It has been quite a few years, but I was fortunate to be able to travel to Prague, in the Czech Republic soon after its split from Communist rule. Formerly known as Czechoslovakia, the country was under the thumb of the USSR for many years, ending in 1992 after the fall of communist Russia. Within short order Democracy hit the Czech Republic like a fever, and when I was there business was booming.
I am sure things are quite different now. I did catch a Samantha Brown travel show about Prague recently, and it looks as vibrant and interesting as I remembered. The food there alone was worth a trip, not to mention the Prague Castle, Charles bridge and the surprisingly rich history.
Has anyone been to Prague this year (2006)? Is it now expensive? Has the culture shifted even further into a Euro-western style (where it was headed)?
For more on Czech Republic at ITKT
I was in Prague in October 2006 to shoot part of a documentary I’m working on. I went to school there in 1998 and was there again for a visit in 2001. The culture certainly has moved more toward the Euro-Western style that you were witnessing. It has been interesting to see the progression from 1998 to 2006 in the timelapse that I did see it. Where there were many gypsy pickpockets roaming the streets before, that element has been driven more into the back alleys. The streets are a bustle now with commerce and tourism is a HUGE business. I saw more tourists there in October 2006 than I did in the summer of 1998. Its unbelieveable that the offseason is larger than the summer season of 8 years before. Many of my Czech friends do not go into Old Towne much anymore. I understand, its maybe not so nice for the average Czech but for the tourist its still great. One of the big changes is the cost. Sitting by the Astronomical Clock, dessert and coffee will cost you $15. Take a spin down a nearby side street and get dessert and coffee, it will be a fraction of the cost. They’ve caught on that tourists will pay any price. You’ll see the makeup of the population much more diverse now too. You’ll see vendors from all nationalities now: Asian, Indian, African…you can even find tasty mexican and chinese restaraunts in town now.