April, the season begins
Photo: Easter Market on the Old Town Square.
The Easter Market looks a lot like the Christmas Market with different decoration. Two weeks ago on a walking tour I pointed out that they use white roofs now to make it look like snow, but there was actual snow when we walked by that day.
Spring is late this year so the betting is on a warmer-than-average April but bring a light jacket just in case.
Easter Monday fell on April 2nd this year and it's the main holiday (Good Friday has only recently become a national holiday here). On the Easter Monday morning in towns and cities around the country you'll find men and boys (and some girls) walking around knocking on doors to "whip" the women of the house. Don't worry, this is a good thing as you are giving them Spring energy and there's a special song that we have to sing. Plus, after you've whipped the woman they have to give you a colourful egg (or at least a white one) or heaven forbid, a drink.
The clocks have already gone forward so this means you don't need winter tyres although if you are heading north to the Polish border you might require them at least for another week or so.
What's Been Happening on the Site
 Three new posts were published including the Tour Affiliate post just explaining how that works, one about the Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius Church which was always planned to complement the Operation Anthropoid post. Lastly I wrote about the New Town Hall (pictured) which is not really on the main tourist route but it's a great place to visit. Not many realise that its only 70 years newer than the Old Town Hall and you get terrific city views from the tower.
For people arriving at Prague Main Train Station I put a video on the YouTube channel to show you what to expect from the platforms, exiting the station, shops and amenities, changing money, using lockers and left luggage etc. If you are departing then just follow it in reverse. I also cleaned up a couple of broken links on the station page after I found that CD (Ceske Drahy) had altered it's own site.
The biggest change with April is that it begins the Summer season. This means that all Prague parks and Gardens will open to the public.
I briefly broke into the Trip Advisor TOP 20 in March so currently I'm ranked 22nd out of 542 tour providers in Prague. Gradually working towards that Certificate of Excellence.
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Although the Old Town and Jewish Quarter walking tour is always the most popular I've seen an uptake in people booking both that AND the Prague City walking tour. That's a combined 5 hours of walking but people can see that they'll get a really good overview of the city by doing both. Hot on their heels is Czech Pubs and Tapas which is currently 3 pubs and three beers but I may change that to 2 pubs and 3 beers for some practical reasons. Not too many people looking for WW2 tours but I still use the knowledge that I have about WW2 in Prague during the other tours as required. The Prague City Walking Tour now changes to its Summer variant to include the Wallenstein Garden and the Castle South Gardens.
3rd Party Selling
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Ticket Insurance
During a tour booking when you get to Review and Checkout you'll find the Ticket Guardian cancellation insurance option. If you don't want it then make sure that you untick that box.
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In Prague
Centenary Celebrations
2018 is the Centenary year of the independence of the country from Imperial rule. Specifically October 28th is the actual day but the whole year will be littered with events and I'll tell you about them in the Prague by Month section as the year goes on.
Old Town Hall Renovation
From January 8th until August 31st 2018 the entire Astronomical clock has been removed for renovation. The city has gone to some expense to put in a video screen on the Old Town Hall where you can see the procession on that. Otherwise, if you want to see what you missed then check the Prague Astronomical Clock Striking 9am video. Remember that the tower viewing gallery is open.
Witches Night
On April 30th we have the Witches Night celebration. If you are religious then the best place to be is outside ST Nicholas Church Lesser Town just before 7pm. Follow the procession and you'll end up in Kampa Park for the burning at 8pm. If you are not religious then either just do the park bit OR from the page above click on the link to the Zlute Lazne page as that's more fun (especially if you are here with kids) and really good if you get a warm evening.
Trivia
Art of Life
In the town of Cesky Krumlov an artist has proposed "hiring families" to live in the centre of town to "visibly pursue normal life" as a result of the town almost entirely being taken over by tourists in the high season.
Freedom
Czechs used memorials against tyranny to place flowers and candles honouring the life of a Slovak journalist gunned down along with his girlfriend last month in Slovakia. Mafia related.
Goodbye Old Soldier
Colonel Josef Holy died aged 99. He fought at the Dukla Pass in 1944 with the free Czechoslovak army against the German army, was imprisoned during the Communist era and then forced to do menial work. He was given the "Memory of the Nation" award.
Stamp Duty?
Police have confiscated a rare 1990 Czechoslovak postal stamp which was put on the market after it emerged that it had been stolen during a stamp exhibition in Tokyo twenty-five years ago. The stamp’s value is estimated at around three and a half million crowns (138,000 Euros).
Top Eats
Prague Restaurants "Field" and "La Degustation" held onto their Michelin star in the most recent edition of the guide but "Alcron" lost theirs.
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