Prague - markets & an interpretation of the crawling babies

Saturday is my favourite day in Prague, because it's the farmer's market big day with live music, and the full complement of stalls, including my favourite, the sorbet stand. The best coffee in Prague is from the Hipster's coffee stand. The pastry lady has the best jam dohnuts for 8 Crowns or less than 50 cents. On a beautiful sunny morning it's a perfect way to have breakfast and chill out in the park along with the residents from the neighbourhood.

On the subject of markets, the Czech Republic is a member of the EU, but of course uses it's own currency, the Czech Crown. There are advantages and disadvantages of using the Euro. One is of course, what everybody has found out, is that you can borrow a lot of money. The Czech's have been quite smart and have low government debt of about 26% of GDP, whilst other European countries are 80% to over 100% of GDP.  Their current economic growth is 2.4% much higher than 'old Europe'. They have ridden out the GFC quite well considering.

What I've noticed is that it's countries on the outside edge of the EU that are doing well; Poland, Czech Republic and Estonia. Even the United Kingdom is growing at a respectable rate. In September the Scots are going to vote on independence, which could go either way. Like I said there are advantages and disadvantages of being a small country. A small country well run can do very well in the global economy; The World is Flat' after all, as Thomas Friedman said in his great book of the same name. What it means is that capital is global, and both money and information can be moved with a tap of the keyboard. instantaneously. I'm writing this now from a cafe in Prague. In this new world many businesses can work from anywhere, and a product can often be made anywhere too. Shipping costs keep getting lower, currenlty about $2,000 to ship a shipping container (TEU) to Asia, but with new giant container ships being built that may drop to $1500. In practical terms that means a flat screen TV costs maybe a few cents to ship. That's presuming you can get your goods to a port, so infrastructure is vital to whether a country can compete in the global economy. One smart thing Australia has done recently  is invest in infrastructure, including a second Sydney airport, so we mave both people and freight efficiently, which means we can compete globally. An additional advantage is being a stable democracy with strong property rights based on English Common Law, and being in the fastest growing region in the world. It is a disadvantage being a landlocked country like the Czech Republic, but Germany is their biggest trading country and it has excellent infrastructure with autobahns, high speed rail, and a modern cotainer ports like Hamburg.

The Czech Republic is still getting considerable Foreign Investment with many companies investing, most recently Bell Helicopters have announced they are setting up a European head office in Prague. By assembling products in the Czech Republic you can get around the EU Tariff of course. It's a good place to set up a business being next to the number one economy in Euope, Germany. There is a large Expat community from all over the world in Prague, and increasingly from the United States. It's not bad gettng posted to Prague, because there is so much to do, although winter may be tough. Living costs are definitely lower, so you can save some money.

Germany, which I visited on Friday (the blog post is going to be long), see themselves as competing globally, which of course they are. German companies like Allianz and Siemans are true multinational companies, and Siemans in particular is building much of the infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region.

In a sense every country and every business has to now compete globally as Friedman strongly argues in The World is Flat. Investment in education, Research and Development, infrastructure, training and modern production techniques like Smart Manufacturing are the drivers of productivity in this new world.  Historians call this time a critical juncture in history, a new Industrial Revolution driven by information technology and globalised trade.

The Czech's are showing the world that it is possible to embrace the opportunities of this new world, whilst protecting and cherishing their own culture at the same time.

That's a good thing.

..................................

I did promise to find out what the crawling babies mean. They are the work of controversial Prague artist, David Cerny, and the meaning is open to interpretation. One interpretation is that the babies symbolise the Czech Republic trapped in perpetual adolesence and held back by totalitarian rule, or that the people are somehow not fully grown. Or it could mean that something completely new, a newly born society in other words, that hasn't found it's own feet in the world. David doesn't really talk about his work, so I guess it's open to the public to make up their mind.

However, my interpretation is that the Czech people have to be like a child and see the world afresh with new eyes, without prejudices and not be slaves to the past, but embrace the opportunities of the present. It's a very Zen interpretation.


Recommended Reading  

Friedman, Thomas, The World is Flat, 

Why Nations Fail: the Origins of Power, Prosperty, and Poverty -   the importance of institutions like independent judiciaries, secure Property Rights, democracy, separation between Church and State, and free enterprise to countries success in the global market place.

Prague - shopping

Shopping for antiques is very popular, considering the popularity of TV shows like Antique Roadshow, and today we visited the Vinohradska Gallerie in Prague 2. They had some really nice pieces for about the price we pay for IKEA back home. I'm sure the antique dealers were some of the first into Central and Eastern Europe when Communism ended. Because you have to remember that Eastern Europe was comparatively wealthy, there was the Polish aristocracy of course, and Budapest was a great trading city, so there are some great antiques still out there. Furniture was passed down through the generations, and usually kept in good condition.

I know what you are thinking - how much will it cost to ship back home? Well, I know you can ship a whole shipping container from Europe to Sydney for around $2,000, so it's going to be a lot less than that. I'm sure my grandad had chairs like these ones (above). Anyway if you like antique shopping then Prague is the place to be or even consider going further east to Poland and Slovakia, because you won't getting anywhere near the price and quality back home for what's on offer. 

On another subject going to the cinema is a relative bargain for about 160 Crowns or $8. Due to declining attendance numbers the cinemas back home are pushing up the prices to maintain profits. Here you have a choice of seeing English films with Czech subtitles or Czech films with English subtitles etc, including on the big IMAX screens. I went to the films and saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but of course the Apes communication was in Czech subtitles, which I didn't actually think of at the time (it's not everyday you get speaking apes). But, any other film that doesn't have speaking Apes you will be just fine! 

Travel Info

Vinohradska Gallerie 

5 Slavikova, Praha 2 

www.. vinohradskagalerie.cz 

Prague - the Czech Army Museum - it's free!

Today's blog post is going to bore you if you are not into history, particularly military history, although as a history major at university this is fun for me. This is the Czech Army Museum in Prague, and the best thing about it is it's absolutely free. Visitors are greeted with a tank out the front - pretty cool huh?

The Czech military history is quite interesting, because of it's geopolitical situation in Europe, where it has Germany to the West, Poland to the North East, Austria to the South, and Russia further east. The population of the Czech Republic is about 10 million, and Germany 80 million, so you can see a vast difference in resources already. In WW1 this area was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire aligned with Germany, and after it's defeat, Czechoslovakia was created. In WW2 Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany as part of that dreadful appeasement of Hitler prior to the invasion of Poland. Note, at the time 3 million of the population was ethnically German.Today the Czech Republic is part of NATO and it has served in Afghanistan and the Balkans.

The museum has a quite good WW1 exhibition. The machinegun (pictured above) has been incorrectly blamed for the development of trench warfare. Artillery was the main killer in WW1 with around 70% of casualties caused by the big guns. Initially machine guns were not widely available, expensive, and generals did not have complete faith in them.

Besides the magazine bolt action rifle, like this British Lee Enfield (pictured above), perhaps the best rifle of the war could fire at 15-25 rpm depending on the skill of the user. When the Germans first encountered British riflemen they incorrectly reported it was machine gun fire.

These artillery shells were the real reason trench warfare developed, particularly the shrapnel shell in the middle, where you can see all those metal balls inside. The shrapnel shell, the most common ordance used in the early stages exploded above the heads of troops and shot those balls downwards like a giant shotgun. The only way to stay safe was to dig a trench and dugouts, hence a line of trenches quickly developed from Switzerland to the English Channel.

The exhibition does a good job of explaining what trench warfare was like, and they have an amazing collection of firearms from both WW1 and WW2, some I've only ever read about it. The Czechs are skilled machinists and still manufacture quality firearms in Brno like the CZ75 pistol, and CZ range of rifles. They also invented the Bren gun familar to my British Commonwealth readers.

In WW2 Czechs fought with a number of armies including the British, the French Foreign Legion, the German and Russian armies. They also fought in the Czech Resistance and famously assassinated SS General Reinhard Heydrich, 'The butcher of Prague', in a daring paratroop operation. His boss, Admiral Canaris, head of German Intelligence was secretly working for the British Secret Service, and there were well founded fears that Heydrich was starting to suspect Canaris involvement and would replace him as head of German Intelligence. Canaris and his Deputy along with most of the officers of the German Resistance were subsequently killed in 1944 and 1945 after the failue of the July 20th 1944 bomb plot to kill Hitler. Canaris's wife received a US pension for the rest of her life. The assassination of Heydrich, which cost the Czech para's lives and many in the Czech Resistance had a strategic affect and saved thousands of allied lives, because we were able to keep Canaris and the German Resistance in power and misleading Hitler, particularly about the location and timing of D Day. They are rightly remembered as heroes in the Czech Republic, and we should remember their sacrifice too.

The success of D Day enabled the allies to advance to the Elbe River in East Germany, and Patton's Third Army to Pilsen in the Czech Republic (where Pilsener was developed), and subsequently establish Liberalism in Europe with help from the United States and Marshall Aid that allowed Europe to recover from that terrible conflict. However, Czechoslovakia, remained behind the 'Iron Curtain'  Incidentally General Patton, perhaps the best allied general of WW2, wanted to keep going and liberate all of Eastern Europe from the Soviets. Perhaps he was right? 

I hope I haven't bored you too much with Czech military history and the Czech Army museum. It's well worth visiting if you get the chance, and it's absolutely free. The Czech government have done a good job with the museum and preserving their proud history. That's the best a historian can ever hope to achieve.

Travel Info 

Czech Army Museum
website: http://www.vhu.cz/english-summary/

U Památníku 2, Praha 3 – Žižkov, Phone No: +420 973 204 900, +420 973 204 924. The Army Museum Žižkov is open every day except Monday, from 10.00 AM to 6 PM. Admission is free of charge. To get to the museum, take bus 133, 175 or 207 from the Florenc underground station, stop U Památníku or 10 minutes walk from Florenc station.

Recommended Reading:

Bassett, Richard, Hitler's Spy Chief - details Admiral Canaris, head of German Intelligence, and other officers of German Resistance to Hitler in WW2, including numerous failed assassination attempts including the 20th July bomb as depicted in the film Valkyrie. 

Howard, Michael, War in European History

McNeill, William, The Pursuit of Power: Technology, Armed Force and Society Since A.D. 1000 

Parker, Geoffrey, War and the World and the Fate of Continents, 1450-2000

WW1

Keegan, John, The First World War.

WW2

Von Manstein, Erich. Lost Victories - this book by the German General who planned 'The Blitzkrieg of France' completely changed the way I thought about WW2.

Creveld, Martin van. Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009  - amateurs study tactics, pros study logistics.

Prague - the good food and coffee guide

I spent the day strolling around the neighbourhood and basically eating and drinking coffee, so I thought I would do a blog on the subject. The Farmers Market has the hands down best coffee and fruit and vegetables I've had so far in Prague. The market as discussed before runs from Wednesday to Sunday at the park at the end of Manesova in Prague 3. Generally in Prague you will pay between 30-40 Crowns for a cup of coffee, which is about $1.50 to $2 in US dollars.

Kaaba with the funky 1950/60s decor is my favourite cafe at 20 Manesova, Prague 3. I love the atmosphere with the artists and the coffee's great as well. The free Wifi is good too of course. 

At the top of the screen is a good cafe in Prague 3 closer to our apartment. I've been good and resisted the homemade sweets on display. La Boheme further away in Prague 2 is an excellent choice. 

In relation to restaurants you have a wide variety of cusine choices. I like the vegetarian restaurant, Maitrea, behind the Old Town Square church. 

A special mention must go to Gastronomica near the telecommunications tower in Prague 3. The roasted French Chicken is superb. I don't know why the French raise the best chickens, but they do. 

I must admit I don't think I've had a pork belly yet or any of Prague's famous apple strudel. Nor have I had any chicken schnitzel. There's a family run Greek restaurant in Prague 3 that I can't wait to try. 

Generally, like in Spain, it appears most people drink in small bars and restaurants in Prague. I don't drink myself, but the Czech Republic is renowned for it's beer. Beer prices are, like many things here, much cheaper than in Australia, and cigarettes are at genuine 1984 prices (70 Crowns or $3.50), and you can still smoke in bars and restaurants. Not that I'm encouraging that sort of thing, but it's refreshing  that you don't have to have your dog on a leash, can have a drink in public, and they appear more free from all those petty laws and intervention of the State in our lives back home. 

The more people travel the more they are going to question how things are done in their own countries, whether it's a different approach to alcohol or more liberal drug laws to more bike paths and public transport. I think this factor along with the growing importance of Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs) is really breaking down State power all over the world. In many ways it's similar to the Reformation and the Age of Englightenment after the invention of the printing press (1450), the internet of it's day. Jan Hus, who we learnt about earlier, was saying similar things to Martin Luther a hundred years earlier in Prague, but he lacked the printing press to spread his ideas widely and quickly (against indulgences & radical things like people being able to read the bible in their own language!). People are questioning how things have been done, and whether there are better ways to organise our lives. In other words the power of the Main Stream Media (MSM) is in decline, governments and institutions can't control the message, and they don't like it. 

That may be a good thing. 

Travellers Tips 

Coffee 

1. Farmers Market, Prague 3 (Weds - Sunday) 

2. Kaaba, Prague 3 

2. La Boheme, Prague 2 

Restaurants 

1. Gastronomica, Prague 3 

2. Maitrea, Prague 1 (Old Town Square) 

3.  Pho, Prague 3 (Vietnamese cuisine) 

- Expect to pay between 30-40 Crowns or $1.50 - $2.00 USD for a cup of coffee.

- Generally you should tip around 10% for service staff, but it's up to you of course.

- There's a wide variety of restaurants to choose from in Prague, so mix it up a little.

- learn from other countries about how they handle issues, because you might be surprised that there are better ways to do things. Just a thought.

Prague - DOX Centre for Contemporary Art - the importance of art

Motto: In an age when growing numbers of people tend to think dangerously alike, art´s capacity to suspend, even for a moment, our habitual ways of seeing may well prove to be of its greatest value. 

Today we visited DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague 7 just over the river. Take an opportunity to experience some of the culture of Prague. I really like their DOX's above, and it's so true: The tragedy of Europe is that Nationalism combined with ideologies such as Communism and National Socialism, wanted people to think alike, and it almost destroyed Europe. Art is important, because artists help us to think and feel differently.

This quote greets visitors at the entrance to the gallery; indicating everybodies Rights are important, and by defending Human Rights we defend everybodies Rights. Political, economic and social liberalism are all connected; it comes as a package. Artistic freedom to express yourself in the various forms is vital for a thriving culture.

This is the work of Martin Rajnis an award winning architect in sustainable architecture. I can see some resemblance to the work of Glen Murcutt the Australian architecture. 

Sustainable architecture is about touching the earth lightly and constructing a well insulated and well designed building to minimise energy use.

2014 is the 100 year anniversary of World War 1, and there was an interesting exhibition on that terrible conflict.

"In 1914 the Great War began ...........and has lasted ever since." 

This quote on the wall is profound, because the shape of the modern world was formed by that war. In World War 1 three great Empires were destroyed; German/Austro-Hungary, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. In Russia the Communists seized power, and the National Socialists in 1933 in Germany. World War 2 was in some ways a continuation of World War 1 with a clash between Communism and National Socialism to see who would dominate Europe and Eurasia. The Middle East conflicts were formed by the carve up of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1 laying the seed for the violence we see currently there. You might add Great Britain to the list of empires destroyed or if wasn't destroyed it was certainly crippled by World War 1, and completely bankrupt by 1941, and only could continue the war with Lend Lease Aid from the United States. World War 2 you could argue was just a continuation of World War 1 with the conflict over whether Communism or National Socialism would triumph in Europe. Czechoslovakia was formed after World War 1 in the carve up of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, and of course fell behind the Iron Curtain after World War 2.

Fortunately neither National Socialism or Communism triumphed and Liberalism has emerged as the dominant ideology with just the level of government spending being the main issue. However, there are rumblings again from the East in the Ukraine, and the hastily drawn up borders from the carve up the Ottoman Empire after WW1 contribute to the sectarian violence in the Middle East. In that way you can say that, "the Great War began in 1914 and has continued ever since."


Travel Tips 

DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Poupetova, Prague 7
website - http://www.dox.cz/en/

Prague - to Letna Park

In glorious sunshine we caught the tram to Letna Park situated on the bluffs on the other side of the river that allow for fantastic views over the city. Our neighbourhood is where the  telecommunications tower is located in the distance. I told you Prague was beautiful.

Prague is served by an extensive public transport system, and one ticket covers trains, buses, and trams. You pay by time, whether it's 30 minutes, 90 minutes, a day or three days. There are longer tickets available. We chose the whole day ticket, which costs 200 Crowns or around ten dollars.

Earlier in the day we visited the Farmers Market in Prague 3 (pictured below), which runs from Wednesday to Saturday. The fresh produce is superb, easily surpassing the quality we have seen in the shops. It was very popular with the locals. I recommend that if you have an apartment to stock up on the fresh fruit and vegetables. The sorbet stand is also great. 

It seemed all of Prague were out today enjoying the sunshine in the many parks around the city or in the little neighbourhood pubs. Prague is enjoying a baby boom of recent years, which is a good sign, because that often signals faith in the future. 

This interesting church (pictured above) is in the park with the Farmers Market. If you need a landmark once again orientate yourself with the telecommunications tower (pictured below), and yes those are giant babies crawling up the tower. 

I've seen them before in a park near the Lennon Wall in the Little Quarter (pictured below). I don't know what they mean. Is it something to do with the baby boom or is it just art. I promise to find out before the end of the trip. 

In our neighbourhood there are many artists, and I have seen them drawing in the cofffee shops or working on some project on their Appple Macs. There is a thriving art scene in Prague including a film industry with more and more films being made in Prague. 

Travel Tips 

- purchase tickets to public transport from any tobacconist or the yellow vending machines.

- Buy fresh produce from your local farmers market. 

Prague, the Capital of Bohemia

This is the Vltava river seen from the Charles Bridge, the longest river in the Czech Republic, which has it source up in the Bohemian mountains near Cesky Krumlov where will be visiting in a couple of weeks. I've noted the importance of rivers before the invention of the steam engine and the internal combustion engine; it was the only way to move bulk cargo over long distances affordably. That's why all those castles are on rivers; they serve a strategic purpose. They usually serve both a military and commerical purpose too. Like houses, it's all about location, location, location. 

The old medieval town of Prague is situated on a loop in the river, which means that it has water on three sides meaning an invading army would have to attack frontally, which is not a favourable tactical situation. In the old days there was only one bridge, the Charles Bridge, that lead up to the hill to Prague castle. The castle is on the German side of the border the likely approach of any army that managed to make it over the mountains. There is a fresh water stream up there, which would have filled up water tanks for an extended siege. It's a pretty impressive castle as it dominates the hill and it was at one time the seat of the Holy Roman Empire in Middle Ages. You have to remember it was very hard for an army to take a castle before the development of gunpowder weapons.

The commercial purpose I've touched on before with the Vlatva linking up with the Elbe and flowing through Dresden and eventually to the great port of Hamburg in Germany.  However,  from Cesky Krumlov and the cities would have to send their goods to Prague, where of course the King could easily place taxes on it, but also protect all the merchants. This trade of course built up capital that paid for the beautiful city and allowed skilled artisans to develop. Remember, to be a skilled artisan was one step up from a peasant, so it allowed someone to move up in the world to a certain extent. You could never be an aristocrat, but you could have a materially better life. A good King, like King Wencelas, realised the importance of trade, and protected it, because he of course had a vested interest.

The Communists could never erase history, although they tried, and there is still the tradition of skilled artisans and commercial enterprise in the Czech Republic. In only 25 years the Czech Republc has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and Prague is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. The stories we tell about the past have a political impact in the present. At one stage Bohemia was one of the most powerful States in Europe, with a thriving commerical sector. Yesterday, we saw the resistance to the Communist State with the grafitti on the Lennon Wall. Freedom is something we often take for granted in the West. It's why we have to fight so hard in the present to preserve our own liberty.