Prague: Days 4-5

The first half of Tuesday (Day 4) was spent in a classroom setting, meeting with the head of International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) and CEOs of BCH Telecommunications and UFO Productions. The head of the seminary was an amazing storyteller, sharing with us how the seminary building was transformed from a Gestapo and Communist headquarters building into a place to do the Lord’s work.

Even learning from Czech business magazines...

We enjoyed learning from the CEO of BCH Telecommunications about his road to success in Prague, using the talents he had and seeing every circumstance as an opportunity. It was fascinating to learn about the film industry in Prague from the CEO of UFO Productions. We all particularly were interested in his strategies to raise capital since all of us will have to fund raise at one point or another.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent exploring the beautiful city of Prague. The fuzzy Russian hats were a favorite among the guys and everyone did their best to negotiate a better price. It is amazing how fast everyone bonded; I guess traveling abroad has a magical way of doing that.

The Russian hats were a hit with the guys!

A little market filled with every trinket a tourist could want and plenty of opportunities to bargain.  I won the contest for the best deal talking a merchant down from 650kc to 400kc.

We couldn't help but do a KKG by the fluer-de-lis!

U Vejvodu...a restaurant I highly recommend.

The pretzels were tricky...they looked free but they would actually charge you for them.  We saw past the trick and just took a picture before placing them on another table.

The famous clock tower, complete with animated figurines and a trumpet blower every hour.

Charles Bridge.

We found this cozy little Italian place which was a nice break from all of the Czech places.

Wednesday we headed out early as a group to see Prague castle and cathedral. Dr. Reed, our fearless professor led the way as we zoomed through metros and buses at a high-speed pace. We actually ended up losing a couple of people along the way, but no worries they showed up. The castle was massive, and I could not help but wonder how on earth they could keep a place like that warm. I am pretty sure they could have kept meat frozen in the main hall the day we toured it.

After 30 minutes the lost ones found us!

The whole group.

The cathedral

This balcony, according to Rick Steves, was designed specifically for the king so he could attend church in his pajamas and no one would see him.

Matt is a little too tall for this village.

Our business plan group for Senior News: Todd, Me, Mark, Scott

After the castle we wandered our way back to IBTS, making stops along the Charles Bridge and a lovely antique store.  Back at the seminary we met with the founder of The Fleet Sheet, a daily business newsletter in Prague.  Not only was his business interesting to learn about, but I found it fascinating how his children are learning three languages at once: English from him and school, Russian from their nanny and school, Czech from his wife.  From meeting with the various expats, I found it interesting how all of them left the US because they were cynical of where the country was headed, yet they still maintain that same cynicism to an extent about their lives in Prague. 

Charles Bridge

Judging from how shiny this statue was, we determined that rubbing it must bring you good luck.

I guess it's just a guy thing...you see a gun and have to take a picture.

We did a lot of waiting for public transportation on the trip so we found ways to stay occupied...

Like attempting to balance on narrow pipes...

Or cramming 6 people in a photo booth...

Or experimenting with taking pictures on slow shutter speeds.

Thursday morning (Day 5) we had the incredible opportunity to get a tour of the Radio Free Europe building because one of my classmate’s father’s real estate company had just purchased the building.  Radio Free Europe is funded by the US government and serves as a "surrogate" free press in 21 countries (primarily the Middle East) where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed. Its journalists provide what many people in those countries cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.  Because of the controversy over the material it broadcasts, it is one of the most secure buildings in all of Europe and based off the amount of security we had to go through, I would say they are doing a fantastic job of protecting it.

Relaxing in a hotel lobby before heading to Radio Free Europe.

We all learned what an amazing pianist Mark is when he began to play the piano in the lobby.

Inside Radio Free Europe.

After our tour, we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of Thursday and Friday so seven of us decided, why not go to Vienna.  We jumped on a train for 4½ hours and did just that.