I may have found an apartment to rent this spring, in Prague 5. The street is Na Bělidle and it is supposed to be near the Anděl metro station and a shopping area. It appears to be in the Smichov area, if I am reading the city map correctly. Does anyone have words of wisdom about the pros and cons of this location? Susan
good shopping, lots of drunks and druggies hang out near the metro stop. Next to Karlin, probably the most gypsies in that area too...
But it is an up and coming area. And gypsies aren't bad, just poor and loud in most cases... Karlin was destroyed by the flood so everything is being rebuilt and it looks really nice. Smichov is really nice cause there are tons of trees there, really pretty area, metro is close, lots of shopping... Also, a lot of expats live in that area, so I'd say your good to go
Hmmm... well, I guess as long as the drunks and druggies keep to themselves I don't mind, and gypsies are probably not a problem, either. But I would hope to not be in a mostly-expat area. I'm certainly not coming to Prague to hang out with a bunch of people from the US ... I can do that here. :roll: Might just take my chances on it, though. Thanks for the info. SMZ
Gypsies have also other talents.....so make sure you don't walk around with one of those cute little knapsacks. They even stole my blind mothers valet from her purse and I just caught one woman with hand in the purse of tourist who was walking with french canes! I burned some CDs for my friend and they were stolen from her purse on her way home on Metro! They are really going wild now before Christmas. In summer it is mostly tourists, but now, they go after anyone who could have anything. I have just seen new one. Crowd of people waiting to cross the road and woman in brown leather jacket standin close behind them reaching into their bag for walet. And there are good old tricks of getting in and out of public transportation with them leaning on you from behind....and other pleasures. Get a purse with wide shoulder strap, zipper on the top which will fit right into your armpit. Carry with zipper opening in the front and hand on to it with your arm. So far, I am doing well for years, but had to interphere many times (and friends say "and ask for knife in your back!). You will love the city, really, just have to be more savy. Good luck.
Are you still living in Brno. I am planning on moving to Czech Republic in the fall and considering Brno as an option. Will I be able to get by without knowing czech?
You can get by of course, but may find yourself extremely frustrated. It was one of the hardest things for me (I lived in Brno a few years ago). I'd recommend trying to learn basic phrases and pronunciation between now and when you go (anticipate that you may need to ask for some help/assistance at times and while you'll probably pick up food vocab the fastest, it couldn't hurt to learn some before you go so that that first trip to the restaurant or grocery store isn't quite so daunting!). You will thank yourself later! If you can find someone in your area to teach you some czech or at least practice a little czech, it will help you get used to the langauage a little. Also, rent/buy a few czech movies and listen to czech radio online. Your czech won't be perfect, but having some words to work with will help. Plus, it will help you pick up czech a lot faster when you are there.
