1936 On the Continent

Masaryk Circuit, which is held at Brno towards the end of the summer, is crowded with motorists and also pedestrians who in their thousands spend the whole day in the open air to watch this exciting spectacle.
    Such are some of the most obvious opportunities for becoming acquainted with the amusements and interests of the Czechoslovak people. You can, of course, also learn much by observing their general demeanour, their humour and affability, even though you cannot speak their language.
Practical Advice
    Having given you some idea of Czechoslovakia and its people, I should now like to turn to various practical details which may be of use to you on your journey.
    In the first place, during the customs examination take care to avoid difficulties with tobacco. You are allowed to bring into Czechoslovakia not more than ten cigars or twenty-five cigarettes duty free. If you pay the necessary duty you can bring in ten times these quantities, but I advise you not to. Firstly, because in all towns of any size you will find shops which deal specially in imported tobacco, etc., and they are almost certain to have in stock the brand you smoke. Secondly, the cigarettes and cigars of the Czechoslovak Government Monopoly are very good, even if you limit yourself to the medium-priced varieties.
    You will find the railways in Czechoslovakia comfortable and convenient, and as a visitor from another country your only trouble will be in making yourself understood. Nobody expects you to learn so difficult a language as Czech or Slovak, and most Czechs have some knowledge of one foreign language or another. Of these, German is the best known, and next comes French and English, the latter being particularly popular among the younger generation.
    On reaching Prague you will probably arrive at one of the two central railway termini, the Wilson or Masaryk station. For carrying one or two pieces of luggage to the taxi the porter is entitled to charge 5 crowns. Choose a taxi of the smaller type, the windscreen of which is marked with a figure 2, which means that the charge is 2 crowns per kilometre. You will also see a number of horse-cabs in the station yard. These cabs are the last survivals of the many of their kind which used to drive through the streets of Prague.
    Now as to hotels.
    Your best plan is to consult your friends, if possible, on the subject of the best accommodation. Having decided where you are going to put up, you will do well to reserve a room in advance, either by letter or telegram, for although there is a comparatively large number of hotels in Prague, they are often full. Of those which are situated in the centre of the City and which tend to be international in their equipment, service and cuisine, may be mentioned the Alcron, Ambassador, Esplanade, Juliš, Šroubek, Steiner, Paiž. Other hotels in the vicinity, such as theZlatá Husa or Beránek, have a more local tinge, although, let me add, this does not in any way detract from their excellence. There are a certain number of hotels which boast of having been patronised by royalty. The best known of these, the Modrá Hvzda, has now vanished, but the Hotel de Saxe and the Anglický dvur still flourish. Then there is the entirely up-to-date Hotel Axa which has its own winter swimming pool. Finally, there are plenty of quieter, cheaper but quite good hotels which have a regular clientele, such as the Hotel Gráf, Wilson, Terminus and Central. In the luxury hotels a room with private bathroom will cost from 90 crowns per day upwards, but in the less expensive hotels adequate accommodation is available at half this price. On the whole, it is unusual to take full board in Prague, but this may be done at the Y.M.C.A. (Na Poii 12) or the Y.W.C.A. (Zitná 8).
The Cafés
    We can now proceed to discuss breakfast. In Prague this consists of coffee which, I can assure you, is very good, with the famous Prague crescent and other rolls. If you are accustomed to a more substantial breakfast you can order what you generally have. I suggest that instead of jam you try Czech honey, which has a wonderful aroma because the Czech bees obtain the ingredients for their honey from the blossoms of the fragrant lime tree.
    You can take breakfast at your hotel or at one of the big cafés which are a feature of the main thoroughfares in Prague. As a rule the café is on the first floor, and is well furnished, airy and spacious. Here you will become acquainted with one of the most typical and