Prague TV Tower


View from foot of tower.
Note the “babies” or Miminka crawling up the poles.
It’s art by David Cerny.

Standing 474 meters tall, Prague’s TV tower is the tallest building in Prague. Located in Zizkov’s Mahler Gardens, it’s also an interesting tourist attaction. The tower was started under the communist government in 1985, but finished after the revolution in 1992. There are photos on display of the construction. Besides the stupendous views of Prague from the lookout at 97 meters, there’s also a good cafe and restaurant serving international cuisine at 63 meters. On a clear day you can see 100 km.


View of Old Town and Prague Castle from Lookout Cabin

The lookout cabin is open daily from 10am to 11pm.
The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 11:30 pm.
Admission to the tower and restaurant costs 150 crowns or about 5 Euros.

Address: Mahlerovy sady 1, Prague 3
Phone: 267 005 778
Fax: 222 724 014
Email: info@tower.cz
Website: https://www.tower.cz

Dutch Pharmacies Now Stock Marijuana!

As of today, September 1, 2003, Dutch pharmacies will begin legally stocking marijuana and selling it to those with cannabis prescriptions from their doctors. It can now be sold in any of the 1,650 pharmacies in the Netherlands (in addition to the 800+ coffeeshops already selling marijuana). 80 hospitals and 400 doctors will also be allowed to prescribe and dispense the drug.

High quality marijuana in it’s raw form will be available in 5 gram packets for 50 Euros. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world to prescribe and sell cannabis since it was prohibited by UN convention (it used to be one of the most frequently prescribed drugs before prohibition).

The Netherlands has done the most extensive research into the medical and social uses of cannabis, and knows for a fact that it has many medicinal uses including helping AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis patients. The government’s Bureau for Medicinal Cannabis (BMC) has been researching the effect of the drug on patients, and is the agency charged with overseeing the production and distribution of medical cannabis in the Netherlands.

The Dutch amended their Opium Law to allow the prescription and distribution of cannabis through pharmacies. Two growers will supply the pharmacies with medicinal grade marijuana.

Of course patients can also visit any of over 800 coffeeshops that also sell marijuana, but of course if they do, they’ll have to pay for it, whereas if they get a prescription it’s hoped their insurance will cover most of the cost. The public insurers will decide soon whether to cover cannabis as just another pharmacy drug.

The Netherlands has led the world in allowing people the freedom to use soft drugs such as marijuana and hashish without penalty. In addition their research has shown how effective marijuana is for medical conditions and how separating soft drugs from hard drugs has benefited their society.

The Orloj or Astronomical Clock

In Prague’s Old Town Square is a clock that has held the public’s fascination since it was built in 1410 by clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan, with an astronomer and professor of mathematics named Jan Sindel. Years and centuries in the making, work continued in fits and starts, with gaps of a hundred years or more until the clock as we know it now was finished in 1866.

Sadly, the whole tower and clock were severely damaged during the Nazi occupation and ensuing uprising in Prague of 1945. The entire building was burnt to the ground, including all of the city’s archives, by the Nazi’s.

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Prague Castle


Prague Castle overlooks the Vltava River and the city.

No trip to Prague is complete without a visit the Castle. Prague Castle has been integral to the history of the city, Bohemia, and the Czech Republic for over one thousand years. Founded in the 9th century, it covers 45 hectares (135 acres) with a range of architectural styles from the last millennium.

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The History of Wine in the Czech Republic

Recently there was a successful exhibition for Czech wines at the London International Wine & Spirits Fair in May, 2003. In the exhibition booth were the Czech wine producers Víno Marcinčák, Tanzberg, Kolby and Mikros-vín showing off their best selections. The exhibition was visited by more then 15,000 wine specialists, importers, producers, agents, distributors, journalists and wine lovers. Exhibition visitors who tasted the Czech wines agreed on its quality and character. Those prognosticators in the know are saying Czech wines will be found more and more on shelves in the West in the future, as the Czech Republic is set to join the EU in 2004. Continue reading

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge spans the Vltava River linking Prague Castle with the center of the city. It’s 516 meters long and 10 meters wide and was built in the 1400s, replacing a stone bridge built in 1170, that was destroyed by floods in 1342.

The bridge, a pedestrian link between two other tourists sites, Prague castle and Old Town, is a major tourist attraction itself. Evenly spaced along the bridge are 30 sculptural tableaux, most of them dark with age with various religious motifs. The bridge is so popular, artists and craftsmen arrayed along its length vie for tourist dollars. Thieves and pickpockets likewise ply their trade here, so beware.

But the main attraction of the bridge are the excellent views of the city, the Castle, and the riverscape. You can also get great views if you climb up the Old Town Bridge Tower (in photo on right).

Absinthe or the Green Fairy in Prague

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Absinthe, a green-colored bittersweet liqueur, is known as La Fee Verte or The Green Fairy.

In ancient times, Hippocrates recommended absinthe for jaundice and rheumatism. The first modern usage of Wormwood extract, according to lore, was as an elixir for flatulence in the Middle Ages. Later on (1792 to be precise), Dr. Pierre Ordinaire became the first to extoll the virtues of a commercial brand called Absinthe Suisse. It was in 1797 that Henri-Louis Pernod opened the first of his distilleries, happily enough, producing Absinthe in Switzerland and in France. The Czechs have been making high-quality Absinthe for centuries.

During the 1840’s the French Foriegn Legion was spurred on to combat with liberal doses of Absinthe during the Algerian campaigns, perhaps using it to combat the malaria as well. Absinthe became hugely popular in France about this time. In 1859 Manet painted the “Absinthe Drinker,” and he met Baudelaire, presumably over a glass of Absinthe. In 1876 Degas painted his famous “Absinthe.” In 1878 over 7 million liters of the stuff were imported into the puritanical United States!!! Our friend Vincent Van Gogh became one of Absinthe’s first casualties, when he cut off part of his ear, after drinking way too much of the stuff with his friend Paul Gaugin. You can not blame the Absinthe entirely, as Van Gogh was also known to eat his oil paints and drink turpentine, and was known to be psychotic and self-destructive.

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Tourists Beware! – Warnings about Prague

Prague is a great place to visit, and a very safe city but a few warnings are in order.

Thieves and Pickpockets: There are many who make their living from unaware tourists. Don’t become their next victim. The busiest places for theives are the Old Town square, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. Leave your passport and valuables in your hotel safe, and only carry what money you need for the day. Keep your camera and carry bag out of sight and out of reach of strangers when sitting down in a cafe.

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Bargains in Prague

Prague is a very inexpensive destination when compared with other capital cities in Europe. Given the culture, sophistication and diversity of Prague, it’s often compared to Paris, yet a trip here will cost far less than a trip to the city of lights.

Beer: Some of the bargains you can expect to find in Prague include the ubiquitous beer. Czechs are quite fond of their brews and gulp down more per capita than any other country in the world! Not only is their beer so good, but it usually costs around one euro for a pint of high octane (10-12% alcohol). No Czech meal is complete without a couple of rounds of their light or dark brews. You can order wine instead, but be prepared to pay double what you’re used to for that glass or bottle of bourdeaux or any imported wine for that matter. Even Czech wine demands a premium price, similar to the imports. Likewise distilled spirits and mixed drinks are way overpriced compared to the excellent deal on beer. So now you know why they quaf so much of the foamy stuff!

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