This has been a very weird spring time in Prague in years so far. There is definitely something wrong with the weather. Two years ago we were still frozen to bones at the end of April and completely bored with skiing and skating which we could practice for long five months. A year ago all office stand fans had been sold out since we enjoyed temperatures around 27 degrees centigrates this time of the year and spending eight or more working hours in the office without any air-conditioning meant to bring an extra T-shirt and change in the middle of the day.
Prague spring 2008 came smoothly at the end of February. We are neither bundled up to our ears in scarves nor we are wearing flip-flops. Weather is gradually getting warmer, we enjoy several rain showers a week and after two years of waiting we attack shops to get truly spring cloths. Over the weekends roller blades rentals open up for those who prefer to get in line to on line in their spare time. Some cafés were closed recently for one day in order to have peace for installing their beer gardens.
Just one thing seems to be unusual this year, Prague is getting greener. It doesn't mean that City Hall has launched some environmentally friendly conception and more trees are being planted. The invasion of the green color started with installing first shop signs with two-tailed Siren downtown in mid-January. Shortly after this act first people were seen rushing to hide in their offices with the paper cup with the same logo. Yes, Starbucks arrived to Prague.
Czechs really seem to pick up on this coffee-to-go thing which first appeared here some 10 years ago and are really enjoying this new passion of theirs. They even go so far that they keep their cells in the bags and don't text or call all the time just to have a hand free for the daily dose of caffeine. But to pay some 70-100 CZK for a cup of Starbucks coffee is still a science fiction concept for most of them and that's why particularly these coffee shops scrawl with tourists and some local expats most of the time.
I belong to minority at my working place, majority is held by Americans and British. I can report that the number of happy and satisfied expats increased significantly recently since each of them got at least once caffeinated in Starbucks and finally honored the Czech Republic with the status of properly advanced country.
Starbucks just don't want to be referred to as another evil coffee chain selling ridiculously expensive hot drinks of an average quality. Being aware of the fact that they entered a state where such writes as Franz Kafka or Milan Kundera were born, they have an ambition to contribute to this literature-friendly atmosphere in their own way.
First of all, they based their first shop on Malostranske namesti in a building where very easily Franz Kafka could sip his coffee. At the turn of a century, there used to be one of the most famous coffee houses in the whole city and it was that kind of place where politicians, philosophers or writers met up for Sunday intellectual debate. So we have the spirit and atmosphere of the past taken care of and Starbucks ambition is to organize occasinal public readings or debates with the authors. I honestly find it as a task from Misson Impossible to persuade all those noisy foreign teenagers hanging there around all the time to keep their mouths shut for a while as Mr. Invited Writer wants to read an excerpt from his latest text but Starbucks barristas are probably strong and patient enough to do so. Must be because first literary evening was held on April 11 and managers didn't go for some second-league writer but for Brazilian megastar Paul Coelho who was presented through a TV screen as his recently published novel Brida was officially launched in the Czech Republic. Just out of curiosity I peeked into all four Prague Starbucks and saw the novel displayed in each. Couple issues next to all those stockpiled city mugs and different types of tumblers. Tourists busy with counting Czech crowns and ordering their coffee and having no interest in purchasing Coelho's Brida. But Starbucks managers can tick task number one on their how-to-make-Starbucks-look-more-Prague list.
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