Letter from Prague | All stories

The Czech commercial TV station Nova is most probably the most popular station when it comes to entertainment. One programme that attracts millions of viewers is a Nova produced show in which the station's presenters or invited celebrities read jokes that have been sent in by viewers. About a month or two ago, I tuned in on a Saturday and heard the following joke read on air:

As a Scot living in Prague, I am intrigued by the Czech passion for all things Celtic. On the metro I often see groups of young men decked out in idiosyncratic versions of Highland dress, and somehow St Andrew's Day seems to be celebrated with more passion here than in Scotland.

Wenceslas Square -a place visited by millions of tourists every year - has been captured on thousands of postcards over the years, pictures which document its transformation. At the start of the twentieth century people could still ski down the square in winter. For the less athletic, there were horse drawn carriages and in the 50s you could hop on one of the open trams riding up and down the square so slowly it was possible to hang on to the bottom step and feel the wind in your face. It was the construction of the Prague metro in the late 70s

This week we have been remembering the 15th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which brought about the end of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Amid the commemorative events, I realised that fifteen years ago I was exactly fifteen years old.

The 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this week has brought back many memories for me. I had lived in Berlin in 1986 and 1987, and in that extraordinary year of 1989 was missing it hugely. I was in London, in debt and in love with my fleeting memories of a girl who had lived in a grey flat in that deeply atmospheric and rather crumbling West Berlin inner suburb of Kreuzberg.

One of America's most famous contemporary humorists, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Dave Barry, announced last month that after 30 years as a newspaper columnist, he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence. Nonetheless, I have enlisted 'AutoDave' to help write this letter.

I'm sure anybody with an interest in radio will have been saddened this week at the news that the much-loved British broadcaster John Peel has died at the age of 65. You wouldn't have to appreciate all the music he played (and some of it would have been harsh and difficult to most ears) to recognise that he was an all-time radio great. His humour, humanity and sheer love of music was apparent in every programme, and for decades he was - for people around the world - a symbol of independence and enthusiasm.

Well - here I am again! It's been five years since my last trip to Prague, when I lived and worked here for almost a year. A lot has happened since then - in my life and in Prague's. But I'm happy to say that despite all the changes, some of the best things about this city are exactly the same. Sure, Wenceslas Square is more crowded than last time; the Old Town Square too is even more packed with tourists. And yes, there are definitely more restaurants, bars and shops, and of course the prices have gone up. But these things haven't managed to change

Chilly October weather has settled over Prague and a light fog now covers the park I cross every day on my way to work, the new gravel path wet beneath my feet. The sun comes up later and later. Sometimes in the dark morning I am not alone - in fact, this week I was greeted by an "old friend" - a large tabby I used to know - who has now survived on its own for at least the last four years. I hadn't seen it for two.

It's been almost a week since I got back from my holiday trip to Spain and I still feel as if I had jet lag after crossing a several time zones. When it's bed time I am wide awake and I feel sleepy during the day. But why is this, given that Spain is in the same time zone as Central Europe?