Prague : Football match - Bohemians 1905 v Slovácko

We made a somewhat last minute decision to see if we could get tickets for one of Prague’s football clubs match on Sunday. We took our chances and showed up at the gate and waited 30 minutes with everyone else trying to get in.

Stadium Entrance

 We were fortunate to get a couple of the remaining tickets left. Yes! 

Concessions!

However, these tickets were no ordinary ones with seats and a calm-ish crowd. They were standing-only behind one of the goals. 

We learned that this is where the most hardcore fans stand throughout the game. These people, called the Ultras, bring the electrified energy to football matches around the world. Think endless songs being sung about the team, flares, flags waving, a lot of beer, some weed, and of course…cigarettes. 

 

Everyone is standing shoulder-to-shoulder living and dying with every shot, pass, lost ball, fouls perceived or not, and goals. These fans all tend to live near the stadium and love their team. 

We were asked by the guy in front of us where we were from, why we were there, a mild interrogation. We ended up fast friends following the match and talking about non-football things. 

He was a cool guy. He left in the second half with a half dozen plastic cup he gathered from his friends and some cash. He somehow navigated the crowd at the beer stand and the Ultras with seven beers in his two hands. This was a master class only surpassed by a server at Octoberfest in Munich. Our new buddy had one of those beers for us! Like I said, a cool guy. 

The match was exciting and quite tense at times. Great saves by both goalkeepers and the crossbar kept the game at a 0-0 draw. So, with a couple of matches to go, Bohemians 1905 is still in the running for a Europa League spot. In Europe, teams can qualify for tournaments outside their regular club team leagues, Champions League and Europa League. 

Budapest: Retro Museum

We found this little museum on Google maps called The Retro Museum and it looked intriguing so we decided to check it out.

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It was a blast from Hungary’s past with objects from the communist era. Most were displayed in these eastern bloc apartment looking things where could see the items by opening a door that was cut out in the building. 

Some of the items would be “retro” for a lot of people, but most were specific to the region.

We were trippin out because the display said the cars could be bought for the equivalent of something like $40!

Overall, a neat little museum that was worth the price of admission.

Prague: Bunker Tour

 1950’s Czecholslovakia was under the iron grip of a communist regime that was quite preoccupied with squashing internal dissent. Their bosses, the USSR guys, had them running a tight ship. This department of their business was booming, lots of overhead to keep the people in line. All of the secret police and “upper management” needed to be protected from a nuclear bomb and have a command post. So, they decided that buildingf a massive 2-story concrete bunker was a high priority. They disguised it by building the luxury Jalta Hotel on top of it. Yes, a luxury hotel, but run by people trying to push a Communist agenda. Ironic. The hotel sits on a wide and long boulevard where thousands of Czechoslovakians would participate in those show of strength type parades dictators are so enamored with.

We got to tour the bunker with a guide who took us through about seven of the rooms.

This bunker could house 150 of Czechoslovakia’s top brass types if needed.

The bunker had enough to carry these wonderful folks through a month post nuclear attack. This place also had quite the day-to-day operation, a setup where the secret police could spy on the hotel’s VIP guests and foreign dignitaries via phone tapping. 

One of the most detailed rooms was one that served as a hospital. We couldn’t stop laughing at the decontamination poster on the wall.

We even got to play dress up in their gun room. A little cheesy, but we had fun with it!

The entry fee was 400 Kc (about $18.20) for adults and 330 Kc for students ($15).