Life in Prague .

About Me : To get started a little bit of information about my family and i. I am a 44 year old male who has a passion for music, exploring, nature trains and meeting and working with interesting and exciting people from all over the globe. I got my first taste of living in a different country in 1991 when I was deployed in the South African Army to Walvis Bay, once part of South Africa but now fully part of Namibia. I got to experience a different kind of landscape that I was used to and somehow this excited me into seeing more diverse places and living in a new country. I have only seen a very small part of our beautiful world but am always up to travel to somewhere new , be it for work or for pleasure. I lived abroad for nearly 2 years in 1999 when I had a working holiday visa for the UK which allowed me to live and work in the United Kingdom. I have lived and worked in Abuja Nigeria from 2003 - 2006 and really got a feel for the expat lifestyle. After this I returned back to Johannesburg and settled down working on my career and starting a family. in 2015 I had the opportunity to transfer with my company to Prague , Czech republic and decided that it would be a great move for me and my family. For those of you who do not know much about Prague, here is a little insight. The Czech Republic was formerly Czechoslovakia and Prague ( Praha to the locals ) is the Capital and home to around 2 million people. The city of Prague is divided into 10 Parts and numbered Prague 1 to Prague 10. Prague 1 being the main city centre and home to most of the touristy parts of Prague.

About Prague. Prague has very good infrastructure and a really comprehensive public transport system comprising of a Metro with 3 lines A ( Green ) line B ( Yellow ) and line C ( Red line ) with accompanying bus and Trams that cover most of the city. The outskirts of the city is not as well covered and the buses do not run as often but you can still get to just about every address in Prague. Czech Republic or a it is known now as Czechia is part of the Schengen area and a member state of the EU. The currency is the Czech Korona and The Euro is not widely accepted but some large supermarkets or touristy places may take Euro but it is not that widespread, there are no immediate plans for Czech republic to adopt the Euro. Czech is the main language and English is widely spoken in the city centre and most touristic places. The older generation do not speak any English in fact most adults over 45 years old do not speak English unless it is necessary for their job. Czech language is a Slavic language and is only spoken in the Czech republic. The country is in Central Europe and often confused to be an Eastern European country and yet one of its Neighbours Austria is directly below Czech republic and cities such as Vienna are further East than Prague. Weather The weather in Czech republic is not for the feint hearted. The winter is long and dark, but beautiful with snow in January and February. The summers are hot and have very long days, the sun only sets around 9:30 in June. The people can be some of the warmest people you have ever met , although in the dark cold months you may see a lot of grumpy faces. The older generation have a reputation of being unfriendly and cold, however I find them the exact opposite, many very old people have been very nice and kind to my family and I despite not being able to communicate properly due to my very limited Czech language ability. Cost of Living The cost of living in Prague is relatively low compared to other European capitals, however the salaries are not very high, but if you can live a more basic life and spend your money wisely you can really enjoy a full and safe life in Prague.

  The Food of Prague

Food and Drink At first you will think that all they have in Prague is Meat and potatoes or Dumplings but actually there are a lot of different Cuisines available. Most of the best places to eat the menu is not always available in English so it can be tricky, but if you learn a few Czech words it can help you choose a good meal. Maso = meat, Kureci/Kure = Chicken , Pork = vepřové vegetables = Zelenina , sauce - Omacka , Beef = Hoveza, Duck - Kachna and Kralik = Rabbit. Soup = Polevka and the most important thing you will learn is Beer = Pivo. Jedno Pivo Prosim ( One Beer please ) is essential. The beers in Prague are very easy to drink and very cheap, you can get a large beer 500 ml ( Velky Pivo ) for just 25 korona ( less than 1 Euro ) . In the City centre the beer may be a bit more expensive but there are still pubs and restaurants that are very well priced, you just have to walk a block or 2 from the touristy places.

Q and A Some Questions you may ask before deciding to move to Prague. Q: Will I freeze to death in the winter and what do you do in these days? A: True the winter is long and cold , however it doesn't stop people from going out and doing things you just have to dress correctly. It just makes you appreciate the warm weather and the sunshine when it is around. Q: Is it easy to travel around Europe from Prague? A: Yes, and it is also very reasonably priced there are specials from Prague to Berlin or Vienna by bus for 10 Euro. There are a lot of options and you will want to save as much as possible for these deals. Q: Is it safe to walk around Prague by myself? A: Yes, Prague is a very safe city , however you still need to take care of Pickpockets and petty crime in some areas but it is much less than other Capital cities. Q: Is Medical care available in English? A: Yes, and most Doctors will speak English but in Public hospitals the reception will prob not speak English but there are hospitals with sections for Foreigners like Nemocnice Motol. Nemocnice is Czech for hospital and also means sick.