Fast confession - Helena Vondráčková about her luxurious houseboat: she tells us what it looks like there

You gave yourself a Diamond collection of five CDs. How do you feel about that?

I did not give it to myself, it was given to me by Supraphon. I feel very good about it. I think we’ve all - including me - done the best we could for it. As I hear from the first feedback, I feel it could be very positive and make my fans and other people who love listening to my songs happy.

How long did it take to create this project?

It was at least half a year. We chose 1500 songs, which is quite a big deal. Before we actually finished three rounds had taken place. We thought we were there already, but then when we then calculated it all, we discovered that we still needed to throw something out. Our hearts ached but in the end I think it worked out very well. Mostly I am delighted that there are nine new items. Apart from a song from the animated film On The Beard or the Sunset Boulevard musical and also songs that I’ve sung once during a concert, but they were never recorded on any media. There are also three songs by Zdeněk Borovec with new lyrics that I found in a drawer. This year he would be celebrating his 85th birthday. One of those CDs is also devoted to his wonderful lyrics, while another CD comprises songs from movies and musicals, other duets, while the last ones are hits - a kind of career cross-section... So I think that people will be satisfied.

Prodej luxusní vily, Praha 6 - Nebušice – 312, Praha 6

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Do you plan to go for a summer holiday or will your summer be just work?

I still have a TV show and a concert in Poland, together with the first European fair of fiction film festival to take place in Germany, at which on this occasion I also sing the hymn for the festival. During the summer there will be musical rehearsals, but maybe I’ll find myself at least a few days during which I can be with my husband and our beloved dog Elzicka on the houseboat. And at the beginning of September I will travel with my friends to the Canary Islands where I go every year.

You mentioned the houseboat. I wondered - do you ever have cabin-fever when you are alone together with your husband?

No, we do not suffer from it, we take it absolutely easy. We might argue but it is always over such average kinds of matters that we remain very happy and even though my husband is always next to me and is doing management on my behalf we always feel very well when we’re together.

What is your solution on the houseboat for food? Do you have a kitchen or do you always anchor somewhere and go to eat in a restaurant?

That houseboat is not mobile; it’s parked in one place. It’s actually a kind of botel (laughing). We have all the comfort we need there. It is about seventeen metres long, so it’s a really large space. There is a huge living room with a kitchen and there are three bedrooms and one large bathroom, together with a huge terrace. I have my kayak there that I like to ride in and Martin has a motorboat, so we go for trips. A lot of people come to see us, including from the business. So we’re fine there. When we sit down in the evening and the sun is setting and the Vltava is like glass, I always say, these are the best moments. We listen to some good music, drink a glass of wine and…

One could easily envy you! Do you think your houseboat is luxurious or just normal?

(laughing) I think it’s luxurious.

In what price-range does such a houseboat fall?

I don’t know! My husband knows so you would have to ask him, I do not register numbers much (laughing).

If we talk about luxury what kind of vacation was your most luxurious one?

When we go on holiday, it’s more that we want to go to see something. We want to travel but we do not need to have silver taps and a golden bath, though we do love comfort of course. We have been in Rhodes with my husband several times because we have a friend who has a travel agency in Slovakia and we had a really nice apartment there so probably that inspired us too...

Is there a country to which you would not go for a vacation?

Nowadays I do not think much about the Arab States, because when I’m on holiday, I like to be safe and feel comfortable. I’m not saying that it’s dangerous everywhere, but I would rather choose Florida, where we already have a house to which we go every second year, or when it’s the right time, every year.

If I may I will ask you in conclusion - you look great, surely everyone tells you that...

Thank you! (laughing)

So the question is, is it your genes or do you go to expensive salons and make use of luxurious cosmetics?

I would say both. I do take care of myself, for example I use high quality Estée Lauder cosmetics. Plus, there is also - I do not know if you’ve ever heard about it - also the deep skin-care of the American Nu Skin Company which has visible rejuvenating results.

I am not familiar with it.

Well you see! This will restore your skin, give it what it needs, such as moisture and vitamins. I would strongly recommend that. Otherwise, I like sport and to be out-of-doors in the fresh air. I also like massages, both facial and of the whole body. So I’m doing what I can for myself (laughing).

What does Helena Vondráčková plan for the future?

The first birthday concert, which was broadcast on the 24th June on CT1, was recorded in April at the Boby Centre in Brno. In the autumn, it will be released as a DVD in its entire footagei.e. as a two-hour concert. There is also the book by Robert Rohal that is entitled “Helena in the Course of Time”. Additionally, there will also be concerts in Bratislava and in the O2 Arena; in Bratislava, on the 21st October, at the Ondrej Nepel Winter Stadium, while the O2 Arena Concert has been postponed until next year, specifically to the 20th January. Throughout the year, Helena will have many other concerts, and she has also accepted the role of Anne of Austria in the Musical “The Man in the Iron Mask” by Michal David and Lou Fananek Hagen, which is due to premiere at the Broadway Theatre on the 1st November.