January, Sacrifice Remembered
Photo: Jan Palach Memorial Plaque, Jan Palach Square
Christmas spills over into the first week of January as the markets on the main squares will remain open until January 6th or what we call "Three Kings" or the English know as "Twelfth Night". All the food and drink is still there to enjoy. It's going to be cold and any wind will reduce actual temperatures to sub-zero for much of the month so dress warmly, pack thermal socks in your bag and a cap that covers your ears.
Vehicles are required to have winter tyres and if you are heading up into the mountains especially north of the country then snow chains are advisable (just make sure you practice how to put them on).
What's Been Happening on the Site
I added a couple of new posts related to Christmas. For example you might like to know where the Prague Christmas Tree came from this year and the Eight Things to Know About the Christmas Markets. As January 1st marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Czech Republic I thought I'd publish Czechoslovakia Velvet Divorce to explain how it all came about. I added the Operation Anthropoid post as December 28th was when the two paratroopers were sent into Czechoslovakia to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. I updated the Story of Nicholas Winton with a moving personal account by one of the children that he rescued.
On the Youtube channel I uploaded the Old Town Square Prague Christmas Tree Light and Sound show and the Prague Astronomical Clock Striking 9am (see the Old Town Hall renovation section below).
Check the BLOG to see the latest 100 posts on the site.
In Prague
Elections
Looks like we've got a Government again. Some small wrinkles to be worked out i.e. the Communist Party candidate to oversee the police was rejected after it was discovered that he fought AGAINST students during the Velvet Revolution.
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 as the year goes on.
Christmas Markets
The Prague Christmas Markets on the Old Town Square, Republic Square and Wenceslas Square will be be open until January 6th. Note that the Peace Square market was an advent market and has now closed.
Jan Palach
The Jan Palach commemoration i.e. the event on January 16th and his death three days later is historically the first event in the year where students used to protest. His memorial plaque is pictured above. If you would like to know more about what happened and where he is commemorated then read the Jan Palach - Icon page.
Old Town Hall Renovation
The Calendarium has been removed for renovation. The tower is still largely covered by scaffolding but the viewing gallery is open again. From January 8th to August 31st 2018 the entire Astronomical clock will be removed for renovation. If you want to see what you missed then check the Prague Astronomical Clock Striking 9am video.
Trivia
A recent food study showed that Czechs eat 5Kg of fish per Capita per year. Compare that with the EU average of 11Kg per year or the World Health Organisation recommended 17Kg per year.
TWO homeless people died in pre-Christmas cold weather. Check the Community section of the website for ways to help the homeless.
The Museum of Decorative Arts reopened recently and in a strange coincidence a Herbarium book (collection of preserved herbs, plants and flowers) turned up 26 years after it was stolen from the museum. It was found during a police raid on a Ukrainian drug dealer/producer.
Out of Town
The Czech Embassy in London reopened last month after a 2 year renovation and now hosts the "Czech Centre" which regularly shows exhibitions from Czech artists. Read more.
Ever wonder why there is a place called Prague in Oklahoma? well this article on radio.cz will help you understand why and give you a glimpse into a very different past. Read more.
Walking Tours - https://www.livingpraguetours.com
If you've done a walking tour then you are welcome to leave a quick review on the LivingPragueTours Facebook page.
A real mix and match over the last month with a few solo travellers but mostly couples and families coming to see the Christmas Markets. One couple arrived late having had a plane breakdown and getting their luggage lost so that meant a bit of tour adaptation and some extra work to take their minds off the problem for a while. I had old workmates come visit that knew me as an engineer and had never done a guided tour before so we had fun and they learned a lot about the city. There were people with replacement knee joints and new hips so I joked that I should rename myself to "Bionic" Prague tours.
I split the content of the two main tours so that the Old Town and Jewish Quarter (Hidden Secrets) tour focuses on those areas. The Prague City Walking Tour (3-in-1) now drops the Jewish Quarter part of that tour and now includes Prague Castle public areas instead. The reason for this is to offer clients a second tour option after they've enjoyed the first and with no overlap in content.
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