A Day at the Races

Saturday, September 20, 2014

BW's turned into a gambler. A whole 20kc gambler*.

We traversed to Velke Chucle - Prague's horse racing track - with friends and their parents a couple of weekends ago. 

Our friends Scot and BB are getting married next summer, and that weekend was their parents' first time meeting each other. The catch: the Scottish Mum and Dad don't speak Czech and the Czech Mama and Tata don't speak English, so - what the hay - a racetrack is a happy common ground. Who doesn't like horses and money? BW paid attention to the horses and I ate potato pancakes. Win! 

BW and his 20kc* bet didn't win, but BB did - a whopping 130kc*.

It was a fitting reason to get out of town and spend some time in the sun. And it's pastoral - lots of locals with picnic lunches and green space and dogs trotting around and . Vyborny!

*20kc = 1USD

You can get there on your Open Card. Entrance to the races is 120kc

A blur of tails and legs and small men

A content crowd

The setting was easy on the eyes

On the right is Josef Váňa Sr., the Czech Republic's most decorated jockey

BB and her folks

The stands from the side

Kids had a play area...

...while adults had a betting area (with nothing in English)

Full stands

A winning horse

More of the action

Even Jayda got into it...

...and made some friends


5 comments

  1. Sounds as though you had a fun day, Em.

    Most years, I conduct a small number of weddings nearly all of which are cross-cultural - English-speaker to Czech or Slovak. The problem of the inability of the parents and older relatives of the couple not being able to communicate with each other, is one a very common one. Hand signals, gestures, together with a few beers (which I see you were all enjoying :-) ), usually help, together with younger Czechs who speak English, doing a little translating.

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  2. I've never been to a horse race, but I want to go sometime. What a great setting, too!

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  3. Cheers, Julie! I had always (erroneously) assumed they were all big-hats-and-big-money, but these were super casual and fun.

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  4. Do you have a translator at the services? I'd think meeting the future in-laws is hard enough, even without the language barrier :) My in-laws are coming in a few weeks, and thankfully we all speak the same lingo!

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  5. I use an English-speaking Czech person to translate & get the couple to print an Order of Service with the complete liturgy in both Czech & English so everybody can follow.

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