1936 On the Continent

natural and unadulterated. Their flavour is improved if you drink them with a small snack consisting of some Moravian smoked meat or sausage.
    The finest of the Czechoslovak wines is Mlnik wine, grown on the hills along the Elbe. In flavour it resembles the best Burgundy. And while we are on the subject of drinks, I ought to mention that Czechoslovakia is richer in mineral springs than any other country in Europe, and you will therefore not be disappointed if you try one of the many mineral waters which the country produces.
Sausage Shops
    There is one variety of food to which I must devote a special paragraph, and that is sausages and delicatessen generally. The visitor who comes to Prague for the firsttime is struck by the large number of shops in which large quantities and many varieties of sausages, hams and other smoked foods are arranged in the shop windows in mysterious ornamental designs. A supper or a snack in one of these establishments is the cheapest of meals. Two pairs of frankfurters or three sausages of some other type, with a roll and mustard or horseradish, is a cheap democratic supper for a student or even for a professor. In conclusion, I will add that good milk, cream, bread and butter can be obtained in numerous dairies, as well as in the cafés. Vegetarians, or people who are restricted to some special diet, will find plenty of good special restaurants for their purpose or they can choose a meatless meal from the menu in any restaurant. The main meal in Prague is lunch, and it consists of soup, one meat course and dessert. It can be enlarged by means of hors d’œuvres, or supplemented, curtailed and modified just as you choose. The restaurants serve a four-course lunch at a fixed price which varies from 8 to 15 crowns, and plenty of latitude is allowed in the choice of the dishes.
    I will next say something about means of transport. It is an easy matter to travel through Prague by tram or motor-bus, although the visitor needs a plan of the city to understand the various routes. When travelling by tram you are entitled to change twice with the same ticket, as long as you keep in the same direction.
    The small taxis cost 2 crowns per kilometre, and the driver receives a tip amounting to about 10 per cent. of the fare shown on the clock. If you hire a cab for a slow drive, the cabman will make an attempt to tell you in German about all the noteworthy sights you pass. You will find that he is thoroughly familiar with them and that he has a sense of humour.
Smart Hotel Managers
    There are, of course, many other particulars which you need to know. When in doubt, you best course is to apply to the head porter or even the manager of your hotel. You may be impressed by the elegance of the manager, and if so, you will not go far wrong in asking him for the address of his barber, tailor or hosier. Apart from this, if you stroll along some of the main streets of Central Prague, such as Václavské námti, Vodikova or Jindišska ulice,Pikopy or Národni tida, you will see for yourself where the best shops are situated. Here you will find the best and most expensive tailors, as well as others who supply ready-made clothing of very good quality and cut; you will also see fine displays of glassware, porcelain, and leather goods, all Czechoslovakian specialities. In the larger shops you will have no difficulty as regards the language, as most of them indicate by an inscription or a flag that English is spoken there.
    The working day in Prague begins between 8 and 9 a.m. and continues until about 6 in the evening, with an interval for lunch. It is then time for the citizen who has finished his work to make up his mind where he is to spend the rest of the evening. First of all there are the cinemas, which are located mostly in large and attractive underground premises in the main thoroughfares of Prague. There are more than a dozen cinemas of this type and they have excellent programmes consisting, as a rule, of foreign films with Czech captions. The last performance begins at 8 o’clock.
    The theatre shows begin at 7.30 or 8 p.m. There is no lack of them in Prague, where theatrical art is taken very seriously, and indeed, it may be said that Prague is becoming the main theatrical city in Central Europe. Among the chief theatres of Prague may be mentioned the National Theatre and the old Estates Theatre, in both of which straight plays alternate with opera. Then there is the large German Theatre, the scope of