Prague, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic
Just arrived in Prague and it's hot! Talk about global warming! The temperature has been over 30C degrees every day and hit 34 the other day (about 93F). It's very uncomfortable but at least it's not very humid so I've been able to sleep at night for a change (Barcelona was unbearable at night). It's funny cause my flatmate has a European travel book from 1996 and it says that the average high temp in July in Prague is about 75 degrees and it rarely gets hot... Just goes to show how much the climate has changed in only 10 years. It's been this hot in Prague for weeks on end. Just last week, Prague broke a 141 year record with a high temp of 35.3 C (95.5 F)!
Anyway, aside from record breaking warm temps around the globe, I'm glad to be in a new country and Prague is a beautiful city, although a bit of a culture shock coming from Spain. For the first time since I arrived in Europe, I *really* feel like I'm in a completely foreign culture. There's a huge difference between the mediterranean culture in southern Europe and the Slavic culture here in central Europe. On top of that there's a lingering bit of the communist mentality and a radically different diet - one based on meat, dumplings and beer instead of garlic, wine and olive oil. Add to that a totally foreign language that I can't even pronounce - much less speak - and it feels like another world. Despite this, I really like it here. It's a welcome change in cultural mentality and a fascinating study in human behaviour. Different beliefs, customs, religions, invaders and conquerers, attitudes towards sex, politics, money, etc. It's kind of like switching dimensions. I really love how in Europe you can travel a few hours and be in a completely and totally different culture with a different language, history and mentality. This is very refreshing and has a lot to do with the reason I came to Europe in the first place. BTW, my flight from Barcelona to Prague was only 58€ on Smart Wings, such a deal... It can be very cheap to to travel around Europe these days.
After only a few days in Prague, things are going pretty well. I managed to find a nice flat in the Smichov area, cheap and comfortable. Here's a picture of me with Ella, my Finnish roommate. She works for Exxon, who have a huge corporate presence here in Prague. Yeah, the same Exxon that just announced a record $10 billion quarterly profit. But who's to criticize them for raising their prices more than their suppliers are and passing it on to consumers? Well, that's another story. Ella and I went out last night to one of the beer pubs and I drank several mugs of Staropramen and ate a very tasty dish of goulash with dumplings while chatting with her colleagues from work. It was an international crowd of Finnish, Swedish, Slovakian, Cambodian, and Nigerian people. Could be dangerous though living in a country where a large mug of first rate beer costs less than $1.
Anyway, aside from record breaking warm temps around the globe, I'm glad to be in a new country and Prague is a beautiful city, although a bit of a culture shock coming from Spain. For the first time since I arrived in Europe, I *really* feel like I'm in a completely foreign culture. There's a huge difference between the mediterranean culture in southern Europe and the Slavic culture here in central Europe. On top of that there's a lingering bit of the communist mentality and a radically different diet - one based on meat, dumplings and beer instead of garlic, wine and olive oil. Add to that a totally foreign language that I can't even pronounce - much less speak - and it feels like another world. Despite this, I really like it here. It's a welcome change in cultural mentality and a fascinating study in human behaviour. Different beliefs, customs, religions, invaders and conquerers, attitudes towards sex, politics, money, etc. It's kind of like switching dimensions. I really love how in Europe you can travel a few hours and be in a completely and totally different culture with a different language, history and mentality. This is very refreshing and has a lot to do with the reason I came to Europe in the first place. BTW, my flight from Barcelona to Prague was only 58€ on Smart Wings, such a deal... It can be very cheap to to travel around Europe these days.
After only a few days in Prague, things are going pretty well. I managed to find a nice flat in the Smichov area, cheap and comfortable. Here's a picture of me with Ella, my Finnish roommate. She works for Exxon, who have a huge corporate presence here in Prague. Yeah, the same Exxon that just announced a record $10 billion quarterly profit. But who's to criticize them for raising their prices more than their suppliers are and passing it on to consumers? Well, that's another story. Ella and I went out last night to one of the beer pubs and I drank several mugs of Staropramen and ate a very tasty dish of goulash with dumplings while chatting with her colleagues from work. It was an international crowd of Finnish, Swedish, Slovakian, Cambodian, and Nigerian people. Could be dangerous though living in a country where a large mug of first rate beer costs less than $1.
Ella and Me having a beer
Technorati Tags: Czech Republic, Global Warming, Prague
posted by Paul at
3:20 AM
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