From Spain to the Czech Republic - jet lag within the same time zone
It's been almost a week since I got back from my holiday trip to Spain and I still feel as if I had jet lag after crossing a several time zones. When it's bed time I am wide awake and I feel sleepy during the day. But why is this, given that Spain is in the same time zone as Central Europe?
The problem is that while the hours are the same, people's habits differ radically. At 10 pm when in the Czech Republic lots of people are already in bed, many Spaniards are still having their dinner. When most Czechs are asleep, their Spanish counterparts are setting out into streets to discover the "mundo dela noche" - the world of night - as they call it. This kind of night life in the Czech Republic hardly exists. Most of the pubs and restaurants in Czech towns close by 11 pm while cinemas or theatre performances end at around 10 pm. In most towns of average size the streets empty at this time of night. Especially on cold winter evenings people prefer to stick to their comfortable armchair at home.
The only exception could be the capital city of Prague with its great number of cafes, pubs, bars as well as cultural venues which supply the streets with some bustle even during the night. But still Prague's night live is incomparable to the swarm of streets of Seville, Barcelona or Madrid which are probably fuller at 3 am than during the day.
You can hear different explanations as to why Czechs go to bed so early. Some of them look for the reasons in history. There is a general belief that one of the last Austrian emperors Franz Josef II. could not sleep in the morning and so he forced the whole monarchy to get up early. Another historical explanation is linked with the recent past - the communist era - when the general atmosphere in the country was rather gloomy. People were somehow afraid to gather in big groups, so informal parties and celebrations were limited to a few exceptional occasions like weddings or university graduation parties. Czech cities were also far less filled with tourists than today. You could easily wander through the little streets of Prague Old Town at 10 pm without meeting a soul - something quite unimaginable today.
Things have changed over the last decade. Czechs today like to enjoy their free time having parties as much as other nations. But they still prefer to go to bed earlier as their day starts early as well. This style of early-night-life is comparable to some of this country's neighbouring nations. The somewhat reserved Central European mentality can hardly compete with the Spanish passion for wild night rides. After two weeks in Spain I'm gradually getting used to being back home - and next time I have a night out, I must remember to start at 7 pm and not 11 anymore.
