Doug Kerr
Well-known member
I was sad to read of the death of my contemporary, Václav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of The Czech Republic.
Before entering politics, Havel was noted for his work as a playwright and essayist. He was an important figure in the events that eventually brought freedom to the modern Czech people.
In the mid-1990s, my late first wife and I were taking a motor coach tour through a number of cities in Europe, and one stop was in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Our tour took us to Prague Castle, a fabulous historic site high above the river Vltava (Moldau, auf Deutsch). It is considered the largest medieval castle complex in the world. It is among other things the site of the offices of the President of The Czech Republic (and formerly of Czechoslovakia).
At one point on our tour we were scheduled to visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus (Katedrála Sv. Víta). Our guide told us that because of the scheduling of some special group, our entry into the cathedral would be delayed by about half an hour.
Our group was mostly gathered in a large vaulted "passage" leading from one of the major courtyards through the administrative building along one side toward the Cathedral. My wife said she would take advantage of the hiatus to visit the rest room. She expected it to take a while as she was not alone in her mission.
As I dawdled, I noticed a simple glass door set into the ancient rock wall of the passage, with a sign (in English and Czech), "Office of the President."
Having some time to kill, I pulled open the door and entered a modest but stylish outer office, with a woman at a desk. I asked her, "Is President Havel in?".
She said, in quite good English, "No, I'm terribly sorry. He's down in town at the Ministry of Finance for a budget meeting. Will you be in town for a while? I can have him call you when he gets back to his office tomorrow."
I told her no, we would be leaving Prague after our tour of the Castle. I left my card. She said, "President Havel will be disappointed to have missed you."
It was a very refreshing event.
Best regards,
Doug
Before entering politics, Havel was noted for his work as a playwright and essayist. He was an important figure in the events that eventually brought freedom to the modern Czech people.
In the mid-1990s, my late first wife and I were taking a motor coach tour through a number of cities in Europe, and one stop was in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Our tour took us to Prague Castle, a fabulous historic site high above the river Vltava (Moldau, auf Deutsch). It is considered the largest medieval castle complex in the world. It is among other things the site of the offices of the President of The Czech Republic (and formerly of Czechoslovakia).
At one point on our tour we were scheduled to visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus (Katedrála Sv. Víta). Our guide told us that because of the scheduling of some special group, our entry into the cathedral would be delayed by about half an hour.
Our group was mostly gathered in a large vaulted "passage" leading from one of the major courtyards through the administrative building along one side toward the Cathedral. My wife said she would take advantage of the hiatus to visit the rest room. She expected it to take a while as she was not alone in her mission.
As I dawdled, I noticed a simple glass door set into the ancient rock wall of the passage, with a sign (in English and Czech), "Office of the President."
Having some time to kill, I pulled open the door and entered a modest but stylish outer office, with a woman at a desk. I asked her, "Is President Havel in?".
She said, in quite good English, "No, I'm terribly sorry. He's down in town at the Ministry of Finance for a budget meeting. Will you be in town for a while? I can have him call you when he gets back to his office tomorrow."
I told her no, we would be leaving Prague after our tour of the Castle. I left my card. She said, "President Havel will be disappointed to have missed you."
It was a very refreshing event.
Best regards,
Doug
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