@@skeletonkeysprague21 We have a saying in Czech, that the world is a small place. I always tought that it was a nonsence. But now I see a guy from Colorado Springs, a place I used to live in, making videos and cruizing around my home town and saying Petřín with a perfect accent. Now I finally get it. Thank you for your great videos and interesting look from an outsider perspective!
As English-writer and Czech-journalist I have to say the way you spoke about the language almost made me tear up a little bit. It was very emotional for me to hear it compared to a piece of ornate architecture. And that Czech can be extremely expressive and deeply personal. It pleasantly surprised me because you managed to find the words for a concept I myself even as a Czech was not quite able to formulate!
I’m very glad to hear that my description resonated with you...I struggled myself to find the words to express how I feel about the language. Thank you :)
People in charge in public transport are watching ;-). Actual end of metro operation at 11 PM is due to covid, between 10 and 11 PM metro has 75 % less passengers. But problem wit operation time is larger. Prague metro on each line usually transport between 400 000 and 500 000 passengers a day. This is the number unable to transport by surface transport (trams, buses). So there is no chance to do maintenance in metro during normal workday. With one exception, first 3 workdays in July after state holidays, when on each line travel around 150 000 or 200 000 people a day, less than normal weekend. So night pause is necessary. Our metro is not so old (born 1974), but first line has wooden sleepers, which need to chance. Almost 20 000. During 1 night, only 5-6 sleepers could be changed, during longer weekend with state holiday 200-300 could be changed, during first July week around 600-700 sleepers could be changed. We have still about 8-9 years of work on it. In metro tunnels during night, it is necessary to clean, repair tracks, operate night work trains, which are there for transporting parts of new escalators, which are in reparation (demoliton of old ones and building new). So, every minute during night is higly valued. But good news for everybody ;-). Metro lines will operate till midnight (last train from city centre Muzeum, Florenc, Můstek between 0:00 and 0:05) from the 15th od July. But money also are topic. Cheap public transport means that people from revenues give to the city only 15 % of whole costs need for operation. 85 % are city subsidies (comes from taxes). After covid is usuall almost no collection taxes, so nearly all operation of public transport is now paid from reserves (prepared for large investment to new metrro lines or city bypasses). Year pass is this year cheaper than in year 2000, all people with this pass (400 000) pay only 1,5 bilion CZK a year, but year costs of public tramsport are 20,0 bilion CZK year (440 billions USD). So, it is quite impossible to operate metro till 1 AM. We are sorry.
Prague has been my favorite European city for a long time and I spent alot of time learning about the historical buildings and the 1000 years old architecture and neverending things that will continue to make you say wow look at this look at that ,this country is special in many ways a living fairy tale and I'm proud to say that I'm Czechoslovakian my grandparents came to the United states from Cz and I love my heritage ❤💯👍🙂
Being in Prague is surreal. Like being in a fairy tale place. It's magical and was my favorite place of all when I was in Europe. And that had much to do with the people I encountered and those who helped me so selflessly. I am enjoying your videos. Glad iI can experience it again. Thank you !
The way you describe embracing a new language in your life is just beautiful....Im from Slovakia but currently live in WA state....never have I heard anybody from US to be so well spoken. Thank you, you got yourself a new subscriber.
How refreshing to run across your video. As a Californian, I appreciate your ability to speak for over 20 minutes without an “um” or “uh” between every other word. I am also intrigued by your comparison of the city’s Gothic architecture with the Czech language. Thought-provoking! I will have a short, first, visit next month and am really looking forward to it now. Thanks for that, and keep up the great work!
I agree with this perspective he mentioned. after two weeks in Prague the architecture, art , language meets everything he said. In the back of my mind I thought much the same and the video easily filled all the space between conscious thought and gut feelings
You have more love and admiration for our country than most czechs. Your kind words fills me with pride.
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Of course your praise is easy on the ears, but also very thoughtful I think. Also your Czech pronunciation seems to indeed be better than most I've heard. It shows that you must have given it serious effort. Overall your vids are very nice to watch.
UA-cam just randomly recommended me one of your videos, I really enjoyed it, and since then I am hooked! Also I am stunned by your pronunciation! Very enjoyable videos, keep it up! Díky
Czech/German Prague born here🙋🏼♀️ When I moved to Stockholm, Praguers were envious because here Sweden has a reputation of being a haven. But I gotta tell you, Stockholm is nice but only for a weekend or so but Prague? There's always something to do here or go to, walk around for hours and see beautiful architecture. What I also missed in Stockholm, was big parks or green in general. There is no park like Stromovka or Hvězda, where you have a feeling of being in nature. I missed beer gardens (even though I don't drink beer) but it's nice to sit outside with friends and share a long bench with other people and network over a drink. But yeah, in Sweden, you're not allowed to drink alcohol outside. That's another thing that stressed me as a Czech person in Sweden... All these weird, strict rules. I always only heard "That's illegal in Sweden or we don't do that in Sweden" to things that are completely normal here. And don't get me started on the health care in Sweden🙄 So yeah, after three years in Stockholm, I couldn't wait to move back to Prague and am happily married to the city again.
I’ve heard similar things about many Scandinavian cities. I think Prague has a relaxed, open, organic feel that is hard to replicate elsewhere in Europe. Of course it has its problems and deficiencies as well, but the tradeoffs are usually worth it in my opinion.
Moving to Prague in about four weeks or so. Still working through what we are finding is an extremely complicated work visa process. But looking forward to it. Your videos have definitely helped a fellow Colorado resident get in the right headspace. Thanks!
Let me see if I can help you out. Been here over a year and the BS you have to go through to DO ANYTHING is extraordinary! Find yourself a company that handles this Bureaucracy BS and let them deal with it. Of course as with anything in life it is all about the money! I personally do not like it here but I have a contract and as soon as that is over I am out of here! Sorry, my opinion.
Hi, why do you want to move from the US to the Czech Republic? I know that many people dream of moving to the US and say that the US is much better than the Czech Republic, I also thought about moving to the US, but I decided to stay in the Czech Republic because over the past 2 years the Czech Republic has seen the largest number of Ukrainians per capita, despite the fact that Europe and America were open to Ukrainians, but they chose the Czech Republic anyway
I could write the comment only in English, but you will understand the Czech part too: Především díky za velmi hezké video, ze kterého je vidět radost z toho, že tu žijete, že jste se stal částí naší země. Takoví jako vy budou vždy vítáni, a to bez ohledu na to, z které země přicházejí nebo jaká je barva jejich kůže.
As an expat also from Colorado, I've been living in the Krkonose Mountains for almost 12 years and I completely agree with your comparison between Colorado and Czech. When I lived for 15 years in CO, it was the most beautiful place in the world to me. And moving to the Czech Republic gave me a deeper appreciation of the varying forms of beauty in the world - much more than visiting a place does for me, when I live somewhere the beauty is felt in deeper and more "ordinary" ways. And while I once was convinced I'd spend the rest of my life in Colorado, now I am perfectly happy here and very open to discovering many other kinds of beauty in the world. Nice Vlog and all the best to you on your expat adventures!
Hi, why do you want to move from the US to the Czech Republic? I know that many people dream of moving to the US and say that the US is much better than the Czech Republic, I also thought about moving to the US, but I decided to stay in the Czech Republic because over the past 2 years the Czech Republic has seen the largest number of Ukrainians per capita, despite the fact that Europe and America were open to Ukrainians, but they chose the Czech Republic anyway
You catched my eye few days ago and I gotta admit you are a really nice and respectful soul. The things you said about the lanquage would sure made its creators proud as you managed to describe it in a poetic way which is the main purpose of the lanquage itself. Also your Czech sounds really natural and soft to the ear. You for sure got some Czechness in you. You sure you don't have some herritage? Overall thank you for your beautiful words and I hope our (yours as well) land will bring you much more joy and love you showed to have for her.
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful words. I'm pretty sure my heritage is like 99% Irish, but there's some "non-specific central European" in there that could very well be Bohemian. :)
Just to add about the Czech "wilderness" - there are almost no really remote areas, the landscape is widely populated, in most areas you can't go a few miles without running into at least a small village. :) Plus almost no venomous fauna or flora, there is just one single venomous type of a snake, very rare, most people never see it throughout their whole lives. And even that one is not exactly life-threatening. :)
just t ad to the info , the snake is called zmyje and they are small snakes which are venomous but they can only deliver 1/3 of the deadly dose for healthy adult. so yea dont play with them but the posibility of dying is rly small
It's one of the most densely populated countries on Earth, actually. Consider that Australia has a land area exactly 100 times that of Czech Republic, with only ~twice the population.
yes, definitely thought-provoking. It is always fascinating to see one's home through somebody else's eyes. I will never look at the cathedral in the same way, what a comparison!
Oh man, what a beautiful way of looking at and describing Prague / Czech Republic, the culture and your overall experience living here! Honestly, you mention having more perspective on your own origins and culture because of living here, but I also feel the same way after watching these kinds videos from expats. I think we all kind of take things for granted and rarely look at our own culture(s) objectively with a "clear unbiased lens", so hearing your take on everything is extremely refreshing and humbling. Thanks a lot for sharing and I hope you keep these coming. :)
I like how you describe the Czech language. Learning it as a child I thought "what kind of masochist invented this?!" but as I get older I appreciate the beauty and structure of it. The sounds and rhythms easily lend themselves to that melancholy yet mythical feeling that you hear in old Czech poems and fairytales which makes it even more beautiful to me. Anyways, your pronunciation of places seems very good. Keep up the good work!
It's nice to see that you think about your surroundings and try to look under the surface. And maybe we Czechs will realize it better when a foreigner tells us how beautiful our country is and quite possibly we don't realize it and we don't appreciate it. Prague is undoubtedly beautiful and inspiring especially for someone who feels architecture, but the countryside also has its huge charm. Hills and valleys, houses with red tiled roofs on green slopes, dirt roads disappearing on the horizon. Sometimes I go only a few kilometers from the house and spend many minutes absorbing the beauty from a place where there is a nice view. One thing I love about our little country is that it only takes a few hours to get anywhere.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad I can help Czech people put their own country in perspective a bit. It always helps to see things from a slightly different angle. :)
7:53 lol I like how you registered the ladies visually and tried to delay finishing the sentence because it was not appropriate for that moment…but it came out well😂 I like the way you express yourself, very eloquently it must be fun to be around you. Nice video!👍 btw your ‘gargoyle’ metaphor about czech language was beautiful
Bro, I'm a Brazilian and I dream of living in Prague. Whenever I say that I wanna move to the Czech Republic, most people don't understand it, probably because it's not one of the most "mainstream" options out there, if you would handpick a place to live. However, you're the first person I saw beside me who was able to express with words how there is something unexplainable about the Czech aesthetic, how the language and the gothic architecture can have a parallel. I see you're a man of culture as well. 🧐🍷 I may try to rationalize speaking of the life condition aspects of the Czech Republic (which are equally valid), but in the end, I think the unique mix of culture, aesthetics, history, and the very specific taste it has, is the predominant factor.
Off the Chart Interesting and Thought Provoking! The way you have described and articulated the beauty of the Czech Republic was vivid and perspective altering. Many Thanks!
Thank you for your videos👍. You set up a mirror for us that can help us be a little better people, and your insights about our language are amazing. I wish you a pleasant time, lots of laughter and good friends. Cheers from Karlovy Vary🍻.
Excellent, thoughtful, eloquently presented and somewhat heartwarming for me. A Czech by birth who grew up in Southern Bohemia, studied law in Prague (Charles U.) and have lived in western Canada for the last 55 years. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the video, your interesting observations about Prague's architecture and your appreciation of intricacies of the Czech language. Thank you...
An american presents his positive view of a Country, yet what you also see is insightful and thought provoking presentation of one hell of human being from US. PS: The metro thing is a covid-related. Usually it runs until 01:00 as I remember, but I might be wrong, can't remember before covid anymore. Thanks for the vijeo and keep them coming :)
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. We have been to Prague to visit our Czech friends. They are urging us to visit for a longer time. You helped allay some of my concerns. Also, you helped me understand my friends more.
You do get used to the beauty of it, not seeing it anymore. Lived in Prague for 20 years, especially last 10 years you kind of learn to avoid the city centre, millions of tourists and all the souvenir shops, not one, but 20 of them selling the same rubbish as in any touristy town, the plates and cups just say Prague instead of Venice, it does make you feel angry and sick. And once in a while, going to náplavka, seeing the beautiful line of houses along the river, people sitting there, you go, wow, still beautiful. Or looking out of the tram window going across the river early in the morning, and there it is, the old train bridge, Vysehrad in the backgroung and mist above the river, and half asleep you need to admit- that is really pretty, I should go out more :).
It was like that in the past, but in last few years, things are really changing and I don't think it's only because of covid, it's mainly because of Prague is leaded by pirate party now, they think more about how Prague looks like when you want just walk around. Previous governments were mostly right wing and they cared only about cars.
@@caroline4323 Yes, there is still plenty of kitch and scam, but I remember how it looked like 20 years ago and it's really really big improvement since that time.
@@Pidalin Před 20ti lety si myslim, že to bylo lepší. Já byla v centru naposled někdy před třemi lety a přišlo mi to opravdu neskutečně hrozné. Hlavně cesta z Václaváku na Staromák. Ty suvenýrový obchudky jeden vedle druhýho. Tam počítám i pralinky bůhvíodkud atd. No, snad to zacnou trochu vic hlidat..
@@caroline4323 Před 20 lety to fakt lepší nebylo, všude samej rusák, bábuškashop a špína, dneska je v centru aspoň čisto a opravený baráky. V devadesátkách se uklízelo tak že nametli bordel ke krajinici, dneska vypadá město fakt mnohem líp a většina těch ohavnejch míst už je dávno zrekonstruovaná. Jedno z posledních takovejch hnusnejch míst je průchod vedle karlova mostu když se jde po karlově mostě směrem ke staromáku ale hned za mostem se zahne do prava před přechodem, tam je hnusnej průchod s těma matryoshkama a vypadá to tam fakt jak v devadesátkách, jinak si myslim že se to fakt výrazně zlepšilo. A turistů bylo jak sraček už tenkrát, to neni nic novýho, ale řekl bych že se zlepšila kvalita těch turistů, před 15, 20 lety tady bylo tak levno že k nám jezili všichni hlavně chlastat, dneska bych řekl že sem typickej turista fakt jede třeba za památkama a tak.
Have you met Jen from Dream Prague yet ? It´d be nice to see both of you together..Btw ur making great vids, keep it up - im subscribing you right now. Greetings from Litoměřice.
Hi, as you said for somebody is hard to learn czech, but if you are able to speak czech, than also people from Slovak republik will understand you, and maybe big part of Polish citizens as well. So czech language is a gate to 10 + 5 + 40 = 55 millions of europeans enhabitants and to their cultural heritage.
That's an encouraging way to think about it. I also think that, as a native English speaker, learning one Slavic language makes learning all the other languages with Slavic roots easier as well. Even if the languages aren't that similar, you still have more of a foundation to build from.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 If you speak Czech you will certainly understand Slovakian 99% and Poles 80%, especially those from the south of the country along the border with the Czech Republic. If you travel to the Balkans such as Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro you will understand signs on buildings and shops but much less spoken words 40-50%. Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian are the least understandable Slavic languages for Czechs and you will have hard time to understand anything at all.
Great video! Keep up with the Prague videos. Greek guy here that went there recently and fell in love. Thinking of going there to live for a year at least!
We (my wife and I that is) went up Petřín Hill on a really hot day and stumbled across Zahrada Květnice. A lovely place to just sit and chill after a long hot walk. Regarding the people from other countries you have met in Prague I have also met Italians, Germans, and UK people amongst others. I find the most prejudiced people have never been to another country and seen how we are all the same really.
that was so enjoyable & i love the angle you took on describing the city & your experience,, then mixing in some of your ideas and philosophy, just a great overall video loved it
very nice video and very nice footage! you definitely have gift of speech and your flow is very natural and nice to listen! i would like to spent more time in prague too, but unfortunately i am quite locked in my working shifts. but i plan to spent there some time this summer...
Wow, that was amazing--nice places to see plus your interesting comments🤗. Also love your English, your range of vocabulary is much wider than it's usual in other UA-cam channels. Wish I could remember some expressions and improve my English. Regarding architecture-the last building you walked around is Loreta, there is an interesting legend about the bells in its tower and I think it's worth visiting this place inside. Your video inspired me , I think I'll have a walk through historical Prague soon eventhough I've been living here for decades 😃.
I was in the Czech Republic shortly after the wall came down. I was doing the US trade and evolving agencies first chemical project. The excitement of the check people was intoxicating. The one thing I told him was I hope you get capitalism With a soul.I truly love the country. And I’m glad that you discovered it is beautiful as I did.
Man, You have had the privilege to hit the best time of our history, the 90` where the absolute freedom of anything! I was growing up in this time and I got used to it, but the present time make me cry ... by by my beloved freedom🤐
Truly enjoyed watching your video. I'm an American married to a Czech who moved here recently. I'm just exploring this beautiful country, culture and people. I don't live in Prague so my experience is different. I look forward to learning the language so I can participate more in life. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hey man! This was the first video on your channel that i watched and i must say that i love your style of very chill narrative combined with walking around Prague... You sound like a very chill dude! Keep up the great work! I'm subscribing!
Great video! Totally agree on all your points. I’m from the US and have lived here in Prague for four years now, and absolutely love it! Looking forward to hearing about more of your impressions. :)
Heya, great video as always! To add to your point about the metro closing early, normally it operates between 5am and midnight, but it started closing at 10pm last year because of covid. Thankfully it is set to run until midnight again from July 15th. And yes, it is annoying having to call a taxi or to take the night tram after you're done partying at 3am, but at the very least you still have the night trams. I've been to many cities in Europe where a) the public transport sucked and b) just didn't operate at night at all. So I still like that you have the ability to travel around at night, even if it's at the cost of longer waits.
Maybe I'm biased because I'm a night owl and I like to stay up late, but I think it would be greatly appreciated if they extended the metro hours just until 1 am. Yes, night buses and trams are a good alternative, but I've been to cities where the metro operates 24 hours a day and it's just so convenient and contributes greatly to enjoyment of the nightlife.
Hi! Wow!! What a beautiful country 🥰 I want to go there now! Having lived as an immigrant in the USA for 17years, I realize that my life became very monotonous, self absorbed and materialistic and it dampened my adventurous spirit. So, planning to take a leap of faith and move back to my home country with no plans but to travel the world and explore what treasures awaits!! Soo glad you took that leap of faith! You are very inspiring and I love how eloquently you speak!! Enjoy your time there! Hopefully, our paths will cross when I travel there, soon one day 😊
I absolutely love the thoughtfulness you bring in your videos. The way you explain and express your views is beautiful. I am very happy you enjoy living in Prague. You are a great contribution and a wonderful match to the beauty of the place. Respect!
Hi Brendan, I really liked your video. Your views go deep and are surprising sometimes and spot on in many cases :) You are very lucky in a way to be in Prague in this covid times, as you can enjoy the place and its magic full on. I love it now, as a local. I think it is almost a miracle, to have all this time and space to have the magic city I love so much for myself :) I had to laugh when you were running from that small and quiet group of tourists in one place. Had you been there before covid, you would have found those places crowded with people, often behaving in heartbreakingly disrespectful way. Good luck, keep on being amazed and I look forward to your next vids :)
Many people have reminded me that the quiet, empty Prague I've known for the past 1+ year is not at all the ordinary situation for the city center. It is indeed very nice to walk around the historic center and not be mobbed by drunk tourists at every step. I'm kind of a gregarious person and I enjoy crowds, so I wouldn't mind seeing Prague in the full swing of the tourist season, but I certainly understand how it could be a bit too much for locals. Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Super video! It is strange when foreigner is speaking so kindly about our country and I know a lot of Czechs who couldn't make such a cool and meaningfull list of pros about their country! Thank you and if I understood well that Colorado is hilly foresty and stuff you should definitely try to visit Liberec or so called Máchův kraj near, I think you could appreciate it! :)
I live in Westminster, Colorado and will retire soon. I plan to live in the Czech Republic. Thank you for the tips! Yes, Czech Republic is 43% cheaper than Colorado. Will be watching your videos and keep your advice in mind. Lovely videos!
When we visited the Czech Republic the fall before Covid, we visited both Adrsprach and Southern Moravia and the truisms you mentioned about the natural landscape totally rang true to me. Adrsprach is incredible, looking like a combination of Game of Thrones fantasy and Pandora from the movie Avatar, and Moravia has these beautiful rolling hills that are so reminiscent of Tuscany (but, as you pointed out, greener) that the call it "the Italy of Central Europe" or something like that. It's interesting to note that the mountains and valleys look - like you said - comforting because - unlike the gorgeous mountains in Switzerland - you look at them and you know you could easily walk over them to the other side: it's not imposing or dangerous-looking.
Current subway (metro) schedule is a covid thing. It used to be that last trains departs from the end stations at midnight so if you finish your beer at midnight (which was closing time of many local pubs) you can catch the last train. If you want to party you can catch night connections or wait for first morning train and enjoy faces of the people who were going to their early jobs at the morning :D :D We Czechs are kinda proud that czech language is very hard. Warm winters are kinda Prague (central bohemia) thing. I did grow up in southern bohemia and we had very cold and snowy winters but becase we had a heaps of snow it somehow preserved green carpet and it starts to grow again when snow melts.
Hey man, just binge watched all of your vids. I have to say as a native Czech you really do seem like a great guy, that respects our customs and i wish for you to have a great time while living in our country. Thank you for bringing a positive light to our republic. Hopefuly you will experience many more amazing sights and places. Thank you for your videos.
Hello. In Brno (the second largest city in Czech Repiblic) we've got in here legendary night buses called "rozjezdy" in Czech. During the week they go every hour and from the friday night through the every weekend night they go even every half an hour. They are also pretty fast so you can be from the center of the city to the periphery within half an hour. This is what I miss in Prague.
I spent hours in mystical are on the Charles bridge admiring the absolutely perfect aesthetic and peaceful environment completely absent from any kind of modern or unpleasant sound or sight.
i’m so glad to have found your videos. really enjoying your views on things and how spot on you can describe it. making me a little more proud to be a czech living in this city. keep it up.
It's so cool seeing some of the same type of landscape here as I remember when I played the Kingdom Come: Deliverance game. It seems so peaceful there.
Thanks for the very pleasant video. It's so nice to see a foreign person showing interest in the country and its capital and also seeing those nice things here. Well done and 'Jen tak dále!' :) Oh, and I totally agree with you regarding the cliché videos about cheap beer etc that you mention at the end. 👍
You can expect a lot of invitations to hiking trips, rafting etc. from now on. You will be super popular among your friends. The reason - there are certain individuals who get picked by mosquitos and ticks and everyone else is left alone... It seems you are one of these individuals...
Ahoj! Your thougts on the beauty of languages (both your native one and Czech one) are remarkable and very moving. Your comments deeply inspire me to see my hometown in a new way. We have a saying: You are human as many times as the number of languages you speak. Kolik řečí umíš, tolikrát jsi člověkem. You are a living confirmation of this rule. Great video! Great story! And a great city, of course...
Rád se dívám na tvé videa. Musím říct, že je zajímavé sledovat strasti cizince v České republice, potažmo v Praze. Držím palce hlavně s naším českým jazykem....Těším se na další videa...
I never delete any comments. Sometimes UA-cam automatically deletes or hides comments if certain sensitive words/phrases are used. I have no control over this and I'm usually not aware of it. Sorry if your comment was deleted, but try posting it again with slightly different wording, and it might go through. Cheers.
The language reflected in the architecture... that never occurred to me before but the moment you said it, I knew exactly what you meant. Nice video, thank you!
Great video! I appreciate the deeper thoughts and insights that are often lacking in some YT travel videos. I also appreciate your command of the English vocabulary. )) We will be coming to Prague for Christmas, barring any Covid restrictions. Can't wait to see it. I've been told about it for many years from many friends so it's time to see it myself. In the past I've spent most of my travels in Kyiv and parts of Russia so I'm looking forward to Prague to my passport.
Wonderful video! I am of czech heritage and plan on moving soon. Prague is on my list to visit for an extended time over Christmas. Can’t wait! I will see if my czech cooking stands up to the foods there. My parents taught me well. Until then I will follow you and live through that!
You are wonderful to say so many nice things about Prague and Czech Republic. And you have to have a perfect ear / hearing. To pronounce Czech so perfectly. I never met anyone wits such a good pronunciation. I would swear that you were born there and later left for USA.
Bro, I just compared prices here and in couple of cities in the UK ( London, and Aberdeen where I live ) and Prague looks sooo inexpensive. I'll definitely visit/move there sometime early next year. I'm still researching and trying to decide between Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungry but so far Czech Republic is winning and I'm 90% this will be my next stop.
Thanks for your eloquent and personal take on Prague. I particularly appreciate your comments on expats and their attitudes vis-à-vis the Czech language. I witness that same sentiment here in Montreal from anglophones who've moved here from elsewhere. Often, I get rattled when people make no effort to speak French, saying they don't need it, or it's not "real" French, etc. I try to keep in mind that this is merely their way of coping with their vulnerability and imperfections, like you said, and that they just need to be encouraged to take risks, something seemingly harder for English speakers to do than other groups. You've given me some good reasons to put Prague on my shortlist for cities to retire in (about 10 years away). Cheers.
Hey, it always looks like Prague is complex of small villages randomly placed in deep forest! I like your videos and you obviously love dark corners of parks :D
when it is not COVID time, most places you visited in this video are overcrowded by tourists. This is why I am staying outside historical city center you filmed in this take.
I think my whole idea of Prague is a bit skewed because I've never really seen it swarming with tourists, except for a brief time during the Christmas season in 2019...but I've heard that Prague during a normal summer season is a different place entirely.
You definitely have more understanding of my country than vast majority of people living here, I used to be one of these vast majority of people, then I mooved to United States and realized what a beautiful place my country is
It's amazing how someone who end up here by accident fell in love with my country. And likes same things. With one exception! Foreigners in Prague!!! Don't get me wrong. I also enjoy conversations with people from around the world. Many of my friends arent Czech. What I don't like is that hearing czech language is becoming more rare every year. Yeah thats turists you might say. (BTW. there was far too many of them before the plague) But I don't think so. Most of foreigners I know don't know any czech even if they are here more than five years. And they don't want to because they don't need to. To me it looks like we slowly loosing main city. I just can't picture german guy who don't know any english moving to America. Geting a good job with a decent salary and enjoing same amount of respect as foreigners in here.
I also wish that expats would make more of an effort to learn Czech. I’m a hypocrite, obviously, because I still don’t speak it well or regularly, but at least I have the decency to be ashamed and the intention to fix it 😆 However, I think that the international status of English means that the immigrant-in-the-USA analogy is not quite applicable. Many expats in non-English speaking countries feel, quite justifiably, that English alone is enough to get by. Nonetheless, I totally agree that if someone commits to a long-term residency in the Czech Republic, they should learn to speak Czech both out of respect for the locals and as a matter of social necessity. Over time, most global capitals will become increasingly international and thus increasingly English-dominated, but it’s still important for expats to do their part in preserving the local language and culture. They can always switch back to English whenever they want/need to!
@@skeletonkeysprague21 What I was trying to say is that I wish there was more demand on forigners to speak czech. I don't want Prague to become english-dominated. We almost lost our language once already. I think it would be sad to loose it for good this time. When we fought for it so hard two hundred years ago.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Your pronunciation and accent is better than that of many natives, at least in those few words you have used in your videos. IMHO another important thing about foreigners and learning Czech is whether they are here just for short time like year or so (it seems like short term contracts are increasingly a norm here), or whether they plan to stay here fro long(er). I think it is completely understandable that they are not willing to learn language to some great extend when they will leave in few months. But it sure could be interesting topic for some research paper. Or maybe we can get that data from Ministry of Interior, they should have info about foreigners working and living in CZ. Or maybe it can be obtained from ministry of labour and social affairs (that one run by "Venezuela" Maláčová)
I see your point!! I had a hard time adjusting to the sound of the language and manage with time, and I had forgotten how difficult it was. Last week a friend (former student) told me "Man!! the more we do, the more I realize it will be a very difficult language" I am teaching him Czech language because he will be doing a master’s degree, and will fly there in August, so a little Czech (beyond jedno pivo prosím) will be useful. Thanks for your videos!!
Having lived most of my life just outside of Atlanta, I found the climate a bit challenging when I first moved here. But after a few years, I grew to appreciate experiencing four seasons (in Atlanta we only really have two). I’ve been here ten years now and I love it more year after year. And no, I still can’t speak Czech very well.
I’m spoiled by Front Range (Colorado) weather, which is some of the best in the world when it comes to sunshine, so the weather here is a struggle for me. But I enjoy the summers and I’m learning to enjoy the winters as well 😆
I mean that "Ř" in Petřín, was pretty good. gj
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback :))
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Like I feel that your pronounciation overall is really good!
He definitely pronounces Ř better than Václav Havel did:)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 We have a saying in Czech, that the world is a small place. I always tought that it was a nonsence. But now I see a guy from Colorado Springs, a place I used to live in, making videos and cruizing around my home town and saying Petřín with a perfect accent. Now I finally get it. Thank you for your great videos and interesting look from an outsider perspective!
I was about to say, that “ř” was brilliant :))
You speak of Czech language like a poet. As a native speaker I was really touched actually.
As English-writer and Czech-journalist I have to say the way you spoke about the language almost made me tear up a little bit. It was very emotional for me to hear it compared to a piece of ornate architecture. And that Czech can be extremely expressive and deeply personal. It pleasantly surprised me because you managed to find the words for a concept I myself even as a Czech was not quite able to formulate!
I’m very glad to hear that my description resonated with you...I struggled myself to find the words to express how I feel about the language. Thank you :)
People in charge in public transport are watching ;-). Actual end of metro operation at 11 PM is due to covid, between 10 and 11 PM metro has 75 % less passengers. But problem wit operation time is larger. Prague metro on each line usually transport between 400 000 and 500 000 passengers a day. This is the number unable to transport by surface transport (trams, buses). So there is no chance to do maintenance in metro during normal workday. With one exception, first 3 workdays in July after state holidays, when on each line travel around 150 000 or 200 000 people a day, less than normal weekend. So night pause is necessary.
Our metro is not so old (born 1974), but first line has wooden sleepers, which need to chance. Almost 20 000. During 1 night, only 5-6 sleepers could be changed, during longer weekend with state holiday 200-300 could be changed, during first July week around 600-700 sleepers could be changed. We have still about 8-9 years of work on it.
In metro tunnels during night, it is necessary to clean, repair tracks, operate night work trains, which are there for transporting parts of new escalators, which are in reparation (demoliton of old ones and building new). So, every minute during night is higly valued.
But good news for everybody ;-). Metro lines will operate till midnight (last train from city centre Muzeum, Florenc, Můstek between 0:00 and 0:05) from the 15th od July.
But money also are topic. Cheap public transport means that people from revenues give to the city only 15 % of whole costs need for operation. 85 % are city subsidies (comes from taxes). After covid is usuall almost no collection taxes, so nearly all operation of public transport is now paid from reserves (prepared for large investment to new metrro lines or city bypasses). Year pass is this year cheaper than in year 2000, all people with this pass (400 000) pay only 1,5 bilion CZK a year, but year costs of public tramsport are 20,0 bilion CZK year (440 billions USD).
So, it is quite impossible to operate metro till 1 AM. We are sorry.
Thank you so much for this “insider” info and the good news!
Amazing info about the Prague metro system and I totally understand now why it works the way it does. Thanks for your comment!
Very interesting inside information on one of (if not) the best public transit system in the world. Thank you Martin for taking the time and effort!
As a Czech I really appreciate this inside info. Had no idea about these things :D I thought that the workers just sleep overnight :D
I like this comment it’s so full of really good information
I wish I had your skill in presenting and formulating ideas, so that they appear simple despite they are not. Thanks for promoting our culture.
Thanks for the lovely compliment :)
It´s great ho have people like you in here. I´m glad this place is enjoyable for you! :- )
Thank you, it's great to be here!
Prague has been my favorite European city for a long time and I spent alot of time learning about the historical buildings and the 1000 years old architecture and neverending things that will continue to make you say wow look at this look at that ,this country is special in many ways a living fairy tale and I'm proud to say that I'm Czechoslovakian my grandparents came to the United states from Cz and I love my heritage ❤💯👍🙂
Being in Prague is surreal. Like being in a fairy tale place. It's magical and was my favorite place of all when I was in Europe. And that had much to do with the people I encountered and those who helped me so selflessly. I am enjoying your videos. Glad iI can experience it again. Thank you !
Thanks for watching, I’m glad I can help bring back that special Prague feeling for you :)
The way you describe embracing a new language in your life is just beautiful....Im from Slovakia but currently live in WA state....never have I heard anybody from US to be so well spoken. Thank you, you got yourself a new subscriber.
Thank you for the very kind compliment, cheers :)
the reason for the metro closed overnight is, that when Czech people go party, they finish at 5am so they can easily use the metro again ;-) :D
Haha good point. I just need to party harder and go the distance 😂
Realy,nothing in between ,some long wait !!
This is the kind of creative thinking and adaptability I've come to expect from the Czech people.
How refreshing to run across your video. As a Californian, I appreciate your ability to speak for over 20 minutes without an “um” or “uh” between every other word. I am also intrigued by your comparison of the city’s Gothic architecture with the Czech language. Thought-provoking! I will have a short, first, visit next month and am really looking forward to it now. Thanks for that, and keep up the great work!
I agree with this perspective he mentioned. after two weeks in Prague the architecture, art , language meets everything he said. In the back of my mind I thought much the same and the video easily filled all the space between conscious thought and gut feelings
You have more love and admiration for our country than most czechs. Your kind words fills me with pride.
Of course your praise is easy on the ears, but also very thoughtful I think. Also your Czech pronunciation seems to indeed be better than most I've heard. It shows that you must have given it serious effort. Overall your vids are very nice to watch.
Thank you so much, I appreciate the encouragement on both counts. :)
UA-cam just randomly recommended me one of your videos, I really enjoyed it, and since then I am hooked! Also I am stunned by your pronunciation! Very enjoyable videos, keep it up! Díky
Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!
Czech/German Prague born here🙋🏼♀️
When I moved to Stockholm, Praguers were envious because here Sweden has a reputation of being a haven. But I gotta tell you, Stockholm is nice but only for a weekend or so but Prague? There's always something to do here or go to, walk around for hours and see beautiful architecture. What I also missed in Stockholm, was big parks or green in general. There is no park like Stromovka or Hvězda, where you have a feeling of being in nature. I missed beer gardens (even though I don't drink beer) but it's nice to sit outside with friends and share a long bench with other people and network over a drink. But yeah, in Sweden, you're not allowed to drink alcohol outside. That's another thing that stressed me as a Czech person in Sweden... All these weird, strict rules. I always only heard "That's illegal in Sweden or we don't do that in Sweden" to things that are completely normal here. And don't get me started on the health care in Sweden🙄 So yeah, after three years in Stockholm, I couldn't wait to move back to Prague and am happily married to the city again.
I’ve heard similar things about many Scandinavian cities. I think Prague has a relaxed, open, organic feel that is hard to replicate elsewhere in Europe. Of course it has its problems and deficiencies as well, but the tradeoffs are usually worth it in my opinion.
Moving to Prague in about four weeks or so. Still working through what we are finding is an extremely complicated work visa process. But looking forward to it. Your videos have definitely helped a fellow Colorado resident get in the right headspace. Thanks!
Glad to hear that! Hit me up when you get into town and I'll be happy to show you around a bit.
Let me see if I can help you out. Been here over a year and the BS you have to go through to DO ANYTHING is extraordinary! Find yourself a company that handles this Bureaucracy BS and let them deal with it. Of course as with anything in life it is all about the money! I personally do not like it here but I have a contract and as soon as that is over I am out of here! Sorry, my opinion.
Hi, why do you want to move from the US to the Czech Republic? I know that many people dream of moving to the US and say that the US is much better than the Czech Republic, I also thought about moving to the US, but I decided to stay in the Czech Republic because over the past 2 years the Czech Republic has seen the largest number of Ukrainians per capita, despite the fact that Europe and America were open to Ukrainians, but they chose the Czech Republic anyway
I could write the comment only in English, but you will understand the Czech part too: Především díky za velmi hezké video, ze kterého je vidět radost z toho, že tu žijete, že jste se stal částí naší země. Takoví jako vy budou vždy vítáni, a to bez ohledu na to, z které země přicházejí nebo jaká je barva jejich kůže.
Super video, díky za skvělou propagaci České republiky.
Díky za komentář!
As an expat also from Colorado, I've been living in the Krkonose Mountains for almost 12 years and I completely agree with your comparison between Colorado and Czech. When I lived for 15 years in CO, it was the most beautiful place in the world to me. And moving to the Czech Republic gave me a deeper appreciation of the varying forms of beauty in the world - much more than visiting a place does for me, when I live somewhere the beauty is felt in deeper and more "ordinary" ways. And while I once was convinced I'd spend the rest of my life in Colorado, now I am perfectly happy here and very open to discovering many other kinds of beauty in the world. Nice Vlog and all the best to you on your expat adventures!
Hi, why do you want to move from the US to the Czech Republic? I know that many people dream of moving to the US and say that the US is much better than the Czech Republic, I also thought about moving to the US, but I decided to stay in the Czech Republic because over the past 2 years the Czech Republic has seen the largest number of Ukrainians per capita, despite the fact that Europe and America were open to Ukrainians, but they chose the Czech Republic anyway
You catched my eye few days ago and I gotta admit you are a really nice and respectful soul. The things you said about the lanquage would sure made its creators proud as you managed to describe it in a poetic way which is the main purpose of the lanquage itself. Also your Czech sounds really natural and soft to the ear. You for sure got some Czechness in you. You sure you don't have some herritage?
Overall thank you for your beautiful words and I hope our (yours as well) land will bring you much more joy and love you showed to have for her.
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful words. I'm pretty sure my heritage is like 99% Irish, but there's some "non-specific central European" in there that could very well be Bohemian. :)
Just to add about the Czech "wilderness" - there are almost no really remote areas, the landscape is widely populated, in most areas you can't go a few miles without running into at least a small village. :)
Plus almost no venomous fauna or flora, there is just one single venomous type of a snake, very rare, most people never see it throughout their whole lives. And even that one is not exactly life-threatening. :)
I didn't know these things before I made this video, but it really helps explain why the Czech countryside feels so safe and welcoming. Thanks :)
just t ad to the info , the snake is called zmyje and they are small snakes which are venomous but they can only deliver 1/3 of the deadly dose for healthy adult. so yea dont play with them but the posibility of dying is rly small
@@MrMajsterixx Just to clarify for the international viewers, zmije is a type of european viper.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 ...our wilderness is not dangerous, but we have here venomous plants and mushrooms. f.e.: Tis, durman, mochomurky,....
It's one of the most densely populated countries on Earth, actually. Consider that Australia has a land area exactly 100 times that of Czech Republic, with only ~twice the population.
yes, definitely thought-provoking. It is always fascinating to see one's home through somebody else's eyes. I will never look at the cathedral in the same way, what a comparison!
Thank you!
Oh man, what a beautiful way of looking at and describing Prague / Czech Republic, the culture and your overall experience living here! Honestly, you mention having more perspective on your own origins and culture because of living here, but I also feel the same way after watching these kinds videos from expats. I think we all kind of take things for granted and rarely look at our own culture(s) objectively with a "clear unbiased lens", so hearing your take on everything is extremely refreshing and humbling. Thanks a lot for sharing and I hope you keep these coming. :)
I like how you describe the Czech language. Learning it as a child I thought "what kind of masochist invented this?!" but as I get older I appreciate the beauty and structure of it. The sounds and rhythms easily lend themselves to that melancholy yet mythical feeling that you hear in old Czech poems and fairytales which makes it even more beautiful to me. Anyways, your pronunciation of places seems very good. Keep up the good work!
It's nice to see that you think about your surroundings and try to look under the surface. And maybe we Czechs will realize it better when a foreigner tells us how beautiful our country is and quite possibly we don't realize it and we don't appreciate it. Prague is undoubtedly beautiful and inspiring especially for someone who feels architecture, but the countryside also has its huge charm. Hills and valleys, houses with red tiled roofs on green slopes, dirt roads disappearing on the horizon. Sometimes I go only a few kilometers from the house and spend many minutes absorbing the beauty from a place where there is a nice view. One thing I love about our little country is that it only takes a few hours to get anywhere.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad I can help Czech people put their own country in perspective a bit. It always helps to see things from a slightly different angle. :)
THAT Ř ... wow .. better than most Slovaks :D ... keep it up. Great video :)
I really appreciate that! Working on it, and sometimes it's better, sometimes worse :)
7:53 lol I like how you registered the ladies visually and tried to delay finishing the sentence because it was not appropriate for that moment…but it came out well😂 I like the way you express yourself, very eloquently it must be fun to be around you. Nice video!👍
btw your ‘gargoyle’ metaphor about czech language was beautiful
Bro, I'm a Brazilian and I dream of living in Prague. Whenever I say that I wanna move to the Czech Republic, most people don't understand it, probably because it's not one of the most "mainstream" options out there, if you would handpick a place to live. However, you're the first person I saw beside me who was able to express with words how there is something unexplainable about the Czech aesthetic, how the language and the gothic architecture can have a parallel. I see you're a man of culture as well. 🧐🍷
I may try to rationalize speaking of the life condition aspects of the Czech Republic (which are equally valid), but in the end, I think the unique mix of culture, aesthetics, history, and the very specific taste it has, is the predominant factor.
You're probably my new favorite channel. Very Bald&Bankrupt style. Keep doing what you are doing.
He's one of my favorites too. Glad to hear the vibe is similar. Thanks so much :)
Off the Chart Interesting and Thought Provoking! The way you have described and articulated the beauty of the Czech Republic was vivid and perspective altering. Many Thanks!
Thank you for your videos👍. You set up a mirror for us that can help us be a little better people, and your insights about our language are amazing. I wish you a pleasant time, lots of laughter and good friends. Cheers from Karlovy Vary🍻.
Thank you so much!
Excellent, thoughtful, eloquently presented and somewhat heartwarming for me. A Czech by birth who grew up in Southern Bohemia, studied law in Prague (Charles U.) and have lived in western Canada for the last 55 years. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the video, your interesting observations about Prague's architecture and your appreciation of intricacies of the Czech language. Thank you...
An american presents his positive view of a Country, yet what you also see is insightful and thought provoking presentation of one hell of human being from US.
PS: The metro thing is a covid-related. Usually it runs until 01:00 as I remember, but I might be wrong, can't remember before covid anymore.
Thanks for the vijeo and keep them coming :)
Thanks for the wonderful compliment :)
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. We have been to Prague to visit our Czech friends. They are urging us to visit for a longer time. You helped allay some of my concerns. Also, you helped me understand my friends more.
You do get used to the beauty of it, not seeing it anymore. Lived in Prague for 20 years, especially last 10 years you kind of learn to avoid the city centre, millions of tourists and all the souvenir shops, not one, but 20 of them selling the same rubbish as in any touristy town, the plates and cups just say Prague instead of Venice, it does make you feel angry and sick. And once in a while, going to náplavka, seeing the beautiful line of houses along the river, people sitting there, you go, wow, still beautiful. Or looking out of the tram window going across the river early in the morning, and there it is, the old train bridge, Vysehrad in the backgroung and mist above the river, and half asleep you need to admit- that is really pretty, I should go out more :).
It was like that in the past, but in last few years, things are really changing and I don't think it's only because of covid, it's mainly because of Prague is leaded by pirate party now, they think more about how Prague looks like when you want just walk around. Previous governments were mostly right wing and they cared only about cars.
@@Pidalin Yep. Only tourists even in large numbers that is not the problem. But I do feel ashamed when I see all the scam, kitsch and so much of it.
@@caroline4323 Yes, there is still plenty of kitch and scam, but I remember how it looked like 20 years ago and it's really really big improvement since that time.
@@Pidalin Před 20ti lety si myslim, že to bylo lepší. Já byla v centru naposled někdy před třemi lety a přišlo mi to opravdu neskutečně hrozné. Hlavně cesta z Václaváku na Staromák. Ty suvenýrový obchudky jeden vedle druhýho. Tam počítám i pralinky bůhvíodkud atd. No, snad to zacnou trochu vic hlidat..
@@caroline4323 Před 20 lety to fakt lepší nebylo, všude samej rusák, bábuškashop a špína, dneska je v centru aspoň čisto a opravený baráky. V devadesátkách se uklízelo tak že nametli bordel ke krajinici, dneska vypadá město fakt mnohem líp a většina těch ohavnejch míst už je dávno zrekonstruovaná. Jedno z posledních takovejch hnusnejch míst je průchod vedle karlova mostu když se jde po karlově mostě směrem ke staromáku ale hned za mostem se zahne do prava před přechodem, tam je hnusnej průchod s těma matryoshkama a vypadá to tam fakt jak v devadesátkách, jinak si myslim že se to fakt výrazně zlepšilo.
A turistů bylo jak sraček už tenkrát, to neni nic novýho, ale řekl bych že se zlepšila kvalita těch turistů, před 15, 20 lety tady bylo tak levno že k nám jezili všichni hlavně chlastat, dneska bych řekl že sem typickej turista fakt jede třeba za památkama a tak.
Have you met Jen from Dream Prague yet ? It´d be nice to see both of you together..Btw ur making great vids, keep it up - im subscribing you right now. Greetings from Litoměřice.
Hi, as you said for somebody is hard to learn czech, but if you are able to speak czech, than also people from Slovak republik will understand you, and maybe big part of Polish citizens as well. So czech language is a gate to 10 + 5 + 40 = 55 millions of europeans enhabitants and to their cultural heritage.
That's an encouraging way to think about it. I also think that, as a native English speaker, learning one Slavic language makes learning all the other languages with Slavic roots easier as well. Even if the languages aren't that similar, you still have more of a foundation to build from.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 If you speak Czech you will certainly understand Slovakian 99% and Poles 80%, especially those from the south of the country along the border with the Czech Republic. If you travel to the Balkans such as Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro you will understand signs on buildings and shops but much less spoken words 40-50%. Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian are the least understandable Slavic languages for Czechs and you will have hard time to understand anything at all.
Thank you for this video, I was so glad you mentioned exactly those things you did, so nice to hear.
Great video! Keep up with the Prague videos. Greek guy here that went there recently and fell in love. Thinking of going there to live for a year at least!
Great video, it summarizes beautifully how impactful and special Prague (and Czech Republic in general) is. Thank you for that.
I am in Prague now and stumbled on your videos - great job - good commentary. Subscribed!
Thank you! Glad you found me. Enjoy your time in Prague.
Very refreshing and insightful video. Thank you.
We (my wife and I that is) went up Petřín Hill on a really hot day and stumbled across Zahrada Květnice. A lovely place to just sit and chill after a long hot walk. Regarding the people from other countries you have met in Prague I have also met Italians, Germans, and UK people amongst others. I find the most prejudiced people have never been to another country and seen how we are all the same really.
that was so enjoyable & i love the angle you took on describing the city & your experience,, then mixing in some of your ideas and philosophy, just a great overall video loved it
very nice video and very nice footage! you definitely have gift of speech and your flow is very natural and nice to listen! i would like to spent more time in prague too, but unfortunately i am quite locked in my working shifts. but i plan to spent there some time this summer...
Wow, that was amazing--nice places to see plus your interesting comments🤗. Also love your English, your range of vocabulary is much wider than it's usual in other UA-cam channels. Wish I could remember some expressions and improve my English. Regarding architecture-the last building you walked around is Loreta, there is an interesting legend about the bells in its tower and I think it's worth visiting this place inside. Your video inspired me , I think I'll have a walk through historical Prague soon eventhough I've been living here for decades 😃.
You must be the most articulate person on UA-cam. Great stuff 👌
As a guy who was born in Prague and live here whole my life it's so warming to heard your words about my home city, thank you.
I'm so glad to hear that. Thanks for watching!
I was in the Czech Republic shortly after the wall came down. I was doing the US trade and evolving agencies first chemical project. The excitement of the check people was intoxicating. The one thing I told him was I hope you get capitalism With a soul.I truly love the country. And I’m glad that you discovered it is beautiful as I did.
Must have been amazing to be here at that time. I’m jealous.
Man, You have had the privilege to hit the best time of our history, the 90` where the absolute freedom of anything! I was growing up in this time and I got used to it, but the present time make me cry ... by by my beloved freedom🤐
Truly enjoyed watching your video. I'm an American married to a Czech who moved here recently. I'm just exploring this beautiful country, culture and people. I don't live in Prague so my experience is different. I look forward to learning the language so I can participate more in life. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hey man! This was the first video on your channel that i watched and i must say that i love your style of very chill narrative combined with walking around Prague... You sound like a very chill dude! Keep up the great work! I'm subscribing!
Awesome, thank you! Glad you enjoy the style.
Great video! Totally agree on all your points. I’m from the US and have lived here in Prague for four years now, and absolutely love it! Looking forward to hearing about more of your impressions. :)
Thanks, nice to see a fellow American around here :)
You are just great, pls keep on with the good work!!! 👍👍👍
Thank you so much!
Heya, great video as always! To add to your point about the metro closing early, normally it operates between 5am and midnight, but it started closing at 10pm last year because of covid. Thankfully it is set to run until midnight again from July 15th. And yes, it is annoying having to call a taxi or to take the night tram after you're done partying at 3am, but at the very least you still have the night trams. I've been to many cities in Europe where a) the public transport sucked and b) just didn't operate at night at all. So I still like that you have the ability to travel around at night, even if it's at the cost of longer waits.
Maybe I'm biased because I'm a night owl and I like to stay up late, but I think it would be greatly appreciated if they extended the metro hours just until 1 am. Yes, night buses and trams are a good alternative, but I've been to cities where the metro operates 24 hours a day and it's just so convenient and contributes greatly to enjoyment of the nightlife.
Hi! Wow!! What a beautiful country 🥰 I want to go there now! Having lived as an immigrant in the USA for 17years, I realize that my life became very monotonous, self absorbed and materialistic and it dampened my adventurous spirit. So, planning to take a leap of faith and move back to my home country with no plans but to travel the world and explore what treasures awaits!! Soo glad you took that leap of faith! You are very inspiring and I love how eloquently you speak!! Enjoy your time there! Hopefully, our paths will cross when I travel there, soon one day 😊
I absolutely love the thoughtfulness you bring in your videos. The way you explain and express your views is beautiful. I am very happy you enjoy living in Prague. You are a great contribution and a wonderful match to the beauty of the place. Respect!
What an amazing compliment. Thank you so much and best wishes to you as well!
I love how you articulated your thoughts while walking through such beautiful scenery. Excellent work! 💙
I really appreciate your videos and how you talk about your experiences, thank you for making them!
Thank you for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it!
Hi Brendan, I really liked your video. Your views go deep and are surprising sometimes and spot on in many cases :) You are very lucky in a way to be in Prague in this covid times, as you can enjoy the place and its magic full on. I love it now, as a local. I think it is almost a miracle, to have all this time and space to have the magic city I love so much for myself :) I had to laugh when you were running from that small and quiet group of tourists in one place. Had you been there before covid, you would have found those places crowded with people, often behaving in heartbreakingly disrespectful way. Good luck, keep on being amazed and I look forward to your next vids :)
Many people have reminded me that the quiet, empty Prague I've known for the past 1+ year is not at all the ordinary situation for the city center. It is indeed very nice to walk around the historic center and not be mobbed by drunk tourists at every step. I'm kind of a gregarious person and I enjoy crowds, so I wouldn't mind seeing Prague in the full swing of the tourist season, but I certainly understand how it could be a bit too much for locals. Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Thanks buddy, really the best content on Prague !
I enjoy your videos very much! I was an expat in Prague myself and I miss it! You cover very interesting topics!
Super video! It is strange when foreigner is speaking so kindly about our country and I know a lot of Czechs who couldn't make such a cool and meaningfull list of pros about their country! Thank you and if I understood well that Colorado is hilly foresty and stuff you should definitely try to visit Liberec or so called Máchův kraj near, I think you could appreciate it! :)
Thank you! I’ll be in Liberec next Friday :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Wish you like it!
I live in Westminster, Colorado and will retire soon. I plan to live in the Czech Republic. Thank you for the tips! Yes, Czech Republic is 43% cheaper than Colorado. Will be watching your videos and keep your advice in mind. Lovely videos!
Wonderful videos indeed and very quick ability to understand our Bohemian issue ...
Thank you very much ...
👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you for the comment!
@@skeletonkeysprague21 You're welcome ... You already understand the Bohemian key points 100% well ...
Thank you very much for it ...
👍👍👍👍👍
When we visited the Czech Republic the fall before Covid, we visited both Adrsprach and Southern Moravia and the truisms you mentioned about the natural landscape totally rang true to me. Adrsprach is incredible, looking like a combination of Game of Thrones fantasy and Pandora from the movie Avatar, and Moravia has these beautiful rolling hills that are so reminiscent of Tuscany (but, as you pointed out, greener) that the call it "the Italy of Central Europe" or something like that. It's interesting to note that the mountains and valleys look - like you said - comforting because - unlike the gorgeous mountains in Switzerland - you look at them and you know you could easily walk over them to the other side: it's not imposing or dangerous-looking.
Current subway (metro) schedule is a covid thing. It used to be that last trains departs from the end stations at midnight so if you finish your beer at midnight (which was closing time of many local pubs) you can catch the last train. If you want to party you can catch night connections or wait for first morning train and enjoy faces of the people who were going to their early jobs at the morning :D :D
We Czechs are kinda proud that czech language is very hard.
Warm winters are kinda Prague (central bohemia) thing. I did grow up in southern bohemia and we had very cold and snowy winters but becase we had a heaps of snow it somehow preserved green carpet and it starts to grow again when snow melts.
Hey man, just binge watched all of your vids. I have to say as a native Czech you really do seem like a great guy, that respects our customs and i wish for you to have a great time while living in our country. Thank you for bringing a positive light to our republic. Hopefuly you will experience many more amazing sights and places. Thank you for your videos.
I’m flattered that you found them binge-worthy! Thanks so much for your support. Best wishes to you as well :)
Hello. In Brno (the second largest city in Czech Repiblic) we've got in here legendary night buses called "rozjezdy" in Czech. During the week they go every hour and from the friday night through the every weekend night they go even every half an hour. They are also pretty fast so you can be from the center of the city to the periphery within half an hour. This is what I miss in Prague.
That sounds amazing. Any idea why they don’t have something similar in Prague? They do have night buses but they’re not that fast, in my experience.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Well, hard to say. Brno is smaller city than Prague which is the main reason why night buses in Brno are faster.
Great video man. I'll be moving to prague at the end of August!
Congrats! Let me know when you get into town, I’ll buy you a beer and show you around a bit.
Man, I love Prague/Czech Republic, we'll be finally back in October visiting. Great video!
thanks, if you come to Brno, Ill be glad to show uaround and have a few beers with you if you wanted :)
Very nice video, you're doing a good job :) You really seem like a smart, educated and open-minded guy with a good sense of humor.
Thank you so much 😊
Thanks for the video...nice architecture !
I spent hours in mystical are on the Charles bridge admiring the absolutely perfect aesthetic and peaceful environment completely absent from any kind of modern or unpleasant sound or sight.
i’m so glad to have found your videos. really enjoying your views on things and how spot on you can describe it. making me a little more proud to be a czech living in this city. keep it up.
Thank you, glad you found me too!
It's so cool seeing some of the same type of landscape here as I remember when I played the Kingdom Come: Deliverance game. It seems so peaceful there.
Thanks for the very pleasant video. It's so nice to see a foreign person showing interest in the country and its capital and also seeing those nice things here. Well done and 'Jen tak dále!' :) Oh, and I totally agree with you regarding the cliché videos about cheap beer etc that you mention at the end. 👍
You can expect a lot of invitations to hiking trips, rafting etc. from now on. You will be super popular among your friends. The reason - there are certain individuals who get picked by mosquitos and ticks and everyone else is left alone... It seems you are one of these individuals...
I've been lucky not to have any ticks so far (fingers crossed), but the mosquitoes love me.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 good enough, we reserve you on... :D
nosquitos are very friendly and inclusive! they love everyone from my experience
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Might be your blood type. I'm A- and mosquitoes REALLY love me, too. :D
@@skeletonkeysprague21 It´s easy, buy anti mosq.bracelet or some of drops of tea tree oil on wrists and behind ears and knees. It works.
Watching Czech movies and dramas found it very artistic and aesthetically rich, both new and old
Ahoj! Your thougts on the beauty of languages (both your native one and Czech one) are remarkable and very moving. Your comments deeply inspire me to see my hometown in a new way. We have a saying: You are human as many times as the number of languages you speak. Kolik řečí umíš, tolikrát jsi člověkem. You are a living confirmation of this rule. Great video! Great story! And a great city, of course...
Thank you!
Rád se dívám na tvé videa. Musím říct, že je zajímavé sledovat strasti cizince v České republice, potažmo v Praze. Držím palce hlavně s naším českým jazykem....Těším se na další videa...
Wow! Beautiful! Everywhere is clean ,no garbage scattered on the fields and roadside!
wellp, he deleted my comment regarding MUH raycism
I never delete any comments. Sometimes UA-cam automatically deletes or hides comments if certain sensitive words/phrases are used. I have no control over this and I'm usually not aware of it. Sorry if your comment was deleted, but try posting it again with slightly different wording, and it might go through. Cheers.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 ok thx
The language reflected in the architecture... that never occurred to me before but the moment you said it, I knew exactly what you meant. Nice video, thank you!
Watching this just before I go backpacking through Prague for three days🤗
Great video! I appreciate the deeper thoughts and insights that are often lacking in some YT travel videos. I also appreciate your command of the English vocabulary. )) We will be coming to Prague for Christmas, barring any Covid restrictions. Can't wait to see it. I've been told about it for many years from many friends so it's time to see it myself. In the past I've spent most of my travels in Kyiv and parts of Russia so I'm looking forward to Prague to my passport.
Wonderful video! I am of czech heritage and plan on moving soon. Prague is on my list to visit for an extended time over Christmas. Can’t wait! I will see if my czech cooking stands up to the foods there. My parents taught me well. Until then I will follow you and live through that!
I like your opinion of Prague :3 and how can you see the truth behind the picture
You are wonderful to say so many nice things about Prague and Czech Republic.
And you have to have a perfect ear / hearing. To pronounce Czech so perfectly.
I never met anyone wits such a good pronunciation.
I would swear that you were born there and later left for USA.
That’s so encouraging to hear, thank you. My motivation to learn proper Czech has never been stronger.
Bro, I just compared prices here and in couple of cities in the UK ( London, and Aberdeen where I live ) and Prague looks sooo inexpensive. I'll definitely visit/move there sometime early next year. I'm still researching and trying to decide between Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungry but so far Czech Republic is winning and I'm 90% this will be my next stop.
Thanks for your eloquent and personal take on Prague. I particularly appreciate your comments on expats and their attitudes vis-à-vis the Czech language. I witness that same sentiment here in Montreal from anglophones who've moved here from elsewhere. Often, I get rattled when people make no effort to speak French, saying they don't need it, or it's not "real" French, etc. I try to keep in mind that this is merely their way of coping with their vulnerability and imperfections, like you said, and that they just need to be encouraged to take risks, something seemingly harder for English speakers to do than other groups.
You've given me some good reasons to put Prague on my shortlist for cities to retire in (about 10 years away). Cheers.
Great video, It's enjoyable to listen to you and your thoughts. Keep on! Btw, the metro sucks, but normally it closes a bit later, fortunatelly :)
Thank you so much!
Hey, it always looks like Prague is complex of small villages randomly placed in deep forest! I like your videos and you obviously love dark corners of parks :D
when it is not COVID time, most places you visited in this video are overcrowded by tourists. This is why I am staying outside historical city center you filmed in this take.
I do love parks, but especially when I'm filming, because it's out of the way of other people, loud noises, and other distractions :)
I think my whole idea of Prague is a bit skewed because I've never really seen it swarming with tourists, except for a brief time during the Christmas season in 2019...but I've heard that Prague during a normal summer season is a different place entirely.
You definitely have more understanding of my country than vast majority of people living here, I used to be one of these vast majority of people, then I mooved to United States and realized what a beautiful place my country is
It is so great to hear that you are so happy living in our little Czechia. May that happiness stick with you. :-)
It's amazing how someone who end up here by accident fell in love with my country. And likes same things. With one exception! Foreigners in Prague!!! Don't get me wrong. I also enjoy conversations with people from around the world. Many of my friends arent Czech. What I don't like is that hearing czech language is becoming more rare every year. Yeah thats turists you might say. (BTW. there was far too many of them before the plague) But I don't think so. Most of foreigners I know don't know any czech even if they are here more than five years. And they don't want to because they don't need to. To me it looks like we slowly loosing main city. I just can't picture german guy who don't know any english moving to America. Geting a good job with a decent salary and enjoing same amount of respect as foreigners in here.
I also wish that expats would make more of an effort to learn Czech. I’m a hypocrite, obviously, because I still don’t speak it well or regularly, but at least I have the decency to be ashamed and the intention to fix it 😆 However, I think that the international status of English means that the immigrant-in-the-USA analogy is not quite applicable. Many expats in non-English speaking countries feel, quite justifiably, that English alone is enough to get by. Nonetheless, I totally agree that if someone commits to a long-term residency in the Czech Republic, they should learn to speak Czech both out of respect for the locals and as a matter of social necessity. Over time, most global capitals will become increasingly international and thus increasingly English-dominated, but it’s still important for expats to do their part in preserving the local language and culture. They can always switch back to English whenever they want/need to!
@@skeletonkeysprague21 What I was trying to say is that I wish there was more demand on forigners to speak czech. I don't want Prague to become english-dominated. We almost lost our language once already. I think it would be sad to loose it for good this time. When we fought for it so hard two hundred years ago.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Your pronunciation and accent is better than that of many natives, at least in those few words you have used in your videos.
IMHO another important thing about foreigners and learning Czech is whether they are here just for short time like year or so (it seems like short term contracts are increasingly a norm here), or whether they plan to stay here fro long(er). I think it is completely understandable that they are not willing to learn language to some great extend when they will leave in few months. But it sure could be interesting topic for some research paper. Or maybe we can get that data from Ministry of Interior, they should have info about foreigners working and living in CZ. Or maybe it can be obtained from ministry of labour and social affairs (that one run by "Venezuela" Maláčová)
I see your point!! I had a hard time adjusting to the sound of the language and manage with time, and I had forgotten how difficult it was. Last week a friend (former student) told me "Man!! the more we do, the more I realize it will be a very difficult language" I am teaching him Czech language because he will be doing a master’s degree, and will fly there in August, so a little Czech (beyond jedno pivo prosím) will be useful. Thanks for your videos!!
Your Czech pronunciation is amazing :D
It’s so nice to hear that! Thank you. I’ve worked hard on it and I still have a long way to go.
Yes, it was really good.
I also think that your czech pronunciation is good... my pronunciation of English is much worse😅🤷♀️
Your commentary was very interesting,,,,more than Mundane things like beer, food. etc - Love from Texas.
Having lived most of my life just outside of Atlanta, I found the climate a bit challenging when I first moved here. But after a few years, I grew to appreciate experiencing four seasons (in Atlanta we only really have two). I’ve been here ten years now and I love it more year after year. And no, I still can’t speak Czech very well.
I’m spoiled by Front Range (Colorado) weather, which is some of the best in the world when it comes to sunshine, so the weather here is a struggle for me. But I enjoy the summers and I’m learning to enjoy the winters as well 😆
Your description of the Czech language is wonderful.
Very kind review of Czechia and Prague. Wish you all the best!
Thank you, best wishes to you as well!