Mark

“Great crises produce great men and great deeds of courage.” – John F. Kennedy On the morning of May 27, 1942, around 10:30, two men, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, waited in the sharp bend of a road near the Bulovka hospital in Prague 8. Bicycles parked nearby for an escape, and a long coat…

Springtime in Prague is beautiful. Plants are just starting to bloom, sidewalk seating spread around town, and, even though it may not look that way this year yet, the winter coats are shelved for warm weather clothing. But wait! Before we can feel safe knowing the warmth will stay, we need to ensure that the…

The Velvet Revolution was “swift, entirely non-violent, joyful and funny.” Timothy Garton Ash, historian   On November 17, 1989, a student march in Prague set in motion a change that would affect the entire country. Within 12 days of this march, the Communist government was falling apart and just after Christmas 1989, Czechoslovakia would become…

There are two churches to Cyril and Methodius in Prague. One Roman Catholic; the other Orthodox. Both have dealt with a tragedy. One was a short burst of violence during WWII, while the other dealt with the ravages of a massive flood. One is better known by those outside Prague, while the other is more…

“When you realize that something is just and true, then be so resolute that you will be able to die for it.” – Milada Horáková in a letter to her daughter   On Christmas, 1901, Milada was born in Prague while the city was still part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. By the time she was…

So, here you are in Prague. You have some idea of what you want to see, where you want to eat, and a place or two that you will enjoy some fine entertainment. You have your map, the addresses, and maybe a smartphone to help you get around. This is where it gets interesting. I…

“Great crisis produce great men and great deeds of courage.” – John F. Kennedy   On the morning of May 27, 1942, around 10:30, two men, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, waited in the sharp bend of a road near the Bulovka hospital in Prague 8. Bicycles parked nearby for an escape, and a long…

Getting around Prague is really easy. Most places are within walking distance and the public transportation is simply amazing. We are quite proud of it here, as it is in the top 3 best public transport systems in Europe – and rightfully so! Many public transit specialists visit Prague to learn a thing or two….

“I think of the hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” Bob Dylan Two Rivers, Wisconsin is a small town on Lake Michigan. The population is around 12,000 and the only reason you may have heard of it is that it claims to be the birthplace of the…

Springtime in Prague is beautiful. Plants are just starting to bloom, sidewalk seating spread around town, and the winter coats are shelved for warm weather clothing. But wait! Before we can feel safe knowing the warmth will stay, we need to ensure that the evils of winter are gone. “How does one do that?” you…

Where are you from and how did you end up in Prague? I am from the city of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, great seafood, and a very friendly atmosphere. I love my hometown but there is a big world to go and see. How did I end up in Prague? I have been…

“He died because he wanted to shout as loud as possible. He wanted us to realize what was happening to us…” Charter 77, January 1989   In 1968 Czechoslovakia was pursuing changes in the communist government under the guidance of the newly elected Alexander Dubček. This hopeful, but short lived, attempt was erased with the…

As a young boy, my parents gave me a collection of Grimm’s Fairy tales. These were not the sanitized ones given to most children in the US, these were the originals in all their gory glory. Instead of some moral or lesson the revised editions would teach, I read stories that had the “hero” cutting…

Symbols and their evolution can give us great insight into the organization, religion, or region that uses them. A good symbol can tell the story of  a group. The cross in Christianity certainly tells a story. The three colours of the Czech flag also  have meaning. White for the people, their honesty and peacefulness. The…

Christmas in Prague is picturesque, charming and …well…different than what I grew up with in the US. Back home in the States we have Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole crooning about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”folks “dashing through the snow” and an occasional reference to the Czech Republic’s own ‘Good King Wenceslas”. Santa…

As a young boy growing up in the US, I would sometimes hear a song around the Christmas time about the “Good King Wenceslas,” some guy named Steven, and a feast. I never gave it much thought. Just another in a line of boring holiday music. Wenceslas was supposed to have magic feet to warm…

Welcome to Prague. Look at the buildings! The history of architecture is told in just a short walk. Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque is everywhere. But mixed in between you will see much later styles. Art nouveau all over the place. A Dancing House? A strange looking coffee shop in old town? A weird tower…

This blog covers a question that many of us get once our Prague Discovery Tour is complete: “Now that we have seen the basics, what else is there to do?” Since we are in the winter months, my first suggestion is someplace warm! I do plan to keep you inside or near enough. Most of…

“I work on the motto that if something is not impossible, there must be a way to do it.” Sir Nicholas Winton   By October of 1938, the infamous Munich Agreement had been signed which resulted in the annexation of the Sudetenland, a region in the west of Czechoslovakia, to Germany. Later, in 1939 and…

It’s 2018! It’s the centennial of Czechoslovakia! There is a big pile of things to see and do throughout Prague. One image you will see all over the place is a poster of a grandfatherly figure with a bushy mustache. His calm demeanor hides an incredibly far-sighted and driven man. This man is Tomáš Garrigue…

As a young boy growing up in the US, I would sometimes hear a song around the Christmas time about the “Good King Wenceslas,” some guy named Steven, and a feast. I never gave it much thought. Just another in a line of boring holiday music. Wenceslas was supposed to have magic feet to warm…