Pavel F., Author at Prague Morning

Article published in cooperation with The Prague Review

From Tuesday 11th May 2021, everyone over 45 years old, with Czech health insurance, can register to receive a Covid vaccination.

The process is relatively straightforward – the most important part is choosing a centre that has a short waiting list.

What you’ll need:

Your Czech health insurance card.
Your name and address.
A mobile phone.
An email address.
If under 45, a special code that proves you’re eligible to receive a vaccine early; healthcare, police, teachers, those with chronic illness etc.
An empty washing-up detergent bottle, some paper/card, adhesive tape and coloured marker pens.

Items 6 are only required if you also plan to build a model rocket ship with your kids!

Find the best vaccination centre as follows

Visit this website – all screenshots and instructions are from an automatic English translation in Google Chrome.

Choose your region and observe that the page updates to show vaccination centres in your area – the example below is Prague.

Look for a centre near to your address, that has the best scores in both ‘Waiting…’ and ‘Inoculation…’ columns. For example, this is the place I booked.

Register for a vaccination

Visit this website – all screenshots and instructions are from an automatic English translation in Google Chrome.

Enter your phone number, check the ‘I agree…’ box, and click Send. A 4-digit PIN arrives on your mobile. Page changes to allow a PIN to be entered.

Enter the PIN. Page changes to allow your details to be entered. Example shows when it was for over 50s – now 45.

Complete the form with your details. Select the vaccination centre that you chose earlier. If you choose anything other than ‘Based on age…’ you’ll be prompted to enter a special code supplied by your employer or Doctor.

Page changes to show your request was succesful.

Wait for the PIN 2 code. If you chose a centre with a short wait time, this code could arrive within a few hours, but could also be several days.

PIN 2 Code Arrives

PIN 2 is a six-digit code. Visit this website

Page changes to show vaccination booking dates and times for your selected location.

Choose your appointment time. Page updates to confirm your appointment – you’ll see all the details, not just the header shown below. You’ll also see the date of your second appointment, assuming that your vaccine requires two jabs,

Go for your vaccination!

Article published in cooperation with The Prague Review

Start-up carrier PRAGUSA.ONE has announced plans to operate nonstop flights from both Dubrovnik and Prague to the US and Asia.

The first flights from Dubrovnik to New York and Los Angeles are due to commence in late June 2021 – although tickets aren’t on sale yet.

The company says that tickets will be on sale from May 24th and both routes are initially set to operate until the end of October 2021. Flights to New York will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, while services to LA will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

The website, currently just a simple holding page, shows ambitious route plans.

You may think that the PRAGUSA name was inspired by plans for flights between Prague and the USA. Not so, the name is actually a portmanteau of the words ‘Prague’ and ‘Ragusa’ the old name for Dubrovnik.

The company plans to order four Airbus A350-900 aircraft in a single-class configuration with 251 premium economy seats. The deliveries of these A350s would take place in 2024.

Dubrovnik and Prague would each receive two of these A359s. Prior to delivery, they will wet-lease two Airbus A350-900 and two A330-330 aircraft from another airline.

Wet lease means that another airline provides the aircraft and crew, probably catering and even fuel. So these leased aircraft are unlikely to be fitted as all premium economy.

Managing director Kresimir Budinski is quoted as saying: “We worked hard since summer 2020 to create this unique product for avid travellers that are ready and steady to fly abroad. Point-to-point flight operations bundled with a full travel package and premium in-flight service are key success factors for the ultimate travel experience in the future. The US market represents one of the focus markets for Pragusa.one.”

Let’s hope this airline gets off the ground and offers reliable, comfortable, and good-value flights.

The Coronavirus lockdown is having a devastating impact on Prague’s bars and restaurants. But how far would you go to ensure your favourite local bar or restaurant survives?

There are a number of ways that you can support your local. How many of the following would you consider?

Order takeaway food and collect direct from the restaurant. All the money goes to the restaurant, but this really only works if you live nearby.
Order food for delivery using a service such as Wolt, Bolt, or Dáme jídlo. The restaurant has to pay a hefty percentage to the delivery service, but at least make some money.
Purchase a discounted voucher for future use, for example, pay 1500 Kč for a 2000 Kč voucher. The place gets an injection of cash but eventually has to allow redemption of a voucher purchased for less than face value. You get a discount but take the risk that the place doesn’t close down before you can redeem the voucher.
Purchase a voucher at face value. The place gets an injection of cash and doesn’t lose anything. You take the risk that the place doesn’t close down before you can redeem the voucher.
Donate to using a site such as GoFundMe. The place gets an injection of cash. You receive nothing, except good karma and a thank you.
Purchase shares, for example, you agree to pay 10 000 Kč for a 0.5% stake in the bar or restaurant. You’ll also be required to pay 0.5% of the bills until the place turns a profit, but then you’ll receive 0.5% of the profits. You may receive shareholder discount but won’t have any say in the running of the place and could still lose the lot if the place doesn’t survive.
Purchase shares, for example, you agree to pay 100 000 Kč for a 5% stake in the bar or restaurant. You’ll also be required to pay 5% of the bills until the place turns a profit, but then you’ll receive 5% of the profits. Shareholder discount and you’ll likely have some say in the running of the place but could still lose the lot if the place doesn’t survive.

I would assume that everyone would agree with Option 1 and that is available to everyone.

I’m regularly using Option 2 and wrote about my experiences.

I’d be open to Option 3 but not Option 4 as that’s just a risky loan without any benefit – there don’t seem to be that many places offering discounted vouchers.

I don’t agree with Option 5 at all – much as I don’t want to see places go under, they are still a business and not a charity.

Option 6 has some appeal, although I imagine it would be difficult to discover when the place finally turns a profit. I don’t know of any places offering this option – do you?

Option 7 would really only appeal if I had the money to invest, already knew the owner and really believed that the place would survive.

Places Offering Discounted Vouchers

Pubble – 1000 Kč for a 1500 Kč voucher

If you know of a restaurant offering discounted vouchers, please use the form at the end of this article.

Places with Funding Campaigns

Social bistro Strecha

BarFud

Globe Bookstore and Cafe

AnonymouS Bar

California Republic

Bistro 8

Cross Club

Storm Club

Do you remember when you last sent a postcard? For me it was last week when I was asked to send some to our relatives’ kids attending summer camp – they don’t use mobiles there. Luckily there was an app for that.

I first considered a visit to Lokál, where they have a selection of free postcards, that they’ll also post for free if you drop them in their mailbox. However, the cards are mostly beer-related and aren’t really suitable for kids. I definitely didn’t want to go to a shop and/or post office.

I found and downloaded the Pohlednice App by Česká pošta. The app is in English, lets you upload photos, write a message, add a map, address and send all for 29 Kč.

After you choose ‘Create a Postcard’, you can choose the size
Then you choose the layout.
You can press the + button to upload a photo. You can also choose a border.
Write the message and optionally include a map.
After that, you can pay using a credit card. Confirmation is sent to your email address

So if you have kids at camp, elderly relatives without smartphones or just want to go a bit retro, Česká pošta has you covered.

More info here

The Lucerna Palace (Palác Lucerna) is a huge building in central Prague, housing small shops, cafes, a music bar, a concert hall, and a cinema. There is also a paternoster lift that takes you to an amazing rooftop terrace.

The roof is open until the end of October 2020, Saturday to Monday 14.00 to 22.00 and entry is 100 Kč. If you arrive between 14.00 and 16.00 you can have a free drink from the rooftop bar.

The entrance is opposite the Great Hall in the Lucerna passage. A really friendly girl sold us our tickets and a grumpy security guard showed us to the paternoster lift – a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping.

These things both scare and excite me, as I think I’m going to misjudge the jump into the compartment and be chopped in half – I’m also not good with revolving doors! Hence, I couldn’t start my video until after I was safely aboard.

You’re supposed to jump out at the top floor, but I stayed in the compartment and let it take me over the top and back down again – no you aren’t turned upside down!

At the top, another really friendly girl checked our tickets and we were inside. We wandered around the various rooftop terraces. The space is huge and there is work in progress to expand the terraces. The views are amazing.

I’d previously written to Střecha Lucerny and asked some questions about the space – they didn’t reply. But I found one of the organizers and was able to ask him. My questions and his replies in between each of the following pictures.

Q. How do the rooftop concerts work – is there some program?
A. They are just short 15-minute concerts played at sunset. You can find out more from the Facebook page

Q. There are just a few tables – can I reserve one?
A. Yes, if you call ahead, we’ll do our best. There will be more tables when the reconstruction of the other terraces are complete.

Q. If I purchase a ticket and visit during the afternoon, can I return with that ticket in the evening?
A. No, you would need to purchase another ticket.

Q. Is food available?
A. Yes, some small bites, like tapas.

Q. What happens when it rains?
A. There is indoor space and we also have umbrellas that you can borrow.

Q. The website looks lovely, but doesn’t show any events or other information about visiting.
A. Yes, we know about that and we are working to resolve it.

We visited the bar. There were three staff working and they were really friendly.

Our first drink was free. The prices looked pretty good for the location; large beer 58 Kč, glass of wine 65 Kč, cappuccino 65 Kč. And we were given real glasses, not plastic cups.

There is an exhibition devoted to the history of the Havel family. The text is in Czech. My basic knowledge is that the palace was built between 1907-1920. The investor, organizer, and constructor was ing. Vácslav Havel, entrepreneur, whose grandson – Václav Havel – later became President.

Everyone working at Střecha Lucerny is friendly. It reminds me of when you visit a stately home run by amateur volunteers – all happy to chat, take your ticket or sell you a piece of homemade cake. It’s a nice atmosphere, but as a business, it’s ridiculously overstaffed and I have no idea how they can make any money – but maybe that isn’t their intention.

Střecha Lucerny
Palác Lucerna, Štěpánská 61, Praha