A real convenience when using the public transportation system in Prague is being able to purchase transport tickets using a cell phone.  Back in November 2007, the Prague Public Transit Co. (Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy) started offering the service SMS Ticket (SMS jízdenka).  If you send the text message “DPT” to the number 902 06 26, you will receive a text message back that includes a unique code and 26 CZK will be deducted from your phone credit.

The price of the ticket is the same as a regular transfer ticket, but instead of 75 minutes of use, you get 90 minutes.  Be aware that it is only possible to buy an SMS ticket if you have a SIM card from one of the Czech mobile phone companies.  Even if you have a Czech cell phone, it might be necessary to activate your carrier’s premium SMS service.  That is what happened to me.  Always keep a paper ticket around just in case.

You can see the service being promoted on trams, at tram stops and in metro stations.  The service has proven to be very popular.  It received the Czech @ Award and the service has helped reduce the number of “involuntary or occasional illegal passengers”. 

Czechs join Slovakia to register salami and sausage
If they publish the recipes, I would be interested in knowing what exactly is inside.

European Tour returns to Czech Republic in 2009 after 12 years
Golf has been gaining in popularity over the years here and this should give it a boost.

Dogs – Czechs’ best friends
I do see a lot of dogs around and unfortunately you have to watch where you step when walking on the sidewalk. 

Season tickets in Prague to be replaced by chip cards
It would be very convenient to buy monthly/yearly tickets or to just add credit online.

The 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival wrapped up yesterday.  The closing film was the movie Mamma Mia!, which is based on the musical of the same name and features songs from ABBA.  The Danish film Terribly Happy (Frygtelig Lykkelig) won the Crystal Globe for best feature film.

If you are interested in reading more about the festival, I have linked to the official site and some news articles.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (official website)
Karlovy Vary: the best of the fest
Danish film Terribly Happy wins Karlovy Vary festival
Czech film Karamazovs wins critics’ award in Karlovy Vary

The main venue for screenings is at the Hotel Thermal (see picture below).  On our site, we have a section on the famous spa town of Karlovy Vary.

I was walking through a park in the Vršovice district of Prague the other day and I happened to notice a makeshift sign taped to a tree trunk. Signs like that are quite a common sight in Prague as heartbroken dog and cat owners plead for help in finding their lost pets. This sign looked a little more official though and lacked that cute kitty picture, so I stepped off the paved path to take a closer look. The sign read: “On June 22, poison was laid down here against rats and mice.” And in smaller print: ”Watch your little children and household pets!”

I looked down and searched the ground around me. Poison was laid down here… POISON?!? Where here? Around the tree? In what radius around the tree? In the whole park? There was no area specified on the sign or blocked off with tape. We’re supposed to keep an eye on little children and household pets. You mean, so they don’t eat any rat poison granules and die? This particular park is so popular with dog owners that it can almost be called a dog park. There is no leash law in place, so dogs have a free run. What about their paws and the tennis balls they fetch? What about little children’s little shoes and the balls they kick around? Will they all get contaminated with rat poison? Will my dog bring rat poison home on his little feet and spread it around my living room floor? How long is this rat poison that’s somewhere around here going to be a problem? For a few weeks? A few months? A year?

I was both amused at the Czechness of this casual approach to public safety and astonished that it is still allowed and tolerated in this country. I can picture the same situation in the USA: The whole park blocked off, red tape everywhere, large Keep Away! and Caution! Health Hazard! signs placed in several prominent locations around the area. Of course that’s only on the assumption that any U.S. city authorities would even contemplate the use of rat poison in a public park, which I doubt very much. Well, we Czechs are just a little more laid back I guess.