Compact archive March 2006

• The floods commission sit today at 10.30 AM.
• There is still 2nd level of Flood activity.
• The Prague Zoo will not evacuate. The level of water at Troja is even lower than a bottom of anti-floods barriers.
• Prague Half Marathon will not be cancelled. The start is at Charles Bridge today at midday.
• The flow of Vltava river has decreased, there was 1340 cubic meters at 8 PM.

Prague has the Second level of Flood activity – Preparedness.
Barriers are risen, ships are prohibited to sail, all of them have to be in protected docks. The Transport company of Prague says, that the metro is prepared against theoretical floods. A test has been made during last night at Invalidovna and Florenc station.

The freezing weather has changed by thaw and billions of tons of thawing snow is now filling the rivers with many hectoliters of water.
As in many places in the Czech Republic, Prague is preparing for 10-year level water. Experienced by last flood, the anti-flood barriers are are now raised along the Vltava river.
This floods shouldn’t threaten the historical part of the town as well as Charles Bridge.

Shopping centre Tesco, formerly in communistic era known as Maj (May) is planned to be demolished by it’s current owner – the Tesco company.
This building located in the centre of Prague on Narodni trida street and it is one of best examples of 70’s architecture style called Brutalism.
Architects are against the idea of demolition. Instead of this they would accept and invite a project of inner changes and renovation, which would not be so drastic.
If Tesco doesn’t accept the wish of architects, they will fight to make Maj an official monument with an regulations of free changing the structure.

After months of natural separating of the Czech Republic with neighborhood states because of border mountains, the bird flu now appears in the Czech Republic. Minister said, it was only a question of time until it was detected here.
A swan was found with H5N1 virus in the Vltava river near Hluboka nad Vltavou, in the southern part of the country.
The minister of medical affairs, the minister of Agriculture, head of the State Veterinary Office and the Chief hygienist ensure the public, that the Czech Republic is very well prepared both preventive and healing and there is no reason to panic.

Alfons Mucha, one of most world-known painters of Art nouveau will have a new building in Prague Stromovka park.

Although there are different opinions about this pavilion, the City Council has approved the work.
The project is estimated at 150 million crowns (the equivalent of 6.3 million US dollars) and it is to be built in 2010.

In present time you can see Mucha’s paintings and other work at town of Moravsky Krumlov.

Another traveller’s rewiew.
Most known places of Prague are described, but you can also read
more about concerts of former music in Golden City and see some positives and negatives of Prague.

I think I forgot altogether what excellent musicians were like, for this string quartet was simply amazing! The principal violin player and cellist – who, for brief reference, reminded me of (sorry, not in New Zealand, yet another Lord of the Rings reference) Legolas and Gimli, respectively. The 2nd violin and viola were accomplished, no doubt, but the show belonged to the former. This violinst’s fingers were moving at lightning speeds….he played every note on the violin, I think, including some extremely high-register notes that sounded just as accurate as any.

Continue here

This author gives you a chance to see what a person can miss when he or she is leaving Prague.
Both pros and cons of Prague are personnal as well as common for many people who have some experience with Prague.

I will not miss you at all, horrible Czech TV.
Shops I’ll miss: Promod, Orsay, Palac Knih.
I will not miss the freakishly large amounts of dog poo on the sidewalks of Prague.
Restaurants and cafes I’ll miss: Maly Buddha, Cafe Ebel, Wings Cafe, Balarama, Pizzeria Roma, U Hospoda, Dobra Cajovna, Orange Moon.

For more read at this blog.

Here I bring you a book full of stories which have one thing common: Prague. Travellers, former exils or Czech natives have written their adventures in Prague.
Maybe it can be one of the things that persuade you to visit or not to visit the City of a Hundred Spires.

In Travelers’ Tales Prague and the Czech Republic you will:
Wander Kafka’s cobblestone streets in search of the Castle with Mary Morris
Follow Brad Wetzler through southern Bohemia’s forests with a bevy of sausage-gobbling beer-swilling tramps
Marvel at the bewitching bone church in Kutná Hora with Timothy Weston
Find out if D. A. Blyler takes “cash” or “trade” as an English teacher at a Czech brothel
Take a breather with Patricia Hampl, as she discovers the slow life in Prague
and much more…

Traditional Marathon, now as a half-marathon starts 1st April at 12.00 AM from Old Town Square. Everyone can try this challenge and maybe win :-)

Running across the historial part of Prague is quite unusal experience what no everyone can digest.

More info you can find at official PIM pages.

Prague as like as many other cities and town in Czech Republic is place where balls are made.

It is naturally in our republic that teenagers in age of fifteen visit dancing lessons. I guess that about 80 per cent of our population can dance. So there is explanation why we have so many balls and why they are so popular.

In this article you can read about the atmosphere at one of them.

There is more about author’s previous one in one of Czech villages.

Another Prague photo gallery. This gallery offers more than 70 photos from different locations like Prague castle, Ruzyne airport, Charles Bridge, Ungelt, Municipal house and more.

This article describes shows that Prague is not only magical place, but also has it’s shady parts. With rich history and modern present time, there are things that shows us that there is a lot to improve. How Prague can also look you can read here.

First thing I noticed however was the airline offices right outside the hotel, with big letters CSA on them, I ignored that but I couldnt ignore the sheer number of beggars on the street. As well as the beggars, I had at least two people who come up to me asking me to give money to charities I knew nothing about and had no idea if they were genuine representatives or not. My guess was they were not.

Today I’ve found for you a tourist review. The author was in Prague in times of communism, so he could compare difference
in process of time and also well known places was not so breathtaking as once was. More about things that changed in Prague for the better and otherwise you can find here.

I was tempted to buy a t-shirt with the phrase “The KGB is Still Watching You,” but I didn’t give in. I think that all the shops in the center of the city are run by Russians. Somehow I couldn’t get into a Czech mood with all this Russian music playing when we went in to shops—they all had a deal, but the deals all seemed to be the same price. Finally made it to Charles Bridge and discovered TOURIST HORDES from all over Europe Got a ticket which allowed us to see St. Vitus Cathedral and a number of other sites. When we were here under communism, almost all of this was free—now capitalist Czechs are charging for almost everything, even to go into a church.

It’s well-mannered to let sit an older person in public transport. Even if you are foreigner. Most of old people then says “Dekuju” – “Thank you” and takes a place. But how you can read in this story from Prague tram, maybe you can be rewarded.

I get up, being the wonderful gentleman that I am, and offer her my seat. She is incredibly grateful (well, I think that’s what her Czech rambling was trying to convey) and she sits down. After 30 seconds or so, she continues to talk to us (though we are not paying any attention), and then she reahes in her bag and pulls out a one-liter plastic water bottle.