UBC July 2026 - Questions, Answers and Goodbye

Photo Credit: William Zhang on Unsplash

On our last day of July's UBS I'd like to answer the questions you asked:

In the post about the Czech language Kebba was wondering "how that language has lasted through the years? And what happens at Starbucks?"

The language mainly survived through Czech-speaking families and communities in the US, although the number of speakers has gradually declined over the generations. As for Starbucks in Prague: fortunately ordering coffee was way easier than pizza!

Daniela was excited about the hop-on hop-off trams in Prague. 

Well, I didn't say this was a thing per se. What I said is that the regular trams that run in the old town are like a tourist transportation, just because there's something to see at literally every nádraží (station). And if you have a day pass you get to get out, explore, and get on the next tram. 

Paul noted that the scooter in my cobblestone post immediately made him think of Roy Lichtenstein. 

Me, too, Paul, immediately, that's what made me take the picture! 

In the same post, Danwil asked to see Swiss cobblestones. I can help with that. Just last month I posted a video about my town. Plenty of cobblestones in the old town for you to see:

Kebba on my statement that we have 300 castles in Switzerland wanted to know whether they are mainly publicly or privately owned? 

It's a mixture. Many famous Swiss castles are owned by cantons or municipalities, but quite a few are still privately owned or belong to foundations. I wouldn't say that most are municipal property.

An "unknown user", (probably Patricia?) had a tough question on my blog post about the John Lennon Wall: "Why does man always want to take away the freedoms of others? Do they ever look in the mirror and realize that they themselves would hate that same thing being done to them?"

I wish I knew the answer. My guess is that it is less about ordinary people and more about power. History shows that when leaders fear losing control, freedom is often one of the first things to disappear.

Kebba - referring to the Dancing House - noticed that the Feng Shui/energy balance of Frank Gehry's buildings is a nightmare.

She's not wrong! Traditional Feng Shui definitely calls for stability and symmetry, and the Dancing House is pretty much the exact opposite of that. I suppose Fred and Ginger are doing a chaotic dance rather than a ballroom waltz! 

Many of you were intrigued to learn about Kofola. Lily said "I wonder why you didn't try it." Also Barbara asked «Did your husband and son try it? If so, what did they think?» 

Here’s the thing: During our trip we didn’t consciously come across Kofola, even though in hindsight I think I may have noticed some bottles in a supermarket. It was only now that I wrote this post that I did some research about the Cola products in Czechia. So, no, nobody got to taste it. Definitely something to catch up on if /when we return.

Barbara asked how pre-Insta” Trdelník was traditionally eaten? 

Apparently it was without the mountains of fillings and toppings you often see today, usually just with sugar, cinnamon, nuts, etc. Daniela, I can see why you thought of churros because of the sugar and cinnamon coating, but it tastes NOTHING like churros. The texture and flavor are completely different; otherwise I’d love it!

Kebba immediately read the German on the receipt and wondered idly why they were speaking German in that laundry/cleaning store. 

For a second I totally believed I was profiled as a stoopid German-speaking tourist, but the explanation is purely practical: dry cleaning is a traditional industry that still relies on old-school, carbonless paper blocks to track garments. Because these generic tagging blocks are mass-produced cheaply in Germany, Czech B2B wholesalers import them in bulk. The business simply uses these affordable, pre-printed German supplies for everyone, meaning every customer, whether Czech, Swiss, or American, gets the exact same vintage German tag stapled to their laundry.

Considering the price difference between local goods and global brands in Czechia, Daniela asked "Did you find yourself choosing local brands more often while you were there?" 

We did for the food, like the pizzeria I mentioned, but I *have* to insist on my trusted caffeine in Coke Zero and SBUX (just order a simple espresso, Daniela, that's what I do!)

Also regarding  the VAT post, Kebba asked an interesting question: "what about utilities there?" 

Basic utilities (heating, electricity, water, and waste) for a standard apartment typically range from 3,000 CZK to 6,000 CZK (USD 141 to  283) per month, depending on energy usage. For high-speed broadband internet, you can expect to pay between 300 CZK and 600 CZK (USD 14 to 28); a very fair price in my eyes.

In my post about Prague being practically spared from WWII, Patricia wondered how many other locations throughout Europe were just lucky at that time.

In fact there were a few: Metropolises like Paris and Rome were protected by being declared "open cities" or through the defiance of military commanders, while places like Venice, Heidelberg, and Oxford lacked heavy war industries or were intentionally preserved for postwar use. Additionally, the historic centers of capital cities in neutral nations, such as Lisbon, Stockholm, and Madrid, completely escaped World War II air raids.

The next one is less of a question but more of a remark that couldn't be more relatable. About my post of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Anna said "All I know that no matter what they call themselves - I can't spell it." 

OMG, yes! Even though how many times I had to type Czech and Czechoslovakia, I still had to focus real hard on the spelling!!! 

Regarding my post Prague Spring and Velvet Revolution, "Unknown", probably Kebba, asked "were you an international history major?" 

God, no! Actually, during most of my education, I didn't like history classes because they kept going back to the Romans and Greeks and didn't talk about recent events. Growing up in Europe you hear a lot of things, but I struggled to put them into relation. It's only when I am confronted with history, like when I visit a place like Prague, that I wonder what it must have been like and what it meant to people living behind the iron curtain that I begin to research.

And this is a warp!

Thank you so much for joining me this month, it has been so nice to see the regular crowd again and meeting new bloggers! Be well and see you in October!