My Czech Republic Blog

Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.

Czech Pendolino Update

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I previously posted about the new Czech high speed trains. They started running on December 11 and I wanted to provide an update.

* There are both first class and second class cars on the trains.
* Reservations are required.
* It’s possible to purchase a ticket online at the official Czech Railways Pendolino site. Right now the site is only in Czech.
* A special bus line has been introduced to connect Prague Airport and the Holešovice train station. The bus runs every 30 minutes and is free for passengers with a Pendolino ticket. Others can use the bus as well but must buy a ticket for 45 CZK. Prague public transport tickets are not valid in this case.

World Cup – Group E

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The group draw for the 2006 World Cup in football (soccer) took place tonight. The Czech Republic was placed in Group E with Italy, Ghana, and the United States. The Czechs’ first game will be against the U.S. on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Battle of Austerlitz Bicentennial

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The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz will be commemorated tomorrow near Brno. The famous battle in which the army of the French Emperor Napoleon I defeated the armies of the Russian Tsar Alexander I and the Austrian Emperor Francis I took place in the fields between Brno and the town of Slavkov u Brna (Austerlitz).

The commemorative events include a reenactment of portions of the battle in which up to 4,000 military history enthusiasts from around the world are expected to particpate.

You can read more about the activities on the Austerlitz 2005 website.

There’s a Number in My Seat!

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The other day I found myself gawking at a tram whose second car was stuffed with big red numbers from floor to roof. Then it dawned on me and I realized that this was a TV commercial brought into life, literally. I was amused and thought that this was pretty clever advertising.

Tram 77 is a two-car tram sponsored by Vodafone, which recently took over Oskar, the no. 3 mobile phone company in the Czech Republic. The number 77 represents the first two digits in a phone number that you’ll get if you sign up with the provider. The campaign is in conjuction with advertising on TV to promote the company’s offer of unlimited free minutes.

The tram covers a route between Náměstí bratří Synků in Nusle and Otakarova in Vršovice and runs through a good part of the city center, so you can catch it at I. P. Pavlova, on Wenceslas Square, Malostranské náměstí, Národní třída and elsewhere. The first car is for passengers and the ride is free.

The Tram 77 campaign started on November 21 and will run through December 4.

Tram 77 Sign     Oskar Vodafone Tram 77