It was 1991, I think, the 1st time I visited Czechoslovakia, as it was known then. I was visiting a friend in Vienna, we had a weekend to spare and he said “Hey, we can either make it to Prague or Budapest – your choice, I’ve been to both.”
Vaclav Havel Oct. 5, 1936-Dec. 18, 2011 He made his country, and the world, a better place
Well, I knew basically nothing at all about either one. They were both part of that riddle wrapped within an enigma covered by the foggy mists of disinformation behind the iron curtain, and had only been open to the west a couple of years. But I had heard of Vaclav Havel, and thought it was extremely cool that a head of state would be a fan of Frank Zappa, and actually a personal friend of Lou Reed, so I chose Prague.
It was an amazing weekend. We ate goulash, drank a lot, smoked a lot, met some beautiful women, walked all over town, crossed Charles Bridge at night, watched the sleeping swans on the river looking like marshmallows floating on hot chocolate, saw the castle all lit up.
Then I went back to Los Angeles and my boring job and it would be 7 years before I made it back, this time to teach English and stay.
There is a big difference between being a tourist and a resident, and that original vision of a country of artists, Avant Gardistan, a land inspired by weird music, was soon replaced by the reality of long lines, ridiculous bureaucracy, rude bartenders, dull students and grumpy, sour faces on the Metro.
No place is perfect. But the Czech Republic, in addition to cheap and excellent beer, beautiful women and clubs that stayed open until the Metro started up again at about 6 in the morning, still had Vaclav Havel. They still had that historical quirk, that they were the country which had elected the quirky writer, the underground intellectual to the presidency.
He will be remembered, forever, as a bright spot in this great country’s history.
www.gurukalehuru.com 
indeed!