The archbishop of Prague climbs the skies in a fighter-jet, if people are willing to buy perfumes based on their favourite food –then why not their favourite drink? And, who’s that in the kitchen? Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.
Dominik Duka (center), photo: CTK
The Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka is a definitely man of action. His post does not involve a great deal of speed or adrenalin but the archbishop is always ready for a change of pace. During a recent air show in Hradec Králové he happily accepted an offer to try out a military fighter jet, swapping his robe for a pilot suit and deftly climbing into the cabin behind the pilot. After numerous spirals and turns in the sky the plane finally landed and the archbishop emerged with a broad smile on his face. He told journalists it had been his dream to be a pilot but his life had taken a different turn – “I was clearly looking to be closer to God in one way or another,” he joked. Then again, last week the archbishop blessed the motorcycles of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, a non-profit fraternal organization of active and retired police officers who enjoy riding motorcycles. Although clearly taken with the powerful motorbikes, the archbishop declined the offer of a ride, saying it had been forty years since he’d ridden one and he might not be in good form. While he’s at it, it may not be a bad idea for the archbishop to bless the cars and motorcycles of the Czech police force as well. Though mind you, that would do little good when they are short of gas. In connection with the government’s austerity measures some police officers complained last week that their petrol was being rationed –and the way it looked they might have to transport some criminals to the local police station by tram. Police officers out in the country who are responsible for a neighbouring town or village say that in some cases they have been ordered to drive the car only to the town square and do the rest of their business on foot.
Food companies are entering the perfume business –pitting their strength against the likes of Hermes, Versace and Yves St Laurent. Because who needs amber and spice when you can have barbecue flavor or ripe cheese. Burger King has produced a perfume giving you a whiff of their most popular burger while Britain’s Stilton has produced a variety of rich cheese smells. Now the Moravian wine producer Znovin Znojmo has jumped on the bandwagon – with a perfume line based on wine for men and women – Premont Sauvingnon, Premont Traminer, and Premont Riesling. Nobody has yet produced a beer perfume – but it seems to me there are enough men smelling of that already. The good thing about any of these perfumes is – when you run out of your favourite brand – a trip to the fridge should do the trick and nobody will be any wiser.
Photo: CTK
A trip to Plzeň zoo might leave you somewhat confused. You’ll hear the keepers calling out to Botticelli, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rafael and Titian urging them to come for their meal –with little show of respect for those giants. The reason is that the names belong to a rare breed of yellow spotted river turtles indigenous to south America. The keepers say that naming them after Italian masters was a brainwave – not only are foreign zoos, which get some of the young, delighted with their names, but the Italian cultural brigade has raised attendance at Plzeň zoo as well.
It’s not the kind of experience you want to start the day with. You open the door to a stark named man who runs into your flat, hides in the kitchen and refuses to come out. Eva Čížková from Hradec Králové says it gave her the fright of her life. She says she heard some commotion in the corridor and wanted to see what it was all about. She opened the door and before she could recover from her surprise a stark naked young man forced his way in, rushed into her kitchen and locked the door. No amount of reasoning would make him come out so in desperation she called the police who forced their way in and took him away. It is still not clear who he was hiding from.
Photo: Kristýna Maková
Police in the town of Louny have become the butt of jokes far and wide after it emerged that thieves had entered the police premises and stolen a car the police had confiscated a few hours earlier without anyone noticing. Rumor has it the car contained something that the police had failed to discover which is why the thieves risked their skin and dared go into the lion’s den for it. They found the car parked next to a fence and hemmed in by three police vehicles – which deterred them not a bit – they simply rolled one of the police vehicles out of the way, jumped into the car and drove off. The officers are still trying to explain the incident to their bosses.
