Now Aud that is a brilliant idea - maybe it will come true one day - I also
have a wonderful Czech friend in Bludenz Austria - I will bring her along
too !!!!! God Bless gwen
--
Gwen Kelly
"Aud" wrote in message
...
Gwen and Anna Maria! I did not visit Prague till -95.
But after that, I have gone back four more times.
I use to take an express bus from Oslo.
That is an important part of the tour to me!
We alway meet lots of czechs who
are going *home* from Norway or Sweeden.
They have learned me lots about their country
and how it is to leave a country unwillingly!
Some of them left in 48, and many in 68.
They have family and *new lives* in SW. or Norw. now,
but have often parents, aunts , uncles or siblings back in Chech.
May be we should meet THERE one day?
AUD :-)
--
"G.Kelly" skrev i melding
...
Anna Maria - I know what you mean - we were there also in 1984 and did
as
you did - fell in love with the country and the city. I had already
grown
to
love the Chez people as I had worked for a film company here for a few
years
and everyone except me were Chezs - which is one reason we just felt we
had
to see their country. We were privileged to return in 1991 - and Oh
what
a difference ! We felt on a high all day to see the transformation. I
think it did me good to see it under the iron curtain though, to be able
realise what they had gone through and the joy of their release. God
Bless
Gwen
--
Gwen Kelly
"Anna MCM" wrote in message
...
G.Kelly wrote:
We managed to find a taxi and also managed to convey to him, without
any
of
their language, that we wanted a budget hotel and he found us just the
most
perfect place right in the centre of the city. We went to pay him
and
showed him German money in a large denomination and he accepted it and
gave
me a handful of change and when we had booked into the hotel and
checked
the rate I had twice as much as I had offered him. I felt really
bad
as
he had been so kind and I thought that he must have mistaken the note
for
a
larger one in the dark.
Next day we hailed another taxi ( too cold at minus 26 to walk too
far)
and
he spoke some english and asked for german money saying that he would
give
us a good rate. This we gave him and to my amazement he returned it
twofold. It seemed that this was the "black market" value - a free
taxi
ride and double your money. So much for the stupid communist idea of
cashing the US dollars at the border - here we were two days in town
with
twice as much as when we arrived !!!! Bye God Bless Gwen
Yes, you guessed right. The drivers applied the "black market" change.
It was the main "business" of taxi drivers.
I did that both in Czechoslovakia and USSR, I mean, I changed at the
black market, I donīt remember the rate). I didnīt want to give my
money to government. One could object that the money could go for not so
clear pourposes (even if usually it was for "Western luxuries" as buying
a fridge or a washing machine), but I felt more criminal giving money to
the regimes.
I was there in 1984 and it looked EXACTLY like one could imagine
Orwellīs book. I felt in love with that country anyway and returning to
Prague past year was a bit of returning home...
Hugs,
Anna Maria
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