Prague Spring Anniversary

It’s forty years today since the Soviet tanks arrived in Prague to “take control”, amidst student unrest. The uprising was supressed, many people were killed, and the Russian troops shot at the National Museum, believing it was the home to the Czech radio station which had been broadcasting anti-Russian programming.

Forty years later, there was a tank outside the National Museum again today, except this time the there were flowers, not bullets, coming out of the end of the cannon.… Read the rest “Prague Spring Anniversary”

Fly On The Wall in Prague

I haven’t written much about food on this trip. At the risk of sounding parochial, it’s mostly because most of what I’ve eaten so far has been pretty bloody awful. Put simply, it hasn’t been anywhere near the quality for anywhere near the price of what I can get at home.

Food-wise, I don’t expect much from the Netherlands, Germany, or the UK, and so I’m pinning all of my good food hopes on France. David, are you reading this?… Read the rest “Fly On The Wall in Prague”

Guess Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed?

“Wake up, wake up, mate. You’ve got to get out of my bed. Wake up!”, I said to the young bloke taking up more than his fair share of my bed in the middle of last night. Unfortunately, it’s not as sordid as it might sound. He was a young Australian bloke who had arrived at the hostel in the middle of the evening and had decided “the made-up bed” was obviously the one intended for him.… Read the rest “Guess Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed?”

Out Of The Rain (And Smoke)

Although I’m sure it would have been useful, I’ve been holding off on buying an umbrella while travelling. I’ve been thinking it’s just one more bit of crap to carry around. And besides, I have a very good leather jacket, which is both warm and water-proof, and I also have a cap that keeps my head dry, which is surprisingly important if you’re follically challenged. But today, after the second continuous day of rain in Prague, with my cap soaked through, I bought an umbrella.… Read the rest “Out Of The Rain (And Smoke)”