The Czech Files

Yesterday Prague’s city assembly supported the bid to host the 2016 Olympics and today all newspaper are full with this story. I experienced the Prague Museum Night last year, so I have my doubts. The Czechs also had to host the IIHF World Championship (Ice Hockey World Cup) in 2003, but due to unforseen complications with building the new Sazka Arena, they had to switch the tournaments with Helsinki (originally planned for 2004). I am not sure if this would work for the Olympic Games too…

Today at Prague’s Central Station: Several minutes prior to arrival the electronic message board displays that a certain train will be 10 minutes late. Ten minutes after the planned arrival, it displayed that the train will be 30 minutes later. Suddenly the train moved 20 minutes away from Prague. What a surprise! To me and to the whole railway company (Ceske drahy). They did not know where the train is and that it is moving in the opposite direction. Well, what can I say? If you are in Prague, expect unexpected.

In most Czech restaurants, bars and pubs (at least in all that I have seen) beer is the cheapest drink. If you do not like beer, and want to order mineral water, Coke or juice, you will usually pay several times more. I am talking about the price per unit of volume, of course. If a thirsty person needs 0.5 liter of beer, then why should another thirsty person get only 0.33 liter of mineral water, or 0.25 liter of Coke. I do not think it is fair. Just think about children or drivers. Why should they pay more? If an alcoholic beverage is cheaper then any non-alcoholic drink offered, then drinking of alcoholic beverages is actually encouraged by the café/restaurant owner, and indirectly also by the goverment (that could regulate this). Or do you know any place in the Czech Republic where beer is not the cheapest drink?