Magazine
From Prague, with love. The Czech capital is exporting some of its taxi drivers to Scotland! Does your girlfriend want to tie the knot, but you've got cold feet? Try an April Fools Day wedding. And, a ball of lightening goes on a rampage in a Czech town. Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
Tourists to the Czech capital cannot for long remain ignorant of the political crisis in the Czech Republic and the flagging popularity of the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross. In addition to personalized billboards in which Prague citizens say they are ashamed of their Prime Minister, there is now a new form of public protest - inspired by Bush haters in the United States. The pooprotest against Prime Minister Gross has appeared in five Prague districts in which disgruntled Prague citizens are sticking little Gross flags on sticks in dog poo on the pavements. A pub in Prague's Vinohrady district, has its own form of protest, having put a large notice on the door saying : Prime Minister Gross will not be served here!
An April Fools Day practical joke went badly wrong last week, when three youths aged around twenty decided to stage a kidnapping on a busy street corner. One of the gang borrowed his fathers black limousine and the "victim" was captured, shoved inside the car, bound and gagged - gesticulating wildly for help as the car went down the street. Although passers by failed to prevent the kidnapping, they all alarmed the police and gave detailed descriptions of the kidnappers, some even recalling parts of the limousine's license plate. The case was reported nation-wide and a special unit went into operation before the truth emerged. The police were not amused and the youths had a lot of explaining to do at the police station.
The west Bohemian town of Pilsen celebrated April Fools day with fun and games on the town's main square - an annual event called Den Naruby - or Yburan Ned - the Czech "Inside Out" spelled back to front, meaning in every way abnormal. Couples in love had mock April Fools day weddings, with borrowed costumes, flowers and a photographer on the main square. The wedding photos looked real but the marriage was not. People could join a race in running up the 301 steps of the local church tower, take part in a scooter race around the town square or join a tourist outing held under the title " Who says you can't get lost in Pilsen?" Kids were given loads of free chalk and turned the asphalt on the main square into a colourful maze. Something to remember the day by - but only until the next rainshower.
How many fish can you catch at your favourite place in six hours? The winner of this year's competition in the Senecky lake near Pilsen caught 28 fish, which placed in a single line measured 13 metres and 6 centimetres. Fifty five fishermen took part and the time limit was 6 hours. Why don't they just measure the length of the biggest fish, you may ask? The answer is tradition - this is how it has always been done. What's special about this fishing race is that the Senecky lake is a breeding lake where fishing is banned all year round - except on this one special occasion. It is chock-full of huge cat fish, amurs, pikes and other breeds but the only fish that fishermen brought out were an endless series of carp. This breed is allegedly the first to become active in the spring and go in search of food.
Kasperske Hory in the southern part of the Czech Republic is a quiet and picturesque town on most days of the year. Last week was an exception. The town was hit by a ball of lightening that went on a rampage around town. It first hit the church leaving a hole the size of a canon ball in one of the walls, then it ravaged a few shops on the town square, broke a few windows and ended the rampage by a direct hit on the local power distributor bringing down phone lines and damaging computers, microwaves and TV sets in the vicinity.
The names Aneta and Adam have appeared with increasing frequency on Czech birth certificates of late and there's a very simple explanation for this surprising phenomenon. Aneta is the name of the Czech Republic's first Pop Idol - crowned last year and already picking up music awards, touring the country and selling her first CD. Adam has suddenly rocketed in popularity due to a highly successful Czech soap opera TV series. Titled Family Bonds it is broadcast twice a week on one of the country's private TV stations and -you guessed it - the central characters are Adam and Eve. Cheesy, but Czechs love it. It is the first Czech soap opera that will cross the magic margin of 100 episodes.
