think a couple of hammereds fell off the cart behind that tree over there. What you find is what you find. I do not buy finds from local detectorists and plant them back in the fields. I know this goes on in other hunts in the UK sometimes, but it is against my philosophy of detecting.

     When you get back after the day, what 99% of visitors do is shower, change and hit the town for a bit. Kolin is NOT expensive, you'll have a hard time spending more than $12 a person a night for dinner and drinks, and that's in the best restaurants in town. 

     CDT is designed for people who don't mind climbing a flight of stairs, know their machine and want to live locally with an open mind.

You must remember as well that all finds, no matter how minor, must be examined by the Czech museum.

Not really, although most younger-set people do, at least a little. Kolin is not a big tourist destination, although it's a beautiful place, but it's never really had the mind to promote itself. I've found that most places you will go at night do have an English menu, especially the pizza places, Cafe Monet, The Three Blacks and The Three Angels all do, as I wrote them in years past. Kolin is a provincial town, it's not geared toward tourism (in fact CDT is the first tour company ever in Kolin), though times are changing. Since day one I've encouraged visitors to carry and use a pocket dictonary. Also, with regards to English, if Czechs visit the US, England or Canada, they don't expect everyone to speak Czech of course. It took me more than a year before I could put together a sentance that anyone understood. 

The Czech Republic has been pretty kind to us so far with the weather. Last spring it did snow one day about three days before the tour started and had melted by about two days after. Rain-wise, we've only had one or two days where it rained during the day. The real problem has generally been lack of rain and from time to time hot, hot days! This is not the Australian outback though, it does rain, the fields do get muddy from time to time, but if you understand that this is Central Europe, in the spring or fall, and that it will at some point might rain, or get cold, you'll be fine.

We've got different ones every seasons, and some old favourites as well.We've got a large group of Dutch people from a detecting club in October, and about 400+ acres to choose from. One thing I DON'T do is "seed" fields, or plant finds for people. This is NOT my idea of a good tour, and I would be very dissapointed if I were on a tour and discovered this had been the case. We have good days, we have bad days. I've also come to the concrete conclusion that metal detecting is as much skill as it is luck. We have some of the best guys and gals in the world come here season after season and walk away with hundreds of nice things, and some who are on the same fields who don't. There are no secret places that some know of and some don't as well. If you insist, against my advice, on keeping your DFX in prospecting mode, your Minelab accidently switched off all morning, your coil three feet off the ground or your X-Terra on without the coil working properly at all, you're going to have a bad day, I promise you, and I cannot be held responsible for the results you may have. I also have never used any machines other than White's for any time in my 20+years detecting, they're all I know. While an organised tour is a great way to test a new machine, I can tell you that it is a good idea to have a machine that you know and trust. Like I said, we have good days, and not so good days, but I've noticed that the people who go slow, dig a lot and stay out for good chunks of time ALWAYS come back to the van with the goodies. 

Generally not more than about 500 feet or so. I myself have had progressivly worse and worse pain in my left leg thanks to getting hit by a drunk driver in 1994 which has led to my slowing down a bit in recent years, so I can understand if walking is a chore for you. However, if you are far away in a field and it's time for lunch, please don't expect me to come driving across a plowed field and fetch you with a tour bus. Plan your day so that you'll wind up back at the campsite by lunchtime. Also, from time to time we may need to park a block away from the pension, or walk across a parking lot to go shopping or perhaps stand a few minutes whilst the bus is being loaded. I've always had a clause in my website that participants are expected to be able to walk up to 500 feet (about a city block and a half) over uneven terrain.

     How far do we need to walk in a normal day? Normally we park right at the field, hop out and go! As for lifts (elevators), our hotel was built in the 13th century, hence no elevators, but it's only two floors, everyone has managed so far.

Lunch is what you want really. Default is pork chops with seasoning, but last season we had chili, sausages, chicken, wings, ribs and hot dogs. If you have a request, tell me and I'll make it. All lunches come with chips, cookies, fruit upon request and normally some sort of candy. But like I said, if you want something special, tell me the night beforehand, not once we're on the way to the fields the next morning (this happens more than you might think) what it is that you've got a hankering for, and I'll get on it. I get sick of pork chops too, but you have to tell me what it is you want, even if it's cucumber and butter sandwiches.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a lot more to drink at CDT than just the absolute best beer in the world. We ALWAYS have plenty of water on hand, and generally a 2 litre of Pepsi or Coke. A bottle of Modry Portugal, a Czech wine from near Kolin? Done. Beer? Fine, Czechs drink like a half gallon per person per day on average statistically. Milk? Yep. Coffe/tea? Let me know the night before. Keep in mind though that ice is very, very hard to find in Europe, so normally drinks are served at room temp. I've had an offer for every season if someone could find where they sell bagged ice I'd get it, so far no luck!

Make sure your passport is up to date, that's the biggie. A Lesche-type digging tool. Something to read. A Czech-English Pocket Dictonary. Don't bother with finds bags, I've got thousands.  A canteen. If you're like me, some hot sauce to spice things up with. Medications if you take them. Rubber boots and shovels are best bought here if you need a full sized one. 

It's fine if you bring things like chargers, but remember in Europe they use the 220-240v system, not the US voltage, so be sure to bring or get a converter. BRING BATTERIES, as they are expensive here and the quality is NOT as good. Weapons, please don't attempt to bring any sort of firearm to Europe on an airplane, there is no need for them. Although it's quite easy to purchase firearms here, you'd need a local permit, and that's not easy for those from overseas. I was made aware that last season there were teenagers at night singing and dancing on the square as well as drinking champagne. Do not be alarmed, as they, upon my inspection, turned out were wearing tuxedos and ball gowns, and had just had their final dancing class (dance class being almost mandatory for Czech kids), as well as high school graduation. Also, if you see kids in the park or square in the morning, they're not skipping school, as grades 6-12 don't go to school every day, much like university. You MUST use Czech currency, not dollars. Littering is illegal, especially in the town square. You should also bring an open mind, and a sense of flexability. Please  respect local culture and customs, as local Czechs are NOT going to bend to yours, and they don't take kindly to what they see as loudness and rudeness. People here are quite friendly after a bit, but they also can be quite abrupt at first, and as I am one of two Czech-Americans living in the town, what we do as a group ultimatly comes back on me. Remember, we, including I, are visitors, I was not born here, though I am a citizen, and have been here for years, are welcome as long as we respect those around us, the same as the visitors to your country.  

     You will see 90 year old women riding bicycles with a basket of flowers or a dog in the front, a town square that sells almost nothing but fresh vegatables, fish and fruit, packs of kindergarteners with their teachers on an outing, young chaps serenading chicks with guitars in second floor windows, older men wearing medals sitting around with other men drinking coffee and talking about the war, and groups of 20 young women all laughing together, eating ice-cream and pushing prams down the sidewalk (the benefits of socialised health care and an earned pension, as well as being part of the strongest economy in the world). It's perhaps not like anything like you've seen in your life, though it's what I think life ought to be.

     Also, don't worry about bringing too many clothes, although there is a laundry service at the hotel, so a few days changes of clothing are all that is necessary.

 If you need to write home or check email you're welcome to do so from the hotel. They also have wi-fi. If you need to call home from time to time that is no problem, as all telephones call international.

I'll have an extra mobile phone for the group, the number will be written on the back. I normally walk the fields every hour or so to take photos and get up to speed with you.

Either I or Alice will meet you. There is a shuttle service from the airport to the train station, and then on to Kolin. The whole thing takes about two hours.