Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.
The world-renowned fashion designer Blanka Matragi who is Czech by origin and lives in Lebanon with her husband is currently exhibiting her latest collection in the Municipal House in Prague. The exhibition was preceded by an evening fashion show on September 22, the proceeds from which were contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon damaged in the recent Israel/Lebanon conflict.
The exhibition runs from September 24 to October 15 and has been extremely successful.
The European Mobility Week is taking place in Prague from today through September 22. A “Day Without Cars” (Den bez aut) is scheduled for tomorrow although it really started today at 2 p.m. when the Národní divadlo – Staroměstská – Palachovo náměstí – Mánesův most route was closed to regular traffic. It will remain closed until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Jeff and I were at the Rudolfinum right after 2 p.m. and we were lucky to catch a bunch of trams arriving and lining up on the bridge for today’s tram exhibition.
The St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle was formally returned to the Catholic Church this week. The date of September 5, 2006, thus marks the end of 13 years of ownership disputes between the Church and the state.
The cathedral was founded in 1344 and its purpose from the beginning was to serve as a house of prayer. It was in the hands of the Catholic Church for more than 600 years until in 1954, the communist government of Czechoslovakia decided that its administration would be passed on to the state. A few years after the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the Church demanded the return of administration rights, and a court ruling to that effect was issued in October last year.
Admission to St. Vitus Cathedral was previously included in the ticket prices for Route A and Route B at the Prague Castle. It is no longer the case. The new cathedral administrator quickly made some changes to make it clear that the cathedral is primarily a religious object, not a tourist attraction. The space you can visit free of charge is now smaller and an entrance fee of 100 CZK (approx. 3.50 EUR/4.50 USD) per person must be paid to visit any of the areas “behind the rope”.
It’s that time of the year again here in Prague. The 2006 – 2007 phone books are here!
Walking around town, you’re bound to notice locals carrying bright yellow plastic bags with Zlaté stránky (Yellow Pages) written on them. In the Czech Republic, everyone has to pick up their own copy of the Yellow Pages when the time comes. How do you know when that is? Well, if you’re a Telefónica O2 (formerly Czech Telecom) customer, you’ll receive an odběrní lístek (pickup slip) with your monthly phone bill. This happens at different times of the year in different cities. In Prague, new phone books are distributed in the fall (September 4 – 15 this year). Your pickup slip is issued in your name and lists the dates and times during which you can collect your phone books, as well as a list of distribution points (these are located at major Prague subway stations). The distribution points are usually “manned” by perky young girls clad in bright yellow Zlaté stránky outfits. You present yourself, hand over your odběrní lístek, collect your yellow bag and off you go. Pretty easy, ain’t it?