The Christmas market on Peace Square (Náměstí Míru) opened on Monday.  I dropped by a couple of days ago and was surprised to see how busy it was.  Shoppers were finding lots of dárky and doplňky, along with the usual market staples of medovina, svařené víno, and trdelník.

Tomorrow, the Christmas market opens at Republic Square (Náměstí Republiky).  The biggest markets, which are on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, open next weekend.  We have details on our Prague Christmas Markets page.

The Czech Republic commemorates the 17th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which brought an end to the communist regime in the country. Just like every year, people gather on Národní třída in Prague to light candles at the plaque that marks the event.

Well, well, well. Not only did St. Martin not arrive when he was expected, but he’s probably taking a vacation somewhere far, far away.

We’re having a beautiful day here in Prague. It is clear and sunny and our thermometer shows 15°C (59°F). I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m putting on a light jacket and heading out. I suspect we won’t see many more days like this until about… March?

Update at 11:50 p.m.:
And we had another temperature record today! The Prague Klementinum recorded 16.4°C (61.5°F), the highest temperature ever measured in Prague on this date. This is getting suspicious. Is global warming at play here?

The dates and opening times of this year’s Prague Christmas markets have been announced. The markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square will run from December 2 to January 1 and will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. The markets will close around noon on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24). Food stands at the markets keep longer hours and can stay open until midnight.

You can find lots of information about Prague Christmas markets and other events in the Prague Christmas section on My Czech Republic.

When I looked out of the window this morning, I gasped. There was snow, and a decent amount of it! True, it was freezing last night and the weather forecasters did predict the possibility of snow showers for the whole country, even in low elevations, even in Prague. But this is very early in the year and I didn’t believe we’d actually see snow before St. Martin. Last year, Prague had its first snow on November 19, which is more like it. Let me tell you, going from short-sleeve weather and 20°C (68°F) to snow and 0°C (32°C) in a matter of a week is not pretty.