>Emily was here for a quick visit to the Czech embassy downtown. She will be studying abroad in Prague from February through June, plus a couple of weeks of sightseeing. (Based on what I have read about the authentic Slavic weather, I hope she decides to do that in July <g>). Anyway, on the drive into the city she mentioned a classmate at UW who is "really smart even though he's a philosophy major <g>. Spoken like a true engineering major.
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>I have read a bit about Prague and am envious of her for this opportunity. Such a beautiful city and so much history. It's also cool that English is not the main language, although according to the guide book I picked up for her most Czechs under 40 speak English. She is going to learn as much of it as she can before going and while there. The book says Czechs appreciate you trying to speak their language even if you don't speak it well.
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Prague is great and English should be sufficient. When I was there in 2000 (for the VFP conference), it was hard having no Czech. When I went back in 2007 (on a tour), both the amount of English spoken and the food had improved quite a bit.

One of the most striking things about Prague for me was the sheer number of concerts happening every day. I don't know whether Emily likes classical music, but she'll have the opportunity to hear some just about every night, if she wants.

Prague is a very walkable city. Among my favorite tourist experiences were a walking tour that started way up high and would down for 3 hours, ending up in the main square, and a walking tour of the Jewish quarter.

Tamar