OK, we must admit it: life is not just about food and drinks, although sometimes Zuzi and I tend to forget that. But any visitor that has joined us for our Prague tasting walk will confirm that we also love to talk about architecture, design and things that we use on a daily basis, even the smallest things. Because let's face it - it's the things that surround us that shape our taste in fashion, arts, food and much more, ultimately making us who we really are. We talk about them because these small things, for instance things we remember from childhood, are the true essence of "local". Although you may find many similarities among nations (e.g. no matter where you lived, the odds are you hated broccoli when you were a kid), you can still find many things that will come as a surprise and that will help you appreciate local tastes and preferences.
Well, to appreciate the Czech taste, modern history and present, there is a great website that you can visit: Made in Czechoslovakia (you will probably know that Czechoslovakia as an independent state existed from 1918 to 1938 and then again from 1945 to 1993, when it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia). It's a great site about applied arts, architecture and technology made in Czechoslovakia that will put many things into perspective, including cubism, modern Czech crystal, or even the famous Tatra and Skoda cars.
Speaking about Czech cars and other technology, we have another tip for you: after five years of extensive works, the National Technical Musem in Prague opened a few weeks ago. Seated in an awesome functionalist building on the Letná plain, just across the river from the historical centre (about 20 minutes by walk), it is a living proof that, as one of my foreign friends put it when he saw the old airplane suspended in the hall of the Prague Ruzyne airport, "Gees, the Czech really used to make everything!" I loved this museum when I was a kid, and I think you will love it, too. Check out, for instance, the Tatraplan, a famous Czech design that has inspired Porsches! It's a classic, and even Jay Leno has one!