ODD THINGS ON THE STREET IN PRAGUE (that you would never see in America) 

You are in Prague: okay You hear a siren: okay It is not the first wednesday in the month: PANIC

We are literally counting on everyone having common sense and general awereness of their surroundings.

Hi, I am here to explain the Vietnamese community. After the Vietnam war, Czechs as a part of the easter block had an agreement with Vietnam that Vietnamese people can go to Czechia to "learn" (they got benefits and stuff). So, a large portion of Vietnamese went and from that time, they become the second/third biggest minority in the country :)

The lack of warnings and general street conditions used to drive me crazy. During my first winter, I fell on ice and twisted my ankle in front of my school. When I asked why it wasn't salted and should be, my headmaster told me "In Czech winter you should expect ice."

Hi. The sirens every first Wednesday in a month are for control that the sirens work. It is since 2002 because of the big floods in that year when they found that some sirens didn´t work because of not testing them too long and nobody had found it. And for the traffic system there are rules for that so just the pedestrians had too keep themself safe. The drivers know what to do.

Je docela zábavné polouchat cizince, jak mluví o tom, co jim přijde zvláštní ve vaší zemi. To s těma neznačenýma nekontrolovanýma křižovatkama byla nadsázka a zjednodušení pro lidi co nejsou z ČR? Jestli ne, tak jezděte opatrně na takových křižovatkách. Platí tam poměrně jednoznačná dopravní pravidla, každý v Česku se to učí v autoškole. Na neznačených křižovatkách platí vždy přednost z prava, takže vozidlům jedoucím zprava musíte dát přednost. Trochu výjimkou jsou tramvaje, které pokud jedou paralelně s vámi a následně zatáčí, nebo vy zatáčíte a tak si křížíte cestu s tramvají, mají přednost. Dále by se měli pouštět lidé na přechodu, pokud by to neznamenalo zadupnout brzdy a zastavit na metru a lidé by neměli přecházet mimo přechod, pokud je přechod poblíž. To že na přechody spousta lidí kašle je druhá věc:D ale nemělo by se to dělat. To jen tak zjednodušeně jak je to na těch neznačených křižovatkách. Snad nevadí, že jsem to psal česky. Baví mě vaše videa, jen tak dál.

I have to say one of my favorite parts of this video is John's reaction to the sirens :)

btw there are in general 3 kind of road intersections: a) controleld with lights - thats obvious b) controlled without lights - one road is designated "main" by a sign (white square with yellow square inside) and the other road is designated with "yield" sign (white triangle with red edges): if you are on the main road, then the traffic in the other have to yield to you. If you are changing direction from the "main street" to the side streed and you are going to the left, you have to yield to the cars on the main street in opposite direction c) uncotrolled: there is no sign. In that case, you have to yield to traffic comming from your right side. If there is no car on the right, you can go.Those are common in housing areas for example,

"Shoes are not fashion here, they are FUNCTIONAL!" 😂😂

The specialty shop is not just a Prague thing. I lived and travelled around Europe a fair bit and little shops are common everywhere.

The cobblestone sidewalks are cute, for sure. But not so much anymore when you're trying to get home in the middle of the night intoxicated and wearing high heels.

Air raid sirens: I live in the Bavarian Forest, close to the Czech Republic, and we also have sirens still. They are used to draw people's attention to nature's nastier sides, like flooding or heavy thunderstorms. And, of course you are right, the professionals get informed by mobile phone, and I must say, as I know the Czech Republic very well, they have one of the best cellphone networks in Europe, way, way better than even Germany. Maybe Estonia is a little bit more to the top when it comes to mobile technology, but Czechia sure is at least second place. Similar to Prague, our sirens get checked every first Saturday in a month at 10 a.m., so, different countries, different schemes, but the principle remains. Loving to hang out on a Friday night and strongly believing that there won't be no war in Europe anymore, the sirens just tell me one thing: They are working, firefighters and police are out there watching, and I can feel safe. What I missed: I love the Czech Republic for their love of warmth. I never was at a Czech restaurant, home, or hotel, where they didn't have it decently warm in winter. Maybe what they are doing is not the friendliest thing you can do to the environment, but it's the friendliest thing you can do to your fellow people.

Skvělé video, moc mě tyto pohledy na naší zem baví sledovat. Vidím, že problematiku křižovatek už rozebralo mnoho lidí předemnou, takže se nebudu opakovat. Keep up good work Jen!

Wait, how did you get your driver's licence without knowing how to pass through an uncontrolled intersection?

That air sirens are more effective than some texts because u can talk to ur friend and can miss that text, but this is something that u can't ignore, And we as irefighters use this like alarm that we have to get to our station (this work just for voluntary firefighters, proffesionals are 24/7 at station.)

Sirény se takto zkouší po celé Čr :) při velkých záplavách Prahy v roce 2002 jich velká část nefungovala a tak se pravidelně každý měsíc pouští po celé republice.

Souhlasím, když je člověk tak blbej že spadne do očividné díry at radši neleze z baráku :D A kdyby skusil žalobu tak ještě dostane po držce :D :D

I absolutely love your imitating of czech impresions (maybe you're Czech now :P ). Especially: "You were dumb enough to fall in an obvious hole? It seems like you shouldn't be walking on the streets." As a Czech I think we really want to apply common sense and even if everybody says people are dumb (especially in Czech republic), we still believe that you are able to be reasonably cautious. Like is it really mistake of a city that you slip on the ice? Really you dont have eyes? Moreover it could lead for some unpleasant frauds and unjust demands. Like really thousands (or even millions?!) of dollars? For twisted ankle? People even aren't able to make as much money during same period of time as they have to spend in care of medical services, not to mention overcrowded courts. Your damage is probably not so high for being awarded of such riddiculous damages. Nah that would be unjust. However it is like you said - American medical insurance - it is total bullshit and absolutelly unfair for (not exclusively) poor people. We sometimes do not choose that we get injured. Why should I be punished by enormous fee for that? And our almost free medical care is probably reason for this oppinion (and maybe that common sense).

you dont need to drive any car - Prague has one of worlds best public transport going everywhere 24/7 and at unmarked intersections, your right hand direction drivers always takes precedence - you should know that from your car school. and also that the tram has always precedence. In case of shoping - people in europe dont like the big stores ofering evrithing. We preffer small specialised shops.

13:58 Many foreigners also learn the hard way we don't call medicine "drugs"...

4:53 Am I the only one who always went only on one colour and pretended the other colour is dangerous?

oh yes the holes. digging starts in may, then, for four to six moths, two guys with one shovel just stand there and look at it. repairs on freeways take so long that when they finish one section, the previous one is in need of repair again. sad thing.

Love the video. Did you heard czech expression for cobblestones? We call them "kočičí hlavy" (Cat heads). Oh boy- those bastard get slippery after rain. Especially when driving car, bike or motorcycle. Also uncontrolled intersections- there is "right hand rule" for that.

Well, I hope we won't EVER adopt a throwaway culture. No offense.

the difference between Večerka and Potraviny: Potraviny means grocery store and it is a general term. in many potraviny aside from groceries you can also buy basic hygiene products as tampons and toilet paper plus alcohol and cigarettes,though. In smaller cities the regular potraviny are open during the day and close in the evening. for example in my village in Slovakia they close at 18:00 and on Saturday they close around 12:00 if i remember correctly. on sunday they can be even closed. Večerka on the other hand is open mostly in the evening or "večer" or it is open all day long including večer and they sell the most necessaty products as food,alcohol( yes that is considered necessary here) and toilet paper. Usually it is smaller than regular potraviny and the choice of brands is not so wide. plus the price may be slightly higher as they sell on extraordinary time. I dont know if all these things apply also to Prague as you say these shops are mostly run by Vietnamese and it can work differently. but what i described should be the concept of Večerka/potraviny in all the former Czechoslovakia, potraviny being a general term for grocery stores and večerka a shop for necessities when you forgot something and you need to buy it in the evening

The Stumbling Stones are on the sidewalk not because the owner doesn't want them on the house. I originally heard one explanation, later I learned two other possible explanations. There were people saying that it is disrespectful to put them on the ground because then people step on them. Apparently the artist replied to this that these Stones are made from such a metal that the more you step on it, the more it shines (because you polish it). The other two explanations are that EITHER it's because when you want to read what's written there, you have to bend over and therefore you bowing to the person OR it's because tourists usually look up on the buildings while locals usually look down on the ground and it's mostly the locals who need reminding what kind of animosity was happening in their neighborhood..

Uncontrolled intersections are perfectly controlled by "right hand rule" :-)

TRAMVAJ má vždy výhradní přednost před auty a pěší osobou! Ta křižovatka je velice přehledná, ale chápu, že se Ti může zdát zmatená. Jsi úžasná, jen tak dál. Tvoje videa se mi moc líbí.

If you live in a tornado area in America like the Midwest, they have warning system just like that but also you'll get a text message to warn you about high winds and tornado warnings.

They have a shopping mall by Flora train station in Prague .

As far as I know those golden Jewish cobblestone were intended to be put on the ground as of beginning of the idea because you are supposed to bend over to read a details written on it which shows unintentionally respect to those people.

About the siren hooter exam, when I have been on work and travel programme in Kansas City. they been there exatly same even at the same time (first saturday noon) like in czechia. If I remember well it was due to risk of tornado.

You dont have to be an elderly person not to check your phone all the time! I would certainly die if my life depended on a text.

Hi, about the Stolpersteine stumbling stones: I have personally launched the project in the CZ more than 10 years ago. It was launched under the flag of the Czech Union of Jewish Students, not by Gunter Demnig himself - he only came with the idea itself, but the stones are usually being laid by the family members or people from the Jewish community. The stones are not just in Prague, though. They're all over.

I like how you mentioned that in the US everybody kinda sues everybody and responsibility for your own well-being has disappeared (or has been transferred to a third person). I hope Europe will keep itself on this path where you have to take care of yourself (and not be dumb enought to fall into a big hole on the street). In the US, it is in my opinion getting out of hands and many people actually take advantage of it. Anyways, thanks for yet another entertaining video :-)

The sirens are my love :) There are special occasions when they run the sirens to honor the dead. The last time it was when President of the Senate died, but most often it's for soldiers or firefighters who die in service. The thing is, it's deliberately never on the first Wednesday so the people take notice :) So those are the times when even natives are little confused when they haven't watched the news and you can see them frantically googling what's happening :D But the truth is, when there's gonna be a real emergency the howling pattern will be distinctively different, so as long as you're hearing this static tone, you're good :)

Hij Jennifer, Sir_Mac here as always! Firstly - slight corrections, the name of the street is Pařížská, it is from word Paříž (Paris, capital of France) and the ending -ská, the adjective ending of a word. The mountains in Silesia is Jeseník, but all people called it familiarly Jeseníky. Cooblestones - it apparently applies to czech "dlažební kostky" or the more artistic type of them called "kočičí hlavy" (lit. cat heads). I am sure, there were a lot of cobblestones in the streets in the past in american big cities, when there the tramways were operated, because it is easy to fix any troubles with the ground of the tramway tracks. And one other useful thing - if there is a temperature below 0°C, so the water turns into ice, the cobblestones are slight prevention from the full coverage of the street by the ice. The trash cans for dog poops - the people relatively look behave, UNTIL the snow covers everything. If there is snow on the streets, the same people don't use those trash cans, because the snow "hides" the poop. But when the snow disappears, the poops come to the "sun" again and sometimes, you have to do a ballet dancing to move across those poops... like in Swan Lake. The sirens - it is quite annoying, but it is just 2 minutes of your life every month, so it is acceptable. The sound is perfect "transmittor" to inform everyone (except the deafs). If the intersections (czech křižovatky) are not operated by traffic lights (czech semafory), there are other traffic signs (czech dopravní značky), which you have to know, no matter if you are driver or pedestrian. And if there is no traffic lights or traffic signs, there are rules, stated in law/act (czech zákon), how to behave on the intersections. Jennifer, let's say that pedestrian is some sort of "god" on the streets. They have, I don't know how to say it in english, maybe "preference" (czech přednost), until there is traffic light or tramway track. In those cases, pedestrian has to be careful, this is also covered in law/act. For instance - if there is no pedestrian crossing (czech přechod pro chodce) in 50m of your sight, you are allowed to cross the street. Thanks for the video, very inspirative and it made me to think about certain things, which I live with since my birth! :)

I think it’s funny that she says I’m not in Kansas anymore about the sirens. Sirens go off every Monday in Kansas for tornado safety. Once spring hits it’s a normal thing. We are used to sirens in Kansas. There are also still some cobblestone streets for historic reasons.

Nuns on a bicycle trip in Prague: Nun 1: I've never come this way before.... Nun 2: It's the cobblestones...

For uncontrolled intersections, there are rules as was said. Those are: 1. Trams (and trains) have always the highest priority 2. Pedestrians on the pedestrian crossing have priority, but not absolute (they should care about their safety, not to go across when car is like few meters before them) 3. Everyone to the right have priority before you. (The ones on the left go after you)

haha to me it feels so weird that you can get stuff like shampoo and hygiene products in general at the same place you get your medicine in the US

Thank you for your videos! It's nice hearing observations of someone who wasn't born in czech republic (didn't want to call you a foreigner since you've been living here for quite some time now). You made me look at prague in a different way and appreciate the little things i never noticed c: sorry for any mistakes 🙏

jestli při katastrofě/válce vypadne signál mobilního operátora tak nedostaneš SMS, potom je jediné rychlé upozornění obyvatelstva siréna a hlášení

I miss Prague it was awesome, thanks for bringing me to memory again all that fun

The sirens were in Prague long before 2002 but in that year there were masive flodings in the city and most of the sirens didnt worked. So from 2002 they are testig them and preventig failures in emergency situacions:) And for phone preventing system you have to sign up that you agree. And in the city center where most of the people is, you dont have space fot these giants shops, so they are in suburbs and you dont wanna go there just to buy 2 or 3 things. And many of my friend dont have car, cause you dont need it in Prague

In Czechia, unlike the USA, Graffiti is never associated with gang activity. In the hoods of USA, gangs use tagging to mark their turfs, but in Czechia, it only works as a friendly competition among the hip-hop community at who can become most visible across town without getting caught.

Videa mě fakt baví, jsou super... :) Ty drobné pražské obchůdky bych hned nespojoval s tím, že je v Česku nějaká nižší vývojová fáze kapitalismu. On ten český kapitalismus a jeho korporace jsou ve skutečnosti přibližně stejně staré, jako ty americké... :) Ale třeba první velké obchodní domy, kde člověk měl všechno zboží na jednom místě, vznikaly paradoxně právě v době komunismu. V Praze třeba Kotva nebo Máj na Národní třídě. I na venkově vznikaly ještě v 50. letech státní obchody, kterým se říkalo "samoobsluhy" Komunisté se tak snažili zničit síť malých obchodů tím, že se bude veškeré zboží prodávat na jednom místě. To, co v USA začal dělat třeba Walmart, zvládla v Česku o deset let dříve Komunistická strana... Ale třeba takový pražský obchodní dům "Bílá Labuť" otevřeli myslím dokonce ještě před druhou světovou válkou jako jeden z prvních v Evropě. Stojí zato se tam jít podívat, je to opravdu dost bizarní místo a nahoře je dnes vynikající dělnická jídelna... :-) Bezvadné video, těším se na další... :)

The siren alarm on every weddnesday in month is test of all sirens in the Czech Republic. We use siren alarms in the case of fire, natural disasters or other disasters e.g. chlorine leak from chemical factory.

Ta zkouška sirén je po celé republice. Ve všech městech.

About those "uncontrolled" intersections - there are basic traffic rules (which a driver should know from school). If there are no traffic lights (and with trams there usually are) then there are traffic signs that define who had the right of the way. And if even the signs are not present (which is a real curiosity in the center) them the right hand rule applies, you have to give right of the way to the car coming from your right. :)

Hey jenn! I’m from Slovakia, ironically living in US 😂 but literally every point you made in this video, including the ominous sirens is spot on for Slovakia as well lol.. I think ours goes off on a Friday lunch though..the first time I heard it as a child during a class at school it almost had me in tears, because in all the documentaries we watched, that sound was heard seconds to minutes from all hell breaking loose..but it’s funny how you get so used to it and forget tourists don’t know it’s a regular test of sirens

Regarding shopping we have websites where we search our products and most shops with e-shop - even the smallest specialized ones in small cities show up and we choose our shop based on shop reviews (rating), location, convenience... most e-shops nowadays offer some pick up areas (Zásilkovna/Uloženka) that are all over the country (even Slovak e-shops quite often ship to Czechia), way more convenient than the Czech Post so it's easy to pick a place and then collect all your orders at one place that may be as close as 100 meters from your office / home. The most used website is Heureka.cz. It is very similar to Amazon but while Amazon works as a mediator between you and the seller, Heureka just connects traditional shops.

I don't know why.. I am just proud to be czech.. :D I am always amazed what's different in the US and Czech.. Incredible videos. :D

Two cities in the US that I lived in (Milwaukee and San Francisco) have monthly sirens (every first Tuesday at noon iirc) so I'm sure there are others, but definitely not all

3:24 😄 I really enjoyed this fact

I am sure somebody already told you that, but there is a general rule that on the intersection you must let go first the car heading from your right :) This apply also on shopping center parking lot and everywhere, where is no sign. Trams let go always first.

Pěkné video. Pár poznámek: - v centru prostě není dost místa na velké obchody - díky příliš úzkým ulicím ani nejde vybudovat pruhy pro bicykly - líbilo se mi kolik pozornosti věnujete dlažbě:) takže doporučuji sledovat také domovní znamení www.google.cz/search?q=domovní+znamení+praha&tbm=isch

A little tip for sounding more natural in Czech: the stress is always (99%) on the first syllable, so it's not léKARna but LÉkarna, not poTRAviny but POtraviny etc. :) Jinak jako vždycky, super video! 😊

Air raid sirens are there since forever, they are just upgrading them periodically.

Jenn...when I went to college in Chicago we had cobblers tailors and specialty stores..bakery...egg stores...fruit and veg...in the 80's

5:11 Ješeník Mountains :D

The road rules are quite simple. You have main roads (yellow diamond with white outline) where you have right of way, secondary roads (white triangle with red outline with one angle facing down) where you give way and when there's no signs at all, you give way to traffic coming from the right. One way streets give way in majority cases unless there's a main road sign. Trams have right of way. Majority of secondary and main streets have a diagram below them showing how the main street (bold/thick line in the diagram) goes so sometimes main street may be going in a right angle. If you are on main street and you intend to stay on it you do not use a blinker but you may if it is a right angle main street. Also if a tram is intersecting you, it always has a right of way. In most cases in the city centre there are signs present that denote right of way.

Lol, some of the intersections are really special :D. The entire Spálená street is a nightmare for both pedestrians and cars and the Křižovnická/Kaprova intersection is a nightmare for drivers specifically. There's a lot more but I used to go to school in these places and I had my share of experience with them. I kinda think that a part of it is that it's supposed to discouraged people from using cars in the centre of Prague :D. It's not working very well over all though. There's still way too many cars.

I have to stop and tell you that I just stumbled upon your channel today and I love your content! I am married to a man from the Czech Republic and we are going to be moving back there soon. It's great to have a vlogger that has lived there awhile and has a good sense of the Czech culture and can put her American spin on it. Love it! I've subscribed and rang the bell. Thank you for your efforts!

wait, you don't have "the right hand rule" when there is no lights on the intersection? Interesting

Dunno if enybody has explained it but whenever you approach an "un supervised" intersection a "right-hand" rule applies. Basically you yeld to anyone coming on your right. The only exception is if a tram kind of cuts your way from the left... Here you gotta yeld too.

Sometimes we need an eye of an outsider to notice things. Pavings, intersections, specialty shops, etc. For me it was always normal. But now when I think about it, it's obviously normal only for us Czechs. Thanks for the video.

The bit you spoke needing to drive to a big shopping centre (or mall), where you can buy everything in one store, is the same in the UK (we have Asda (owned by Walmart), Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Tesco, Costco, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi and others)

We learnt at school that potraviny means grocery store. Is that right or wrong? :)

About uncontrolled intersections, we generally have a few rules that cover them as well, but usually, when there's no traffic lights, there's usually signs that tell you who has right of way. If not even signs are present, then we follow two simple rules. The tram yields to nobody, so always give way to the tram - You're basically not even allowed onto the tram tracks, in a nutshell. The second rule is "Yield to the right", where in an intersection that doesn't have lights or signs, you always give way to cars coming from your right.

There are no uncotrolled intersections, every intersection has rules, some are written by trafic signs some have semaphores and for some you have to know the rules, which is in the shown case, every vehicle from your right has a priority and every tram has a priority above all vehicles, its realy not hard if you know the laws.

15:30 I live like 2 minutes from that place. It has simple rules in this hierarchy: 1) Trambay has priority, 2) Pedestrians have priority on crossing 3) The car who goes from the Main(or if there is not then right) have priority 4) Be careful.

co sem viděl jen v Americe a co se mi opravdu hodně líbí, je ta Americká hrdost, všude, ale opravdu všude jsou Americké vlajky, lidé je mají na domech, na zahradách, na ulicích jsou všude...to se mi strašně moc líbí...já mám naši krásnou vlajku pověšenou vždycky přes léto na chatě na stožáru a lidi když jdou kolem, tak čumí, jak kdybych byl nějaký extrémista :D

Re the piping: American cities often have centralized undeground tunnels through which all the pipes and wires are lead. In Czechia, we tend to dig individual trench for each and every wire and pipe, which is the reason, why streets get destroyed every other month - first you need to fix the hot water, then there is a gas leak, then the telephone company wants to install optical wires, then you need to perform periodical maintenance on cold water pipes…

Hi Jen, you're right with those tags, it's horrible. Unfortunately half of them are left by stupid tourists. Some are Russian, others are Hungarian and so on. The last big incident was when two Germans sprayed Charles Bridge. Fortunately one good guy removed it overnight. Otherwise, you're from the US shows you're having trouble with a traffic-free junction. Where we don't have Trafic lights, we follow the rules. A main road vs side road, a right-hand rule and a priority rule, so tram first, then a pedestrian crossing street on zebra and then cars. Update: sirens are tested as I remember, as a child I remember them, tested outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The only difference is the term and the interval. The Austrians have it on Saturday, the Swiss once a year in February.

v ČR je nejvíc obchodních center na obyvatele v Evropě. To je možná důvod, proč se začalo dařit nejrůznějším malým specializovaným obchůdkům. Protože každej chce něco extra, odlišujícího a to mají práývě tyhle malý obchůdky. V obchodních centrech jsou defacto stejný obchody, dá se sehnat všude to samý atd. Takže když v devadesátých letech obchodní centra a supermarkety vytlačily tyhle malý obchodníky z trhu, začínají se postupně vracet, protože ne každej chce nosit/používat věci, který nabízí dalších 10 obchodních center ve městě a má je skoro každej v sousedství. Doba, kdy všichni nosili to samý (protože nebylo moc na výběr - viz jiný video a "fronta na maso") už je naštěstí dávno pryč.

What you call special shop speciality - thats how shops are in Europe ;)

Hi Jen. Just in case nobody explained that yet below to you regarding the uncontrolled intersections. They are governed by the most basic rule one has to learn when studying for a driver's license, which says that if you have a vehicle coming from the right, that vehicle has the right of way before you can go. Also, most of the time one road of the two intersecting ones is considered the "main" road while the other is considered a "secondary" road. In such cases the cars passing on the main road have the right of way first. Sometimes these two rules must be combined for example when the "main" road is not straight but actually turns so that the main and secondary roads kind of join at their corners.

Já sem Česka, a moc mě to video baví❤️❤️

😄 Air Raid Sirens are also a big thing in France, every first Wednesday of each month. I lived in Paris and now live in La Rochelle and these siren "tests" are carried out very seriously, since the end of world war two. Their use today would mainly be to signal natural or industrial catastrophes... As for Cobblers, there are a lot in my town... 😄

10:14 it is a test of sirens if they work, by the way every first Wednesday of the month and it is all over Europe and not only in Prague. Another thing those dice are cat heads and Europe, not only in Prague are building for centuries. And those graffiti, they're from local vandals that just ruin the fun otherwise nothing more. And dug up roads, no sorry, but if you are not an asshole or an American, you will not fall anywhere, just look at the way. I was recently in the US and I was shocked to hear that your lighters were on fire. Are you serious?? Perhaps it is clear that the lighter is burning. In our country, even a five-year-old knows that it is burning, not just an American must have written there I do not understand. The man must be really a dement or an American in order not to understand. Otherwise, nothing wrong.

One important thing for US visitors: Your US driving license is not valid in Czech republic. If you want operate the car here, you need international driving permit (IDP). Police officers are usually permissive to tourists, but also they can give you a citation and then you can be fined up to 50000,-CZK (about 2000,-usd) for this trafic violation.

Greetings from Jeseník, where instead of grain, grow best stones. :D Zdravím z Jeseníka, kde místo obilí rostou ty nejlepší kameny.

The reason for the many specialty shops is probably that there’s a lot of old real estate that isn’t adapted to larger generalty shops.

I love your videos! about the driving.... and uncontrolled intersections :) Our rule(law if u want) number one is:"Vehicle coming from right goes 1st if there are no signs" (aka přednost zprava/pravidlo pravé ruky) One more thing what you didnt mention or might you dont know is that you are not allowed turn on red sign. You can do it in some cases but there will be green arrow ;) www.bezpecnecesty.cz/cz/bezpecna-jizda-v-aute/prednost-zprava-pravidlo-prave-ruky

we have the sound system as well in Netherland, only we do it on the first monday of the month at 12:00

We have big stores like Tesco and Kaufland, which have "all that you need", one Tesco is in the center of Prague. Lots of these small stores are privately owned and not a part of big chain. And if it is "early capitalism"... I really hope a big capitalism never comes to roll over them with their shitty quality products. The essential oils shops are Czech brands. Also... I had no idea what "pocherweeny" is. It's read "pot-rah-winny". Starts with POT. Nobody on the streets will understand what pocherweeny is and will likely think it has something to do with worms (červy/chervi), so you may be sent to Naplavka's food fests, where they occasionally sell fried worms :D

Those cobblestones from Jewish cemetery were recently removed while there was a reconstruction of this part of square. Also about those uncontrolled intersections - trams have their own signals, but those signals are not about traffic but about which to side they have switches switched.

i drive in Prague every day and it doesnt seem scary to me :P

It's so funny how Czechs actually do not give a fuck about certain things... and I don't, I just shake it off and walk away, like with that wooden thing falling down to a street... I don't see it because I am one of them, but in these videos I just get the different perspective on things and it makes me laugh. Anyway, I love the way you talk about the Czech Republic and Prague in particular, it is so obvious that you care deeply and that you want to give other people as much information as possible and I just love that so much.

"Ať tě Šalina srazí!" upozornění pro neopatrné cizinecké chodce.

Mě upřímně přišlo hrozně divný, že třeba v zahraničí skoro nikdy žádný sirény nejsou :D takže jakýkoli zvuk co nastane kdykoli kdy není středa tak šílím :D Jinak si pamatuju, že jsem tuhle sirénu slyšela jako dítě jen jednou, při záplavách a celá ulice začala plnit pytle písku a všeho, a podruhé vživotě snad při nějakých extrémních vychřicích. Jinak jsem teda nezažila :) A co musím říct! A fakt musím! Žiju v Anglii a vždycky jsem si říkala, proč je tady všude po ulicích takový bordel a v autobusech a tak. Upřímně oni nemají na zastávkách odpadkové koše , realně oni nemají odpadkové koše nikde! Ja pokud nesu 10 min nějaký odpadky, obal cokoli, tak to zlostí mrdnu na zem a nepřejte si mě potkat.. Potkat někoho kdo tohle má na starosti, tak je seřvu, na dva kilometry jeden odpadkový koš a oni se diví, že je všude bordel....neskutečný!!! U nás každých 20m odpadkový koš a i pytlíky pro psy a všechno a tady.. škoda slov.. A v těch horších čtvrtích se ráno probudíte a celou předzahrádku před barákem máte zaházenou dopitými lahvemi od alkoholu a sáčky od brambůrků no hrůza. :( fuj

"Turtle-neck stands" "Poacher-veeny" 😂 That's cute. That siren isn't only Prague, that's the entire country. Only in most places there is no warning that it is only a test. All those intersections are controlled. They all have signs on approach that tell you which road has the right of way... they are just 6"×6" yellow squares.

Two things: Intersections: Intersection you showed on the video near I. P. Pavlova actually has the signs for the right of way - check on google maps, the signs are well in advance of the intersection from each direction, for example from Bělehradská street: www.google.com/maps/@50.0750965,14.4324308,3a,75y,350.52h,93.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spOBeAeiec0K_hANI5IRyfg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 The red arrow signs for trams only show the switches states (one sign for one switch). Traffic signals for trams are more subtle, just four white lights in T-shape (Called „čočky“ (lenses) like upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Tram_st%C5%AFj.jpg/1920px-Tram_st%C5%AFj.jpg?1580844436068 which is tram signal „stop“; sometimes even buses use the same signals when they drive on the tram tracks or when they have sepparate signals like under the Barrandov bridge www.google.com/maps/@50.0353916,14.4069797,3a,45.5y,182.41h,89.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO8hIBxcFl-camyCeV-gxTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 ). When there are no signs for the right of the way (usually some housing areas) mentioned „right hand rule“ applies: the driver to the right of you has the right of way over you. If there are four cars from four directions… well, they have to agree on who goes first. :) Pedestrians on crosswalk have the right of way over cars, trams have the right of way over anybody else. Sirens: Continuous tone is used for testing and sometimes as a signal for voluntary firefighter to gather (usually at smaller cities or villages). Actuall emergency is signaled by alternating tone („classic“ siren going up and down, up and down, …) Nature of the emergency (fire, flooding, chemicals, radioactivity, …) is announced before and after the siren sound, or you shall listen to state television and radio (Česká televize a Český rozhlas), or local announcement (villages usually have loudspeakers on streetlights).

Love it. As a prague citizen, who lived in Prague 1 for whole life, you make me smile for whole video. Thanks!

A few years back, when we were in the Moravian Karst caves - which is a beautiful cave system everyone should see - with incredible formations etc, you can take a boat ride in the Punkva (underground river) and the guide tells people to duck their heads every now and then to avoid banging them on the low ceilings. I thought, for sure in the US you would need to offer safety helmets etc. but there they just go with it.

The driving rules and laws in Czechia are different from the ones in USA. In Czechia, we actually have traffic signs on top of the lights. They have a purpose. If the traffic lights don't work (or are turned off - that is signalled as yellow light blinking with red and green being shut off), the signs take effect and the traffic is directed by them (that's usually in the part of the day when there's not much traffic going on - typically in night time). In case of malfunction or reconstruction/repairs of the lights, a police officer can sometimes direct the traffic with specified hand gesture signals. Those are actually beyond the traffic lights in law so if the lights are working and you see police officer guiding traffic in the intersection, you have to follow police officer's signals, ignoring the lights. Also, when the lights or police officer's signals take place, the signs have no effect on the flow of the traffic, so drivers are out to ignore them. Unlike USA where if the lights don't work, you have to stop your vehicle, see if there is anybody around, decide who goes first (I assume there are some guides) and that's it. As for the cobblestone - not entire Prague is actually cobblestone. The outermost parts of Prague are actually asphalt and concrete. Cobblestone is typical for the center of the city. About the sirens: The sound you usually hear in every first Wednesday of the month is the test of the sirens to see if they work properly and if not, they have to get immediate repair service. Nobody wants the sirens to malfunction in case of emergency. It is 140 seconds long signal of a constant frequency. Sometimes this signal can be heard outside normal 1st Wednesday in the month schedule, it is usually taken as tribute to deceased famous people that somehow fuelled the government, or to people who have fallen to save people's lives (fire fighters, typically). There are also two other signals. One: common threat - 140 seconds long signal of a frequency constantly sweeping up and down, usually followed by an explanation later. Typically flood warning, chemicals leak, etc. Those informations could be retrieved from TV or radio, or listen to electronic sirens that can speak. Two: fire alarm - 1 minute long signal consisting of 10 seconds silence gap between two 25sec long constant frequency signals. Used to gather fire fighters. Doesn't actually need a fire (or blaze) somewhere. It could be also practice signal. It doesn't have any special meaning to civil residents. In case of common threat: 1) immediately seek shelter - seek shelter in closest appropriate building available - could be bureau, office, store, public building or even private property - better climb up to higher floors for threat of dangerous substances leak (most of them are heavier than air so they will stay closer to ground); in case of car travel when you hear this siren signal, go away from the accident place or park and seek shelter in higher floors of the closest appropriate building 2) close every doors and windows - you need to close and seal every single door and windows coming to the outside. Siren can most likely inform about dangerous substances leak and sealing the area would help you to prevent contaminating it. 3) turn radio or TV on - Informations on why the sirens went off and warned the residents are broadcasted in unscheduled breaking news in TV and radio. In case sirens are electronically driven (speaking sirens), you can also get the informations from them. In some cases those informations are aired by emergency vehicles through megaphones. Everything can be read in an official Czech fire fighters' websites (sadly, I couldn't find an English version, so I translated the most important informations): www.hzscr.cz/clanek/sireny.aspx

Hey! I did like your video. I'm Czech born and living in Prague. The main rule when driving through an intersection without signals or signs is that you always yield to the traffic from your right hand side. Otherwise the signs are yellow diamond with white border sign for the main street and inverted white triangle with red border for the side street. And always watch for trams. They weigh some 30 tons and have no chance to stop as quickly as a car (or a pedestrian).

Hi Jane, regarding Czech sirens, there is an article on Hasičská Záchraná Služba (HZS) Praha, where they describe in what situation what siren is used (yes, there are different sounds :) ) For instance, sirens used in past (in Prague) in case of big floods, like in 2002. And they even have there siren-sounds examples.

The logic behind the intersections usually follows the "rule of the right hand" meaning if a car is coming from your right, you let it pass first before going yourself. Oh, and the trams always go first before any cars. The pedestrians are interesting though.