Welcome to the My Czech Republic Blog

July 2006

Change Money?

by Jeff on July 28, 2006 · 1 comment

I remember back in 1993, after my first move to Prague, seeing all these friendly “money changers” who would stand around on Na příkopě at the bottom of Wenceslas Square. As someone walked by they would ask “change money?” and boast they had the best exchange rates around to turn your dollars or pounds or francs into … well, something.

I read in an article on the Radio Praha website that money changers are still around and tourists are still getting ripped off. I don’t know why people take a chance with someone who approaches them off the street when there is a wide selection of ATM machines and banks all over Prague. I guess some tourists feel that the chance of getting a better deal is worth the risk of ending up with a stack of Bulgarian leva.

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The Žižka Monument

by Jeff on July 25, 2006 · 3 comments

The Žižka National Monument sits atop Vítkov Hill in the Žižkov district of Prague. The large statue that dominates it was built to commemorate the Hussite warrior Jan Žižka (1360? - 1424) and was completed in 1932. It is supposedly the largest equestrian statue in the world. From this area, there is a great view of Žižkov and other parts of Prague.

The communists made their mark on the complex. At one point it contained the mausoleum of Klement Gottwald, who was the first communist president of Czechoslovakia.

Zizka Monument

Zizka Monument

Zizka Monument       View of Zizkov

Photos © jeffshanberg.com

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Welcome to My Server

July 22, 2006

I read an article in the Prague Daily Monitor this week that was overflowing with the word server. There would be nothing wrong with that had the article been about servers, or at least one server. But the article wasn’t about servers. It was about a website. Here are a few excerpts from the text: “Many mistakes on [...]

Great Moravian Slivovice in Prague

July 15, 2006

The other day I had the pleasure of enjoying excellent, genuine Moravian slivovice at a Prague café. If you like slivovice or would like to know what the traditional Moravian plum brandy tastes like when it’s top notch, try Slivovica Žufánek. You can find it at many Prague restaurants and bars. The plum brandy and other [...]

Český Krumlov Is Finally With It

July 7, 2006

A strange thing made my day. It happened when I went to the Český Krumlov website as I occasionally do when I want to look up something in connection with the town. Český Krumlov is one of the most visited Czech Republic destinations. Its entire historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town is talked about and [...]