July, School's Out
Photo: View from Petřín Park
People often combine a trip to the castle with a walk up to the Strahov Monastery, stopping for a drink at the brewery and then walking around the pathway to the Petřín Watchtower. If so then this is the view that you have from that pathway. Anybody that has ever toured this part of Prague with me will know that this is where I met Václav Havel.
July sees the start of the school holidays which means three things, 1) less school groups at the city attractions. 2) less traffic on the roads and 3) roadworks. That last one will include metro stations and trams so be prepared for the temporary "X" buses.
What's Been Happening on the Site
I added three new posts. The first is a review of the available river cruises here where I tell you the options for 3 hour dinner cruises all the way down to a 50 minute no food/drink trip so you can read more about that on the Prague River Cruise Review post. The second was a look at the Folklore/Medieval nights where again I tell you what's on offer, the differences, my personal choices and anything to help you decide. You can read about that on the Prague Folklore and Medieval Night Review post. The third post is in the Walking Tours section.
The FREE Trip Planner was updated and as somebody asked for it I've also made a Media Kit.
Check the BLOG to see the latest 150 posts on the site.
Walking Tours - https://www.livingpraguetours.com
I'm holding at number 18 out of a total 565 walking tour options in the Trip Advisor rankings. Of the top 10 private tours in Prague ranked by Trip Advisor, I'm currently 5th. More and more people are finding me just with a simple search for Prague Walking Tours.
If you've done a walking tour then you are welcome to leave a quick review on the LivingPragueTours Facebook page.
The tour calendars on Livingpraguetours.com will only run until December 21st. From early January 2019 I will then be cutting over to a new website/hosting and the new calendars will be published for 2019 Spring/Summer at that time. All available tours can also be booked via livingprague.com for dates in 2019.
I have now changed "Czech Pubs and Tapas" into "Czech Food and Beer Tasting". The reason for that is really based on feedback over the last few months which leaned heavily towards a preference for 1) a proper meal, 2) trying several small beers as opposed to three large ones and 3) an outdoor seating option. So it's still a shortened version of the Old Town and Jewish Quarter but now with a pleasant meal and beer tasting content. More details on the Czech Food and Beer Tasting post.
Ticket Insurance - Until December 21st 2018
During a tour booking via livingpraguetours.com 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.
Quick Links:
In Prague
Holidays
July 5th is a state holiday for ST Cyril and ST Methodius. If you want to see the main Czech Orthodox events in Prague then take a look at the ST Cyril and ST Methodius post for the location.
July 6th is Jan Hus day. Anybody that has done either my Old Town tour or the Prague City Walking tour will have learned about him. Be on the Old Town Square in the morning and be on Bethlehem Square between 1pm and 3pm to see the "message".
Prague Proms
A selection of genres and venues until July 19th. Normally you pay and collect at the door or go to a ticket office at one of the venues like the Municipal House and get your tickets there. More on the Prague Proms post.
Harley Davidson Weekend
July 5th to 8th is the Harley Weekend. As well as the venue at the Exhibition grounds, expect various locations in the city to be packed with bikes and riders.
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.
Bohemia Jazzfest
The festival runs on July 8th and 9th. It's located on the Old Town Square and it's FREE.
Trivia
Look Both Ways
On any walking tour I include the warning about trams not giving way to pedestrians. Just to reinforce that, in the last month four people were hit by trams in the city. Three died.
Hard Graft
The anti-corruption police have been busy arresting several people suspected in the manipulation of hospital contracts.
Happy Days!
In a recent social survey more than 1 in 10 Prague respondents said that they were "very happy". Just to note that Moravia it was as high as 1 in 3.
The Train Arriving at Platform 1 is.......
Look out for a special train making stops around the country including Prague. It has 9 special carriages used by various Presidents of the country going back to 1918.
Alas Poor Yorick!
The open-air Shakespeare season begins this week at Prague Castle. The newly renovated performance area in front of Golden Lane will host 11 different plays.
No Sense of Humour
Anybody that does my tours at some point will hear the story of the red shorts. Two weeks ago the country was warned to expect a Presidential announcement. President resigning? new General Election? Did we declare war on somebody? No, the President came on TV to announce he was burning the red shorts. Twat.
Freedom!
The 174th day of the year marks the point where Czechs have earned enough to cover their tax for the year. From now on they keep what they earn.
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