Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is a crown jewel of Eastern Europe with it's castles, bridges, old town, river and parks, it's immediately welcoming and warm. Glenn, Danny, Mark and I set out for a hike through one of the parks that turned into a serious up hill march ending in a spectacular view of the city and an honorable number of calories spent. On the way back we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and coffees in the sun. The bridge returning to the hotel was full of people selling sketches of the old town and trinkets along with a fellow playing a hand cranked calliope, a good trad jazz band and a blind girl singing opera to a backing cassette on a blaster. A carnival of humanity.

The show was at the T-Mobile Arena here in Prague, a standing crowd of 8000+. The last time we played the city was in 1996, the venue was a very sedate theatre, cushioned seats, drab grey and green, a real holdover from the iron curtain days. The audience polite to the point of repression. Not so tonight. Pandemonium in the best way. As I've said before when an audience gives you that much you cannot help but do a good show. Smiles all round.

A great little band hang at the hotel after the gig, listening to everything from Buckka White and Gerry Mulligan to the Louvin Brothers and Ray Conniff.

We continue to base out of Prague for another couple of days, tomorrow flying to Katowice, Poland for a show.

So long,

Richard