In Magazine: the PM to put a jade Buddha to good use in the offices of the government, a man intentionally gets himself locked in in a Prague restaurant in order to have a free feast, a railway station is unexpectedly named after Vaclav Klaus and Czech tennis star Petra Kvitova is engaged!
Bohuslav Sobotka, photo: CTK
Although Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka tends to be tight lipped about what goes on behind the closed doors of government sessions, on a recent visit to China he let slip a remark that indicates emotions run high in the offices of the government. Upon receiving a miniature of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace the Czech prime minister noted that he was seriously considering having the statue sit in on cabinet meetings in the hope that its presence would “quiet the emotions” of some hot-headed cabinet members.
Photo: archive of Radio Prague
Police have detained a man who intentionally got himself locked in in a Prague restaurant in order to have a free feast. The man hid in the toilets until the staff had left and then came out to sample the food in storage. He went for roast duck, foie gras, cheeses and other delicacies, which he washed down with several bottles of wine. When he was discovered by the cleaner the next day he was in no state to make a dash for it.
Václav Klaus, photo: Filip Jandourek
People passing through the town of Všenory in central Bohemia a few weeks ago may have been surprised to read the name of the local railway station. The rundown building sported the name the Vaclav Klaus Railway Station. Senator Vaclav Hampl who happened to be passing through the town took a snapshot to put on Facebook along with the message: Vaclav Havel has an airport, Klaus has a railway station – what’s in store for Miloš Zeman? Czech Railways has denied any involvement in the change of name saying it was the work of some practical joker and had already been dismantled.
Photo: Barbora Kmentová
Spray artists are not always teenagers. Last week the police caught a 55-year-old man spraying a message on the window of a local pub to warn passers-by that the waitresses are unpleasant and the beer is bad. Similar messages had appeared in recent weeks on the facade of a nearby supermarket and the local town hall –in which the complainer assessed the performance of the given institution. The man admitted to having sprayed all the messages saying that since the local administration was sleeping on the job someone had to take matters into their own hands. The fact that he’s left the police headquarters out did not prevent him getting a hefty fine.
Photo: Dako99, CC BY-SA 3.0
The dry summer and the relatively warm weather in December are affecting this year’s Christmas dish which fisheries have been nurturing for months. Fisheries estimate a ten percent lower production of carp this year, though the home market should not suffer from a shortage since producers will make up for the difference by cutting back on exports. The carp - the traditional Czech Christmas dish – is moreover smaller than usual this year apparently because it has been too active. The fish for the market are kept in store ponds, where most years, they stay close to the bottom, immobilized by the cold. But fishermen say that due to the 10 to 15 degree temperatures in December the fish have been extremely active –and have consequently lost some weight!
Petra Kvitová, photo: Filip Jandourek
And –to end on a happy note - Czech tennis player Petra Kvitová and hockey player Radek Meidl are engaged. The tennis star confirmed the news on her Twitter account this week as did Meidl himself, admitting that he had been planning to ask her for weeks and in the end had chosen an unexpected moment to do it because he could wait no longer. “When I got home she was in the shower and I thought soon she’ll be gone on another trip; I have to ask now.” So he surprised Kvitová by going down on one knee just as she finished brushing her teeth. “He’s just not very good at surprises” Kvitová quipped later.
