By Ricky, on February 12th, 2014 The centre of Prague from Letna © Ricky Yates
This is a question which I get asked from time-to-time, and in various forms, is one many of my congregation also get asked by their family and friends. So for anyone contemplating a visit to the delightful city of Prague, or thinking of coming to live in the Czech Republic in the near future, here is my answer to this question.
There is an inevitable tendency to think that where I normally live is safe, and to question the safety of anywhere else. This comes about because of familiarity – I am familiar with where I live and therefore I think it is a safe place. The worst offenders in this regard are Americans, partly because roughly two thirds of the American population, have never set foot outside the borders of their own country.
The reality is, that of . . . → Read More: Is Prague safe?
By Ricky, on February 3rd, 2014
A rare sight – Charles Bridge with hardly any tourists! © Ricky Yates
Tomorrow, Tuesday 4th February 2014, this blog will be five years old. My first ever blog post, entitled ‘Episcopal Taxi Service‘, was published here on 4th February 2009. Five years later, this is post number two hundred & fifty eight.
In some respects, I’m a little disappointed with myself. Two years ago, I set myself the target of publishing fifty-two blog posts in the year – an average of one a week. As I explained twelve months later, I eventually only managed fifty. This year, having set myself the same target, I have again fallen short as, with this post, I have only managed to publish forty-six.
On the positive side as I look back over the past five years, I am quite pleased with what I have . . . → Read More: Happy Fifth Birthday to my blog
By Ricky, on January 25th, 2014
An example of Prague architecture to brighten a dark winter day © Ricky Yates
By far the most popular post on my blog, is one I wrote in February 2013 entitled, ‘How to be Czech in 10 easy steps‘. As I explained in a follow up post last month, ‘How to be Czech in 10 easy steps – revisited‘, the original post almost immediately went viral resulting in the blog getting 2,040 visits, the day after it was published. And as explained in that follow-up post, there was another major surge of interest in the first half of December 2013.
But all of this pales into insignificance in the light of what has happened in the last few days. The reason – an online Czech tabloid ‘newspaper’ Prásk!, has published in Czech, a completely plagiarised version of ‘How to be Czech . . . → Read More: I must be a good writer – my blog has been plagiarised!
By Ricky, on January 19th, 2014
Yours truly © Sybille Yates
This is a comment that I have heard so many times, with occasional slight variations, that it ought to by now have exceedingly long grey whiskers on it. Yet each time I hear it said, the person saying it to me thinks they are being highly amusing. So please excuse this little rant as I try to debunk yet another popular myth about the clergy.
Yes, I do work on Sunday – and often for quite long hours. When I conduct a service in Brno as well as in Prague, I’m away from home for around a minimum of thirteen hours and drive about 420 kilometres. If I travel by train, whilst I don’t have to drive, I don’t get home until after midnight, having left the Chaplaincy Flat at around 10.00 in the morning.
I would hope that anyone . . . → Read More: ‘Sunday – it’s the only day you work’
By Ricky, on January 1st, 2014
Prague Castle from Charles Bridge © Ricky Yates
On the first day of 2014, it seems good to think and write about the year ahead and what it might have in store for Sybille and I, for the Anglican congregations in Prague and Brno that I lead, and for the wider Czech Republic. What follows is what I’m currently contemplating, but as always, God might have other ideas 🙂
New leadership of State and Church
It does appear that, more than two months after elections at the end of October, the Czech Republic will once again, shortly have a properly functioning government which is able to command a majority in the lower house of parliament. It will be a three-party coalition, with Bohuslav Sobotka, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (CSSD), as Prime Minister.
However, one can never be sure, especially as all ministerial . . . → Read More: 2014 – The year ahead
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