The Čajovna

The čajovna, or tea-room, was becoming quite a phenomenon; there are almost as many tea rooms as beer halls in Prague now, I thought, as I followed him down the shadowy hall.... I caught the scent of some unfamiliar incense, just before he led me through a curtain of beads and down a narrow stone staircase. The walls were rough, ancient, and cold; I followed him around the spiral, hand on the rail for balance. When we reached the bottom, our steps went silent as we crossed a thick carpet. I realized that we were in the original sklep of the building; but the raw, usually unfinished cellar had been transformed with low tables, cushions and pillows, and raised platforms in the corners of the room. Another doorway to our left was also curtained by beads, and, I was sure, led to more rooms in the warren-like tea-room style.

– Chapter 3, "Děti Země", The Last Bohemians