Prague's sunnier side
Sir: I was surprised to read the unnecessari- ly alarming comments of John Russell (Let- ters, 6 July) regarding the pleasant and beautiful city of Prague. My wife and I, an elderly couple, have recently visited the city for the first time. We spent a week there on our own, staying in a modest hotel. We had been warned about pickpockets and petty thieves and we took the usual precautions that we would take against the similar miscreants that may be found in Oxford Street. We were also warned about the cab mafia, but there is no risk if a cab is ordered directly from a bona fide taxi com- pany. There is, however, a complete absence of the mugging and general thug- tTry that we have come to associate with city centres after dark in this country. We attended a number of theatres, returning to our hotel late at night by efficient public transport without fear of molestation. We walked about speaking our English freely and everyone, many of whom spoke English, responded in a friendly and kindly
manner to our enquiries and needs, which helped to make our holiday the most enjoy- able one that we have had for many years. A most striking and pleasing feature of social behaviour was the alacrity with which young people (of both sexes) would rise from their seats in public transport whenev- er an elderly person was seen to be stand- ing — a phenomenon that I have not seen in this country since I was a young man! Lawrence Rickard
12 Bowden Close, Coombe Dingle, Bristol
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