To Irina_gem

[beata]

Dear Irina,
you asked me to give you some advise what to see and where to go in Prague...
well, that won't be an easy task. First of all, I don't remember the streets names, and I haven't been hanging around in Prague too much. The second thing is that, believe me, when being in time, you'll have so little time for discos, clubs... Every little house in Prague is so beautiful, that you might stand in front of it and marvell for hours!

But still, some necessities include:
- Kafka's Cafe - Siroka Str. (it's in the Jewish part of town). If you only love Kafka, it's a great place to visit. And even if you don't like him, it's still worth.
- Donna Pizzeria (somewhere near Kaprova Str.)- a place where lots of people come, not only to eat pizza. Everything is so cheap and they give bread with delicious garlic butter free!
- a LatoAmerican pub somewhere near Vaclavske Nam. (probably Perlova Str) - people dancing, singing, live music + very handsome waiters
- a Buddhist cafe (probably Cihelna Str. , somewhere near this old bridge) - it looks like a barn, there are never any people inside, only the waitress, who would tell you at about 6pm to go out... But still, it's worth going there for all these Buddah figures and paintings and delicious and very cheap hot wine (the only thing they sale ther~e!). About this wine - wherever you would buy it it's always delicious, but this one is the cheapest!

Gosh, I can't really recall any other places. But believe me, wherever you move, you'll always find some nice pub, cafe.... the only stupid thing there is that there are almost no Czechs there!!! I don't know why but I've been always meeting only Americans, Germans, Japaneese and Dutch! Only once we went to a disco in our hotel - Sandra, Nad Opatvem STr. (worth remembering). Even though it's at the suburbs, it's worth going there. When I went there, there were only Czechs, who looked like Bon Jovi or Madonna in their early videos! 80 % of the girls were pregnant and below 20 for sure, the guys wore ttack suits and showed their mobile phones to everyone, and they mainly played some Chech pop, disco and rap! Really, a thing worth seeing!

I think that would be all. Oh, maybe a few more things. It would be better if you could exchange money in your country as they take large commision. The other thing, when you go to a restaurant, it's the best to take a native Czech with you (or at least someone who speaks Czech) as they have two different prices - one for Czechs and one for foreigners! And the difference is often big! What a stupid thing!

Anyway, I hope (actually I'm almost sure) you will enjoy your trip.
Take care,
Beata

[Emil]

Irina,
I heard you are a helpful person in Travel business.. Can you give me some advice re. travelling to Zaporozhy? I have some specific questions. It would be great if you care to reply to dinleyici@excite.com..

Thanks..

[Irina_gem]

Dear Beata,
I can't express how much thankful I'm to You. This is really unique info that you can get only from a person that was on spot. Thank You very much again.
If I could also be of any help regarding any issue, including travelling to any country, I would be happy to assist.
Let me wish You the very happy and prosperous New Year and New Millenium,
Kind regards,
Irina

[Phillip]

I have been to Prague and I'd like to add a few points about the place , if I may.

Personally, I was keen to leave the city, though it is vibrant and beautifull, and visit the smaller towns (to get away from tourists) - which you can get to by train. (There are sooooo many other beautifull places in Czech - and without some of the ugly cheap housing etc.).

We got ourselves a bit confused and found ourselves on the wrong train once - but since it gave a gave us a chance to sleep at an old work camp with some very funny guys - it was a worthwhile mistake.

About restaurant prices - we found that looking at the restaurant pricelists and comparing them for value was a mistake. I mean, if you see a restaurant without prices in English then it will be the cheapest by far. Either way it is still cheap.

Watch out for the police. We were fined 3 times within a week and they'll take you for what they can get, and walk away with the money. People say they have an ability to rip you off and leave you with a smile - it's true. Also, I noticed that they fine you much more if you are guys. Outside of Prague, the people are so honest and not greedy it isn't funny.

I loved Czech and I love Praha and I had no trouble finding great places to go to and beautifull things to see. Many times, I stood looking at some buildings thinking 'what the hell were they thinking' - it's just amazing!