Letter from Prague | All stories

Last weekend Czechs marked the 160th anniversary of the birth of the co-founder of Czechoslovakia and the country’s first president T.G. Masaryk. Although Czechs fondly refer to him as “tatíček Masaryk” or papa Masaryk, there is no doubt at all that they have enormous respect for the statesman and philosopher who in 1918 laid the founding stone of a new state and gave Czechs and Slovaks their first lessons in democracy.

Dear listeners, it’s always a pleasure to tell you about all of the interesting things that we experience and see in the Czech Republic. But this time I’m venting some expat anguish. There are things, you know, that we foreigners don’t like about the Czech Republic. There just aren’t many. This, however, is one of them, for me. To get the full impact, I’ll ask you to close your eyes… You’re in an old Prague café. Maybe one where Einstein lunched. It’s plush, definitely romantic. The coffee isn’t even bad in this place. All the senses are at peace, except

Some people might have great expectations when they get those slips from the post office saying that a recommended letter awaits them at the counter. Perhaps a gift from a relative has turned up. I get a frisson of fear.

“…OVÁ! ” bellowed the registrar, bringing the entire ceremony to a halt. The scene was Prague’s Old Town Hall, and the occasion my own wedding in September 1997. My wife Katrin had made the fatal mistake of signing the register without adding the Czech feminine ending “…ová” to her name. Although neither she nor I were Czech citizens, this made the entire ceremony invalid. As was clear enough from the expression on her face the registrar was not for turning, so Katrin reluctantly added the three letters, and I was solemnly informed that I may now

Recently I was somewhat bizarrely reminded of a sound that is quintessentially linked to my childhood and growing up in the city of Montreal: the ever-present sound, in winter, of car tires crunching slowly over snow as they pull out of the drive. It is common in Montreal, less so for the centre of Prague, at least for more than a couple of days. But that’s the way it’s been here now for roughly a month: snow - and lots of it.

The Commies tried to destroy my neighbourhood. I must admit I myself wasn’t actually living there at the time, but if the Communists had had their way, much of Žižkov would today be covered in grey paneláky, prefabricated blocks of flats that blight the outskirts of many Czech cities and towns.

All agree that restaurant culture in Prague has advanced dramatically over the past ten years or so, with perhaps the exception of some notorious tourist traps in the areas popular with visitors. Service has improved and so has the quality of food. And those who have had enough of international food can now even go for traditional Czech cuisine in its traditional environment – a successful restaurant group has opened an eatery called Lokál which promises to take you decades back in time.

I had to think of you the other day, not just because your birthday is coming up. After work, I was walking down Londýnská Street, near the radio station, and passed the plastic surgery hospital that used to be a women’s hospital 63 years ago.

I must admit I am somewhat in two minds about my girlfriend’s Christmas present to herself: a global positioning system device. It is not that I can find too much fault with the device itself, although on a recent trip to the site of a former Baťa factory in England it did tell us to steer straight ahead when there was only a brick wall in front. I learnt later that the system is only accurate to about 10 metres and gets a bit confused when it comes down to more detailed instructions.

Prague has a new top class attraction. Well, it’s not actually new new, but it is a mere two months since the Vítkov National Memorial was opened to the public for the first time after a major renovation job. High above the city on the hill between the districts of Žižkov and Karlín, the imposing functionalist structure was completed in 1932. Its main purpose was to honour the memory of the Legions whose bravery in World War I had helped win support for the foundation of independent Czechoslovakia.