Prague Spring Photos

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Video of the Day: Czech Musicians in Old Town Square, Prague

Prague's Old Town Square is located in the heart of historical part of the city. It offers one of the magnificent views of Czech history, architecture and culture. On a daily basis, it is possible to see street performers playing all kind of music or performing some shows for the visitors. Famous Astronomical Clock is also located here.

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Driving courses in Prague

Guys, I know that many foreigners look for driving courses in Czech Republic with English speaking instructors. It is considerably cheaper than in Western Europe countries. But finding English speaking instructors for good prices is not always possible. Here's one opportunity that I heard from a friend. Haven't checked myself personally, but I'd go for this one otherwise.

http://www.autoskola-amos.cz/index.php?id_str=18

1. Price 13 680 kc (7000 kc must be paid on first class) => 9480 kc in Czech
2. Discount 1000kc if there are 3 or more people attending Theory classes
3. Documents required:
1. Passport+visa (confirming that you are in CR for over 6 months)
2. Form from Practical Doctor
3. Statement – Crime (Vypis z rejstriku trestu)
4. What is included?
1. 28 Practical lessons (5 simulator, 23 in the car)
2. 20-28 Theory lessons
5. 700 is a state fee for a test exam (+ around 3 000kc for translator, who has a state stamp)
6. 50 kc for Driving License in Magistrat

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Рассказ Юлии о её недавном визите в Прагу

Недавно в Прагу приезжала Юлия, наша кыргызстанка которая работает в Москве (АУКовская-"брэнд"ед, короче :)). Добавляю её рассказ о Праге, она написала очень интересный "трип-репорт ", и поделилась своими яркими впечетлениями. Кому-то этот рассказ может показаться черезчур позитивным и кое-где переувеличенным, но это её мнение и взгляд, и поэтому надо посмотреть на всё это с её точки зрения. Особенно после Москвы кому-то Прага покажется очень даже тёплым и ярким, кому-то Москва больше нравиться, а кому-то всё в Чехии, включая и чехов, покажется серым, угрюмым и холодным... Каждый смотрит своим биноклем. А ей всё видимо очень тут понравилось. Мне самому было интересно погулять с ней на выходные, показать ей красивые и исторические уголки города и поделиться с ней подобными положительными сторонами уже родной Праги. Мне самому этот город с каждым днём нравится всё больше и больше. Сам я так хорошо не могу описать всё это, поетому предлагаю вам почитать её рассказ если вам интересно узнать ещё одно замечательное мнение о Праге ;)

Как говорится, турист видит только то что хочет видеть. ;)

Вот отрывки из рассказа;

Прага…. «Злата Прага»…. Город-мечта, город-сказка (как я теперь её называю)… Очень романтичный, очень красивый, загадочный, необыкновенный город, где всё дышит «стариной»… У меня сердце замирало от красоты, от того восторга, что я испытывала, «дыша Пражским воздухом» и видя всё это великолепие…

Мои любимые потрясающие «красные крыши», вымощенные камнем и кирпичом дороги, здания в готическом стиле и стиле барокко, великолепные мосты, узкие улочки с сувенирными лавками множеством уютных уличных кафе, разноцветные дома, туристы с фотоаппаратами, солнечные улыбающиеся люди, восхищающиеся необыкновенной красотой сказочного города… Всё это разноцветная и яркая Прага, так полюбившаяся мне и отпечатавшаяся ярким лучиком в моём сердце…:)

Вацлавская площадь – место, где всё начиналось у меня :), откуда я три дня подряд начинала своё путешествие). Она даже какая-то родная стала:) Пока ждала своего спутника-гида – сидела на скамейке и читала. А вокруг «разноцветные» массы туристов: невероятная суета, море улыбок, щелчки фотоаппаратов ,языки всех стран мира! И много солнца и мороженого :)

Поразила меня своей красотой Староместская Площадь, где я почувствовала себя в Средневековой сказке… На этой же площади находятся знаменитые куранты, состоящие из кукол, небесной сферы и календаря. И каждый час, когда бьют куранты, фигурки мило двигаются:)

Сколько раз я видела на картинках великолепный Карлов Мост и так мечтала погулять по нему (особенно поздно вечером). Мечта сбылась..:) Сказочный мост полукилометровой длины, соединяющий Старый город с так называемой Малой Страной. Весь в готическом стиле, с уникальными статуями. Как было замечательно прогуляться по нему, и заворожено понаблюдать за многочисленными художниками, музыкантами, продавцами сувениров и кукол.

А потом мы оказались в месте, которое, наверное, больше всех мне полюбилось в Праге. Всё что я видела в этом "городе-сказке" - всё очень красиво и уникально.. Но это место... Оно не только красиво, оно еще и очень тихое и очень романтичное. Это королевские сады около Пражского Града.. На вершине сам величественный Собор ст.Вита, окружённый толстыми каменными стенами, а перед ним ров.. Такая красота... Средневековая сказка..

А какая там тишина и какая благодать: птички поют... И тихо-тихо... Романтика.. Туда бы летом с книжкой в руках... Или просто приходить и отдыхать..Подумать о чём-нибудь.. Ну или позагорать) Вы не представляете, какое умиротворение я там почувствовала после шумной и суетливой Москвы.. Я бы никогда бы не уезжала оттуда... С грустью в душе покидала это место..


Ну а вечером меня ожидал не менее феерический и великолепный сюрприз: Шоу "Поющих фонтанов". Ребята, это что-то великолепное! У меня не хватает уже запаса моего скудного русского языка и эмоций, чтобы выразить все те чувства, которые я испытала, наблюдая за шоу.. "Большие мурашки бегали по телу":)
Культовая музыка из фильма "Гладиатор", великолепные фонтаны и цветная подсветка в темноте... Жаль, не было балета... На улице еще прохладно.. Как нам объяснили - балерины замёрзнут... Жаль, конечно.. Было бы еще красивее и волшебнее...


Полный рассказ читатйте здесь.

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Photo of the Day: John Lennon's Wall

DSC03439, originally uploaded by aibek_dunaev.

DSC03438, originally uploaded by aibek_dunaev.

John Lennon's Wall in Prague, Czech Republic

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Prague Half-Marathon (21+ km)

Great relief and satisfaction! Swollen foot fingers, sprained knee, lost few kilograms. This is the result of my first ever Half-Marathon run (21+ km). I made this distance in 2 hours 07 minutes, it's not the best result I could pull out, but I already felt my knee hurting on the 3. kilometer. (after spraining it 3 days ago in my last training while running for 12 km at -1 degree at night. I had my shorts on, and my legs got frozen. I guess my leg muscles couldn't warm up well in that cold and sprained from the long run) Anyway, all in all, it was great experience! I'm planning to do few more half-marathons before going for the full one. Believe me, you gotta take it seriously and train properly if you wanna make it while enjoy it.

Another Kyrgyz friend, Talant, joined me for this run and we were proud to represent Kyrgyzstan, the honor was ours. And only Kyrgyzstan represented Central Asia! Besides Talant some other friends from work (Alex, Jacobo, Frederic-my boss) and AIESEC community (Gabriele, Efrain, Stas) ran in this event, thus congratulations goes to all! Well done, lads!

Pictures were taken during the race by some friends who were there along the running track and those who came to cheer for us! Special thanks goes to them, and to other friends who called me before the race and showed me their support. I feel loved ;).

Our photo from the official web-page www.pim.cz! We, Kyrgyz, rule! ;)



Official video from PIM.CZ on Youtube;

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#1 Prague Guide

expats.cz should be the first web-site you should visit if you are planning to relocate to Prague be it a business, study or work! Just note it down somewhere...

More than that, every year they release fantastic and very useful "Czech Republic Survival Guide or Business Directory" guide book for the foreigners living here. It is not a tourist guide, and it is not a magazine with paid articles and reviews. As they claim, it is useful, insightful, comprehensive, objective & unbiased expatriate publication for the international community in the Czech Republic. A great source of information telling practical tips on resolving work-permit/visa issues, starting up a business, finding a job, studying and enjoying your life in Prague. 160 Page guide booklet for newcomers to Prague, covering such topics as relocation, education, business, real estate, employment, accommodation, beauty, fitness, food & drink, entertainment, relocation advice, foreigners police -- how to use the post office, get a mobile contract.. and much more.

If you haven't got your copy, then ask it for free;

Howlings Media -- Expats.cz
Anglicka 26
Prague 2

Call : +420 222 510 133

As necessary as a toilet paper, but for different uses.

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Thinking of moving to Prague?!

Here's the Ultimate Guide for those thinking of relocating to Prague. I was sent this guide text from our HR, I hope they will not sue me or something for sharing it. Nothing confidential or internal anyway, and sharing is gaining! Very brief and to the point, it answers all those initial questions that may come to your mind when you decide to move to different country. I added some own notes with red font where I felt to add some explanations.

Relocating to Prague


Your guide to Living and working in the Czech Republic

Moving to a new country is always daunting, especially when you are considering a new position as well. Visiting your destination is one way to get a feel of the place, but before you do that, here’s a flavor of what to expect.

Why Prague?

While markets are opening up and tourist dollars coming in, Prague, in the geographical heart of Europe, is increasingly becoming a popular option among British and other nationals looking to relocate. Large international companies are choosing Prague as a base.

So why? Not least because of the fact that it is still relatively inexpensive compared to other European cities - although no less appealing. For instance, a three-course meal in an absolutely first-rate restaurant costs approximately £25.

And there are many places to spend your money - with Prague's vibrant nightlife gaining an increasing reputation as one of the more lively scenes in Europe.


Working in the Czech Republic

Working in the Czech Republic requires firstly a work permit, and then a long-term residency permit. Applications for either of these require you to complete a sizable amount of documentation. If you take time to make sure that your side of the application has followed the letter of the law, you stand a greater chance of a hassle-free experience. The irony of the use of the expression "long-term" in this case will not have escaped most foreign visitors who have stayed more than a year- it lasts just six months, whereupon the process has to be repeated. For more information on visas, please use this link.
http://www.mzv.cz/wwwo/mzv/default.asp?ido=7306&idj=2&amb=1&ikony=True&trid=3&prsl=True&pocc1=1

The education system

Czech Republic’s education system starts with nine year‘s compulsory education between the ages of 6 – 15. Following this is a choice of three types of secondary school - all of these require the pupil to sit an entrance exam.

- Grammar (gymnasia) - general education in preparation for university - leading to a final exam, Maturita
- Specialized - also leads to a Maturita, but these schools offer specialist subjects, such as music, science, economics and so on
- Vocational - those not choosing to take further academic courses, these schools are designed to prepare students for the working world

There are a variety of school options for non-Czech nationals - fee paying and non-fee paying local schools. Please find below a few details of some schools:
WWW.BISP.CZ
WWW.ISP.CZ
WWW.EISP.CZ
WWW.RIVERSIDESCHOOL.CZ
WWW.DSP-PRAHA.CZ

http://www.branajazyku.cz/
http://www.horackova.cz/
http://server.lupacovka.cz/sQuirrel.NET/Web/(jbmxy345v2www0zmtazjl545)/zjsLupacova.aspx
http://www.kladska.cz/
http://www.calypso.cz/rakovskeho/



Money, Money, Money!


The Czech currency is the Koruna, often written as Kc or CZK. The lower enominations are called Hellars.

http://www.cnb.cz/en/plat_bankovky.php - to view Czech bank notes
http://www.xe.com/ - exchange rates

There are plenty of ATMs (or bankomats) on the street. You may find that before your residency permits are completely valid, only one or two banks will allow you to set up an account.
- For simple online banking you can use eBanka.
- Citibank offers a 24 hour telephone banking service (in English) and internet banking.
- Ceska Sporitelna provides a specialized expat service.
- Komerční Banka is able to open accounts for non–Czech nationals. (I use it, it sucks somehow. I get my salary with 2-day delay, they charge if more than 3 ATM transactions are made on their own ATMs. But similar problems may occur with other banks.)

http://www.ebanka.com
http://www.citibank.cz
http://www.expats.cz/prague/czech/accountants/ceska-sporitelna/


For CZK 100 you can buy:
- About 4 beers (so cheap!!! and quality of Czech bear is great! at least this is what they say ;))
- Some bread rolls, cheese and a carton of juice
- Around a 10 minute cab ride
- A meal in an inexpensive Czech restaurant

There are a few things that are different about the banking system. Czechs do not use cheques. The other thing people have difficulty with is paying off credit card bills back home, which involves complicated transfers. If your current bank offers online banking, it might be best to sort it out before you come. Travelers cheques
are fine - but beware, banks and hotels charge commission.


Accommodation

Prague 1 (Staré Mesto / Malá Strana)
This is the beautiful old heart of the city. The river runs between the two areas. Rent is generally at a premium here compared to other locations in Prague and in this neighborhood you are usually surrounded by tourists all year round.

Prague 2 (Vinohrady)
As the name suggests, this place was once full of vineyards. It is by far one of the most popular and peaceful places to live. It also has several bars, lounges, parks and is a great hub for public transport. The buildings are still very grand, old (mostly dating back to the 18th century) and full of character. It's only a ten or fifteen minute cab ride to the centre. (I live very close to this place although it is officially Praha-10. It's fantastic to live in central Prague districts, it's close to everything happening there, and buildings are more of art-noveau style. Difference for the flat rents between the central area and remote areas could be 200-300 USD, but it pretty much worths it. Most of the other parts of Prague and newer districts have more of a communist-style architecture and housing. Those famous "panel blocks". Don't miss "real Prague life" while trying to save some money!)

Prague 3 (Žižkov)
This is another popular and very pretty area. Again, with trendy bars, surrounded by parks and greenery, and with great transport connections.

Prague 5 (Smíchov)
This is a popular area for families. This area has a large shopping mall and supermarket. Although further away from the centre, the houses tend to be larger and good value for money.

Prague-10, Prague-6 are also not far from the center and nice places to live. Check related links for more information about all districts of Prague.


Travel

The transit system in Prague is clean, efficient, easy to use, relatively safe and above all cheap! There is the underground (or metro) and a good network of trams and buses. There are three metro lines (red, yellow and green) making the system pretty easy to navigate. The tram routes are a little more extensive (26 at last count). The metro stops at midnight and starts again at 5.00 am. Trams run throughout the night, and are on a restricted service after midnight.

Metro
Line A (Green) - running east to west from Skalka to Dejvická

Line B (Yellow) - running east to west from Černý most to Zličín

Line C (Red) - running north to south from Ladvi to Háje

There are three transfer stations in the city center where two lines intersect:
· Můstek (lower end of Wenceslas Square) - lines A and B
· Muzeum (upper end of Wenceslas Square) - lines A and C
· Florenc (main bus station) - lines B and C

Metro Link: http://www.dpp.cz/download/schema-metra-v-praze.pdf


Top transport tips!

· Tickets are valid for both metro and tram. A CZK 20 ticket will give you 60
minutes on the system at peak time and 90 minutes off peak. It also allows you
to make transfer (i.e. from one metro line to another, or from tram to metro). A
CZK 14 ticket will give you 15 minutes on-peak and 30 off-peak - you cannot
transfer.
· The best place to purchase a ticket is at a metro station. At the top of the escalators at every station are yellow machines.
· “Tabák” or “Trafika” (newsagents) also sell tickets at the counter. In a store ask for “Lístek za dvacet” (CZK 20) or “Lístek za čtrnáct” (CZK 14). There are also (in the odd case) a few freestanding machines on the street, mostly downtown. You can buy 24-hour tickets for CZK 80. You only need to stamp them in the machine once, not every time you travel.
· Watch out for pickpockets - as with any large city, Prague's transportation system attracts a lot of traffic. Be smart, be safe!

How to get long-term metro+tram+bus passes (issued with a photo-ID)

Selected metro stations such as Strašnice, Mùstek, Muzeum, I.P. Pavlova, etc. which have ticket offices where you can buy travel passes. You'll need to take a couple of passport photographs with you. Try and make sure you get one at the beginning of the quarter (January, April, July, October) or year, as many passes are valid by date rather than by the amount you pay.

Taxis

Cabs are fairly inexpensive. The recommendation is to order a taxi as opposed to flagging one down on the street. Sedop; Citycar; AAA are some options. Some companies run an SMS taxi service, eliminating the need to try and say unpronounceable street names. It is possible to send a text to them with the street name and the number.

Sedop +420 777 666 333
Citytaxi: SMS +420 602 393 070
AAA (voice): +420 233 113 311

Driving

You should carry your international driver's license, home country driver's license and passport at all times. Make sure you have documentation. Any person eligible for a company car will need to attend a course.


Things to do in Prague

Food

Traditional Czech cuisine is a little heavier than you may be used to with bread dumplings, hearty stews, a lot of pork and cabbage. If you really want to test those arteries, we recommend the deep-fried cheese (smažený sýr), which is a firm favorite.

Eating out

The great thing about Prague is the restaurant culture. The prices are very reasonable at traditional Czech restaurants (and there are lots of them).

Outside of the traditional fare there is a dazzling array of places to feast in from Thai to Sushi. There is bound to be an international restaurant that's to your liking.

Useful websites:
http://www.squaremeal.cz
http://www.inyourpocket.com


Social life

The Czech Republic is one of the most musical countries in Eastern Europe. Music is a key part of education in schools, and if classical music is one of your hobbies, you'll be thrilled with the numerous concerts and evening events on offer. There's plenty to do outdoors, and the terrain offers good opportunities for hiking, skiing and water sports.
Most foreign films are shown in their original format, but watch out for the words “titulek” meaning subtitled, and “dabovat” meaning dubbed.
Night-owls will find clubs, bars and casinos in the larger cities. Since the Czech Republic gained relative freedom, some aspects of life have been progressing faster than others - and entertainment is one of them. Bars that are 'in' are just as quickly uncool, so it's hard to say where the best spots are. Akropolis in Prague is well-known for playing world music. Please review the information at the links below for a
guide of things to do in the Czech Republic:
http://www.ticketpro.cz/?@en/index
http://www.virtualtourist.com
http://www.timeout.com/travel/prague/
http://www.pragueexperience.com/clubs_nightlife/clubs_nightlife.asp

Shopping
…
… is a whole new experience in the Czech Republic. You can find major western European brands and you'll find plenty of smaller unique shops that are worth visiting if you want more choice. Prague is excellent for finding antiques and the famous Czech glass and crystalware. Opening hours vary, although major stores can open from 6am, and tourist areas are increasingly open on Sundays. If you're in the city and it all becomes too much, there are plenty of cafés to rest in.
http://www.pavilon.cz/
http://www.palacflora.cz
www.metropole.cz
http://www.oc-letnany.cz/cz/
www.slovanskydum.cz

The Great Outdoors

The Czechs are a sporty nation and they love the great outdoors. Whether it's rollerblading, mushroom picking or rock climbing, as soon as there's a break in the weather they'll be out there. In winter skiing and snowboarding are very popular, and being in central Europe you'll have a range of resorts to choose from. Even healthy Czechs do not escape the drinking phenomenon - quite a lot of gyms also sell beer and allow smoking in the lobby. Of course there are too many gyms to mention, but here's a few of our tried and tested.

World Class Fitness
Wenceslas Square, Marriot Hotel on V Celnici and Chodov
The Wenceslas Square World class is the biggest of all the gyms. They offer good quality equipment, saunas, exercise classes, instruction, yoga, pilates. They encourage full time membership and the Chodov gym is in the V Parku‘s complex where DHL is based. (I go to BBC Fitness which is also quite good and cheaper than World Class. In fact, BBC Fitness near my office is way bigger than World Class branch located there as well, and cheaper! Check for more info.)

Golf
It's a budding sport here but there are some beautiful places to hit a few rounds.
Golf Resort, a short drive outside Prague.
Tel: 311 604 991 or visit www.karlstejn-golf.cz

Horse Riding
Horse riding is quite popular in Prague. For English-speaking schools and instruction try:
Velkostatek Tetín (near the town Beroun). Tel: 602 633 775
Zamek Ctìnice (near Letòany shopping Centre). Tel: 736 605 766
Or log onto : www.vt.equicenter.cz

(Well, it seems that this guide was written more for upper management who would go for Golf and Horse Riding activities ;))

Kickboxing / Thai boxing / Boxing / Karate / Taebo

Delroy’s Gym Zborovská, Andìl Tel: 257 327 042
As well as hosting a gym and ladies aerobics and body styling sessions, Delroy does
private and group martial arts sessions.

Swimming
Podolí consists of one indoor and two outdoor pools. The indoor pool and one of the
outdoor pools are both Olympic sized. The address is Podolská 74, Vyšehrad.

Indoor climbing walls
There are too many to list, so here are two of the more established ones. It's possible to hire shoes at all of them.
Ultra Ant Club, Týnská 17, Prague 1
Boulder Bar, V Jámì 6, Prague 1
Useful links,
http://www.czechinfocenter.com/
Prague Business Journal
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/

Hope it will be useful!

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Annual corporate party (Photo Report)

(Some photos were taken by professional photographers. Some are from friends' cameras. All credits for them)

My guest for the party - Aigerim


That's what I like about corporate parties; "Can I have a bit of this? And this! That one, as well. Oh that one?! Sure!..."


"Can I have avocado juice?!" - C.Yilmaz :)


Theme for the night; Latin Dances - Salsa


I missed the desserts. I was somehow too busy with beef steak... and of course "socializing" meanwhile!





Well, I really don't understand why there was such a booth at corporate salsa party, but anyway it offered some good amount of amusement for people. All these fancily carved fruits is work of art by this dude.


Now, this was cool! At least good piece of entertainment.


AIESEC style photo


The only Central Asian gang of the evening (Kamilya, Adil, yours truly, Aigerim, Yulia)



hairstyle 2.0


Alex, Kamilya and Vanessa


Though I had bad luck with broken remote control system.


Our Kazakhstani beauties


It started with some live music performances and salsa dance shows


Salsa performance by some colleagues


Circus :)

another one

Host group of the evening. That reminded me the actual theme of the evening. Though many guests just turned up in evening dress.


View from the party venue

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Run for Fun - Prague Marathon '08

Prague International Marathon always attracts thousands of runners from local population and foreign visitors. Besides the professional marathoners, thousands of locals and tourists join this festival for physical and mental challenge. What makes it even more attractive is that marathon route goes through many popular spots like Charles Bridge, Old Town, riverside and thousands of people will be cheering you along the road. It's like becoming a sports star for that day.

Last year, I ran at 8-km Caddy City Run with some friends. Besides main full and half-marathon runs, Prague Marathon has smaller runs like 8-km City Run or 4-km family run or 10-km Rollerskate Race. This year I am up for a challenge for Half-Marathon (21.097494 km) that will happen at 29-March this year. We already have small group, and I am also trying to get more people for this challenge. It's easier and more fun to have collective run.

Here's the route for this year's Half-Marathon (www.pim.cz);

What do you need to run in a marathon?

+ Long-distance runs require proper preparation and you should start training 2-3 months before the run. You should build up miles gradually. In Prague there are several parks where you can run and I found out about Havlickovy Sady in my neighbourhood. Correct nutrition intakes highly affects your training benefits as well. Besides cardiovascular exercises, you should boost your fitness with some weight-lifting exercises as well. And never forget to stretch!

+ Proper running shoes! It's obvious yet sometimes people ignore it. Last year I ran with Converse style athletic shoes and regretted it on every step I made during the run. Also, do not buy new running shoes just before the race, but run in the ones that you were training with. Same is recommended for other running wear.

+ Do not forget to register, and get your marathon set that includes;
- start number with electronic chip
- official Adidas T-shirt
- start bag
- etc. (see full list of things you get by registration here)

+ eHow.com has useful articles on Running. Realbuzz.com provides some podcasts about running and trainings. Also, another useful article about Half-Marathon preparation for Novices is here.

Here's the documentary about Hervis Prague Half Marathon '07;



and another documentary about Volkswagen Prague Marathon '07;



It's be interesting to hear other's opinions and recommendations about marathon and related. Those in Prague are welcome to join!

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Prague Top Attractions and Sightseeing - #1

Probably you have seen above view of Prague in many Prague postcards and sites. For me, it is very special and favorite place in the city. Besides this magic view Vltava river and row of bridges (including historical Charles bridge), you can also see central old town of Prague, and get that feeling of being in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. In other words, that's where you feel what is Prague about. Besides there's beautiful cafe, Hanavsky Pavilon (Hanau Pavilion), at this very point where you can sit and enjoy your food and drink together with this picteristique view.

How to get there?
It is located in Letna Park, great place for jogging, relaxing and enjoying view of the city from above. In fact it is just in walking distance either from Prague Castle, Charles Bridge or Old Town Square. Below map shows the exact place (marked by "1" in blue sign) of Hanavsky Pavilon.
From old town square walk towards the river on Parizska street, cross the Cechuv Bridge and climb up the hill stairs (you will see huge pendulum in front of you on the hill, previously there used to stand biggest statue of Stalin). Once you reach the pendulum, walk towards Prague castle along the top edge of the hill and follow the signs.

It's usually hot spot for photographers. Make sure you bring your camera and videocameras and make most of it.

Here's sneak preview of the view from that spot and Hanavski Pavilon cafe;





Prague Castle, not too far from Letna Park


view of Old Town


Letna Park - perfect place for weekend relaxation

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New Year in Prague

For past 5 years, I met New Year in 5 different countries;

2004 - Turkey
2005 - Singapore
2006 - Taiwan
2007 - Kyrgyzstan
2008 - Czech Republic

This year I celebrated it few times with few different groups.
First it was with Kyrgyz community in Prague in a chinese restaurant on 29-December. It was more like a dinner and toasts, some music and drinking. I'd say typical New Party that people have in Kyrgyzstan. To be honest, I was bored shortly. Not my way of celebrating something, and not my style of spending time. Probably I just went to there to see some people I haven't seen for a while. And there were not many young people there.

Meanwhile Kyrgyz students were organizing another party at the club in another place (seems like they already knew that the other party would be boring). After dinner, I joined the second party and it was much more fun. It was in a club on the riverside.

On the night of 31st I celebrated it with our international gang here. Mostly these are ex and current AIESEC trainees and some other people related to AIESEC or friends. We started with party in our place. Lots of food and drink as usual. (Still we've got many drinks and snacks at home after the party. None of my flatmates drink them as well, only wine. So we will treat all to our guests.) Linda organized whole thing, and credits go to her and to everyone who contributed with their dishes and drinks. As it became a "tradition", our gang got drunk before going out for further partying. But this time we rushed to Pertin Hills first, they said there would great view of the city in fireworks. Indeed we made it just on time, when we got on enough height to see, Prague turned into firework land. Everywhere fireworks were blowing and soon sky was covered with smoke. Indeed fantastic view! It took about 15-20 minutes. Just imagine how much money was spent for all these fireworks?...
Later we checked few clubs and all of them were full with clubs so soon enough we went back home to continue it on the next day.
My photos here! More to be added.

Here's the short video that I took. It's dark in video, not very clear, but you can get piece of what was happening there that night;



And here's old video that I took 2 years back from now. Fantastic fireworks show on the tallest building of the world in Taipei (Taiwan). Now I call it the firework show! Czechs have long way to catch up with Taiwanese, no offense. ;)




And here's the video, taken by someone else, of how it was in Taipei101 this year;

My NY wish to readers

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope this will be the year of hope, passion, patience, success, love and new achievements in both your professional and personal lives! And for the travelers and adventurers, I wish many new explorations and discoveries this year, and many new people to meet along the road!

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Full list of low-cost airlines (Europe)

Please show the reference to my blog in any kind of usage (including copy+paste) of the below low-cost airlines list. List was compiled from various sources, and it contains only the currently operating low-cost airlines in Europe. (Please suggest if I missed any!) Low cost airlines for Americas and Asia will follow.

Hope this list will be useful for you to find cheap flight tickets!
Cheers!
----------------------------
skyeurope.com - Bratislava based (main HQ) low-cost airline. (I personally check it first before checking any other options).
From Prague to Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Burgas, Catania, Copenhagen, Dubrovnik, kosice, Lisbon, London, Manchester, Milan, Naples, Paris, Rome, Rimini, Thessaloniki, Split, Torino, Venice, Vienna.

easyjet.com - England based low-cost airline.
From Prague to Basel, Belfast, Bristol, Dortmund, East Midlands, Geneva, London, Milan, Newcastle.

EasyJet Switzerland (easyjet.com) - Geneva based low-cost airline. It operates scheduled services as an easyJet franchise from Geneva and Basel. Many destinations from Switzerland including Turkey and Prague.

smartwings.com - Czech Republic based low-cost airline.
From Prague to Barcelona, Budapest, Chania, Dubai(!), Heraklion, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Madrid, Mallorca, Paris, Rodes, Rome, Tenerife

clickair.com - Barcelona based low-cost airline.
From Prague only to Barcelona.

bmibaby.com - the UK’s fastest growing low-cost airline, operating services within the UK and Europe.
From Prague to UK (Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands) only

click4sky.com - Czech Republic based new type of low-stable-cost airline which offers tickets to many destinations in Europe for 1990 CZK only! (1 Euro ~ 28 CZK) I heard that CZE is selling out its unsold tickets this way. Smart approach.

Ryanair.com - Dublin based low-cost airline.
From Prague to Dublin, daily flights.

tuifly.com - Hannover based low-cost airline.
No flights to Prague.

airberlin.com - Berlin based low-cost airline (early bookers could book everything for 29 euros). Flights to major cities in Europe plus some destinations in the Mediterranean, on the Canary Islands and in North Africa.
No flights to Prague.

condor.com - Germany based low-cost airline. Offers the especially inexpensive City Flights service from Munich to the most beautiful cities in Europe. Condor City Flights start as low as €29 one way including all surcharges.

ltu.de - Düsseldorf based low-cost airline. Main bases are Düsseldorf, Munich and Berlin Tegel airports. Cheap flights to USA and Canada. Flights to all the continents. From October 2007 flights from Berlin-Tegel to Bangkok, Melbourne, Punta Cana and Varadero.
From Prague to Toronto, Fort Myers, Miami, New York.

flymonarch.com - UK based low-cost flights from bases at London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester and Birmingham airports. Flights to many destinations in Portugal, Spain, Canary Islands and Cyprus.
No flights from/to Prague.

firstchoice.co.uk - Uk based low-cost airline with world-wide destinations.
No flights from/to Prague.

airfinland.fi - Finland based low cost airline. Flights from Helsinki to Alicante and Malaga only.
No flights from/to Prague.

XL.com - UK based low cost airline. European and Middle Eastern leisure destinations from its three bases of London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow.

fr.xl.com - France based airline within the group use the XL Airways branding

de.xl.com - Germany based airline within the group use the XL Airways branding

ie.xl.com - Ireland based airline within the group use the XL Airways branding

mytravellite.com - UK based low-cost airline. Flights to many destinations including Kenya.

transavia.com - Holland based low-cost airline with flights to many European cities plus Turkey and North Afirca.
No flights from/to Prague.

blue1.com - Helsinki based low-cost airline. Flights to many European cities, plus connecting flights with SAS to different destinations.
No flights from/to Prague.

airbaltic.com - Baltics based low cost airline with many destinations including Tashkent (Uzbekistan).From Prague to Kaliningrad, Vilnius, and Riga.

centralwings.com - Poland based low cost airline. Good offers for flights to Poland.
No flights from/to Prague.

germanwings.com - Cologne-Bonn based low-cost airline with flights to major cities including cities in Russia, Turkey and Scandinavia.
From Prague to Cologne-Bonn, Berlin, Zurich, London (and many other via Cologne-Bonn).

brusselsairlines.com - Brussels based airline that offers b-light low cost tickets. World-wide destinations.
From Prague to Brussels (and many other via Brussels).

vueling.com - Barcelona based low-cost airline. many destinations in Europe and the western Mediterranean. Bases are in Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Paris and Lisbon.
No flights from/to Prague.

norwegian.no - Oslo based low cost airline. Many destinations in Europe including Tallinn, Russian and Turkish cities.
From Prague to Oslo, Bergen, Bodo, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim.

Jet2.com - Leeds based low-cost airline. Offers charter services as well. Great number of European destinations from UK.
From Prague to Belfast, Manchester, Leeds, and Edinburgh.



sterling.dk - Denmark based low-cost airline.
From Prague to Copenhagen and Stockholm.

wizzair.com - Poland based low-cost airline, also operates from bases in Katowice, Warsaw, Gdansk in Poland, Budapest, Sofia and Bucharest.
No flights from/to Prague.

flybaboo.com - Geneva based low-cost airline.
No flights from/to Prague.

helvetic.com - Zurich based low-cost airline.
No flights from/to Prague.

flyglobespan.com - Scotland based low-cost airline. Flights to European destinations plus US, Canada, Egypt and Cyprus.
From Prague to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

intersky.biz - Austria based low-cost airline.
No flights from/to Prague.

spanair.com - Palma de Mallorca based low-cost airline company, and a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines. Main base is Son Sant Joan Airport (PMI), with hubs at Madrid and Barcelona. Flights to Algier and Casablanca.
No flights from/to Prague.

flybe.com - UK based low-cost airline. 70% domestic UK, 20% European business and 10% European leisure destinations.
No flights from/to Prague.

meridiana.it - Olbia, Italy based low-cost airline.
From Prague to Florence and Catania.

flynordic.com - Stockholm based low-cost airline. Flights to Nordic countries (incl. Estonia) and few other European destinations.
No flights from/to Prague.

malmoaviation.se - Sweden-based low-cost airline that operates only to France, Belgium and Sweden cities.
No flights from/to Prague.

volawindjet.it - Italy based low-cost airline. Operates to Russia, Spain, Romania, Greece and other Italian cities.
No flights from/to Prague.

alpieagles.com - Italy based low-cost airline. Flights to Italian cities plus Athens, Barcelona, Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Kiev, Moscow, Nice, Odessa, Prague, Pristina, Timisoara, Tirana and Valencia.
From Prague to Barcelona, Bari, Bologna, Napoli, Palermo, Venezia.

aerarann.com - Dublin based low-cost airline. UK, France and Ireland cities are the destinations.
No flights from/to Prague.

goldenair.se - Trollhättan, Sweden based low-cost airline that operates only to cities in Sweden and Finland.
No flights from/to Prague.

jetx.is - Iceland based low-cost airline. No booking or other pages in English.

travelservice.aero - Czech Rep based airline that provides mainly charter flights.
From Prague to Tel Aviv, Stockholm, Paris, Marseille, Budapest, Milano, Roma, Madrid, London, Dublin, Alicante, Malaga, Valencia, Bilbao, Barcelona, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Hurgada, Sharm El Sheik, Faro, Funjal, Paphos, Larnaca, Agadir, Istanbul, Antalya, Tunis, Monastir, Palma de Mallorca, Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodos, Korfu, Zakinthos, Preveza, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Catania, Burgas, Varna, Olbia, Cagliari, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, Keflavik, Split, Tivat, Bangkok, Fortaleza, Mombasa, Zanzibar.


(Sources used while compiling this list; wikipedia.org, jvdz.net)

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