Prague Blog

There aren’t so many big music festivals in the Prague. This year there is only one with the three years tradition and two new actions, which would like to begin a tradition. The old one is called United islands of the Prague, the second is called Love Planet and the last, which went ahead July 22, 2006 and one about which I would like to tell you is called Music in the park.

The festival was performed in the Prague Park called Stromovka, it cost from the 350 crowns in the advance booking to the 500 crowns. Its the biggest star, Sinéad O’Connor didn’t performed because of illness. There were few who wanted to return their money because of that, but the organisers just tell that it is not hers concert but festival. For theirs honour I must say, that it wasn’t just the empty words.

Little problem happened just while entering. There weren’t allowed any bottles (even PET) with water and also any food. The water wasn’t problem, though was very hot and warm, because there was a cistern with fresh water. The food was worse, because one hot dog cost 30 crowns and anything else at least 45. The menu of the food and drinks was quite big. There were cheese in the buns, meat sausages, fried corn and stuff like that, also for drinking there was wide menu of non-alcoholic drinks, same as beer, something stronger and also cocktails.

But now about the program. Quite frustration became from the absence of Sinéad, but still people were looking for the interesting music experience. The festival itself was oriented on the jazz and blues music. The first performer was David Murphy band, who played some pleasant songs for listening and after him played one of the most honoured Czech classic rock player Vladimír Mišík and ETC. These two bands were only for the beginning and to prepare listeners for the next ride. After them begin to play one of the most talented young guitar player of theses days Tyler Dow with his band and it was really great to listen his solos and to watch his finger running over the guitar neck. After him played another Czech legend and one of ours greatest guitar player Radim Hladík and his Blue effect and followed a list of great interprets with their songs, but the top of the afternoon and evening begin in the 20:00 by the Blind boys of Alabama, the group of blind black singers of gospels. Their show was a great experience even some of them was really tired on the end though they attended song for their fans. The end of this great action belonged to one of the best funky player Maceo Parker and it could be seen that he really understand to his instrument (sax). He and his band, composed of the masters of their instruments make people dancing and moving till the end of this great fest.

This festival really worth 500 crowns and if the tradition will continue next year and you like good music and will have a way over the Czech republic, make sure you don’t miss it.

Well, with the world championship going on all Europe (and I guess the entire world) seems to have gone crazy for football. If you take me, for instance, out of a football ignorant (except for real important games I didn’t even know it existed), I became really interested in it and even read the sports column in the papers to see who and where the action is.

Back to Prague, apart from games projected on huge screens on Wenceslas and Old town Square you can also enjoy loads of actions. For example, Saturday 17th June was the Museums night, a huge cultural event organized by the city of Prague. A good advertising campaign, free entrance to Prague best museums and even the bus tour provided by the city public transport for the occasions played their roles and a huge number of art lovers took by assault the museums in Prague.

The action was overall appreciated and I just live with a bit of regret I missed the Museum Night because of one exam. But that’s life, you win something and lose something else in exchange (or that what they tell me…). Anyway, I look forward to next year, when hopefully I will be able to attend Museum Night in person and I won’t have to read about it in the newspapers…

With a bit of regret, but with the WC2006 to cheer me up I finish this for tonight and promise to tell you more about the United Islands of Prague Music Festival going on this days in the city of one hundred spires.

It’s been a while since I didn’t get to write anything for Prague.net or blog… Exams period, a new job and spring in Prague is a bit too much to handle. I finally have some free hours, so thought I too a look at Prgue blog and give you folks some tips on Prague transport system.
These days some friends from home came to visit Prague and they were really impressed with the public transport system here. Come to think of it, who wouldn’t?
Just imagine: underground, tram and bus stations where you can see exactly when the tram, bus or train arrives, how much it takes to get to your next destination and everything just for a few crowns! Yes, if you compare it to the taxi prices it’s almost for free.

And almost forgot… everything is on the web, on a program where you just state the station you are departing from, the station you want to get to and time. The program tells you the connections, the time it takes, number of km and price. Wonderful…
But if you want to make it even more efficient, just by on the first day a short-term ticket (according to the length of your stay: one, three, seven days), validate it the first time you get on a means of public transport and you won’t have to worry about buying tickets any more…
Maybe it’s good to know that the public transport system works also by night. The normal, day links are functional until midnight.

On Saturday late evening we went for a walk on the Charles Bridge. It was the night before the Burning of the Witches (celebrated every year on April 30). Even though it was quite late at night, the city centre was more alive than ever, streets full of tourists and locals, searching for the right pub or disco to enter. Or exiting a pub and entering a disco… Anyway, after abandoning the plan with the disco (it was far too crowded for something to come out of it), we just decided to take the walk on the Charles Bridge. And we were a bit surprised (in the good way), seeing some harlequins handling burning staffs.

They were young, looking maybe a bit weird, but people passing by were definitely appreciating their fiery show and throwing them money. They were cheering the atmosphere. At least until some policemen came and interrupted their show. That was nothing nice to be seen. Imagine, the romantic atmosphere of the bridge, the black night and the red fire juggling and all of the sudden policemen come and ruin it all.

I understand city order and policemen doing their job, but this? Those youngsters were doing nothing wrong; on the contrary, these types of shows are very frequent and appreciated in the city centre, especially the Charles Bridge. They were no beggars or homeless, and even if they had been, they were doing something to earn their money and not stealing or harassing passers-by. But well, life is not always sweet…

The Czech ice hokey team is ready for the coming world championship in Riga, Lithuania. At least that’s what the coach says. The latest results though, show the situation completely different. And with NHL still going strong and many known players not coming to play for the national team, the chances for the Czech ice hokey team to be able to defend the world champion title from Vienna last year are still low.
Let’s keep them the fingers crossed and for sure they will do a good job in Riga!
“Češi do toho!” (tcheshee do toho, or GO CZECHS!)

Once a friend of mine from the Hospitality Club visited Prague. We was on a trip through Europe and he took the classical route: Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, etc. My job a as good friend living in Prague was to offer some tips about Prague, since I’ve been living here quite a long time and I keep telling everybody how fascinated I am about the place.

Well, said and done. You should have seen my face when after the first day of walking around Prague he said: “Well, ya, Prague is nice, I’ve had a look at it, but I guess I’ll get bored to death in the rest of the 3 days I have reserved for visiting it!”. “Nice?!?!”What do you mean…bored?!?!”I took it as a challenge and started to jot down an itinerary plan for the rest of his stay here. And believe me he couldn’t feel his feet at night when he went to bed exhausted from the day and night trip, nevertheless eager to start it all over again the next morning; or rather afternoon…
I guess the nice thing about Prague is that it has so many hills with wonderful parks and old towers and castles that you can’t possibly get bored of it. And if, hypothetically speaking, you would get bored, you can always pay a visit to the beautiful places around Prague.

On Saturday evening we went out. That is me and my fiancée and his colleagues from work. We all went to Hanny Banny, quite a cozy pub close to Old Town Square, just a few steps from the underground station Staromestka (green line A). Thank God we had a reservation, otherwise it would have been impossible to find a chair.
I guess Hanny Banny might be cute, but it was so crowded that the trip to the toilet was really an adventure. If you manage somehow to forget about the almost unbreathable air (but that’s in almost every pub, right?) and you start enjoying the live music, the pleasant company of friends and the pretty cheep cocktails, Hanny Banny is a good choice after all.

The Czech people burn witches on the last day of April. Actually it is the perfect reason to go somewhere out in the nature, buy loads of drinks and food, set the fire and grill tasteful sausages. Or set out with friends to some concert, where again draught beer and grilled sausages won’t be missing. The next day, 1 ^st of May, or the International Labor Day is another day for celebrations.
Besides the already mentioned beer and grilled bratwursts Czechs have a tradition a very much liked. Every girl and woman should be kissed under a bloomed cherry tree (but nowadays any bloomed tree whatsoever goes, too) so that she would not wither up during the year.
So, I got my kiss under a romantically blossomed cherry tree on Petrin Hill… If nothing else, at least that will keep me fresh and shiny for the rest of the year!
The commercial wester Valentine’s day might be cute, but this genuine old tradition has something of its own, much closer to my heart.

Yesterday I paid a visit to Sternberg Palace in Prague. It belongs to the patrimony of the National Gallery in Prague and me and two of my friends decided to visit it because of the famous paintings from the 15 ^th up to 17 ^th centuries it exhibits. And since it was the first Wednesday of the month, admission was free, which makes it even better. It took us something over two hours to explore the palace and even though afterwards I almost couldn’t feel my back and feet we all declared satisfied. The Magnum ice cream we had at the palace snack-bar also helped, of course :-).
Boy, museums can be tiresome sometimes. And it’s quite weird, since you basically don’t do anything besides moving yourself from one painting to the other. Maybe it’s the air, or just the concentration…
Anyway, have fun exploring Prague cultural sites and see you next time with a new Museum or Gallery experience on PragueNet Blog!

Since last week it was Easter and everything, and Prague was “attacked” by endless rivers of tourists, it made me think:” ...too bad it’s not May yet and the trees are not green and blossomed.“ Prague seemed still a bit gray and tired after the almost endless winter. Just a few days from that, everything seems to have exploded in a fantasy of colours and sunshine. It’s a pleasure to be here! This weekend it rained a bit, but still, seeing the face of Prague changing every day and sunbathing at 20 °C/ 68 F, I’m speechless, one just doesn’t know where to look next.

The beginning of May is maybe one of the best times to visit Prague. Hotels are not that booked (and maybe even a bit cheaper), the weather is not that hot as in the summer, museums are already open until late and mainly, the boom of fresh spring colours of the parks and streets is absolutely fantastic. And if in addition to that you count the fact that in May begins the Prague Spring, the famous music festival, you will definitely not get bored in Prague during your stay.

Getting back to the weather, the thing is a bit tricky… just like weather in general: you never know… For example, this half of the week the thermometer didn’t go below 20 °C/ 68 F, but surprisingly, starting from Friday it gets colder and colder, announcing hell of a cold weekend for this time (just when we were setting off for a weekend in the nature…:-(
Anyway, a few Celsius degrees more or less never killed anyone and a sweater is always welcomed. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the 7 days weather forecast, just to know if to bring along an umbrella or not. Prague is fabulous even when it rains, you know :-)