Prague Journal

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Today is the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night the Nazis burned Jewish businesses and synagogues in 1938. The streets in Prague seem a bit quieter today, but only because of the weather. We woke up to rain followed by light snow, followed by rain. By the time I left the house in the late afternoon, the rain had turned to drizzle.
Michele Green had invited the WIB attendees to an “evening of Cocktails and networking” co-hosted by her company New Europe Promotions (which publishes the Czech Republic Business Guide), Ma Maison Residences (a subsidiary of ORCO property development group), and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, held at the Pachtuv Palace, a former villa near the Charles Bridge on the Old Town side of the Vltava River. Pachtuv Palace is now a 50-room hotel offering full-service “unique and elegant apartments designed for short or extended stays –guests can opt to stay for one night or up to a full year.” The smallest studio apartment (45 sq. meters) rents for 3,300 Kc per day (about $135 at the current exchange rate) when rented for a month. The price is twice that for very brief stays. The reception was held in the main lobby/café, a space that probably accommodates 50 people comfortably. Over 100 people showed up. You can imagine the racks of coats and umbrellas in the make-shift coat-room, given the unpleasant weather. Unlike most receptions, only wine was served, although there were apparently some small appetizers on the first floor that were gone quickly.
This certainly was a good place to be for networking. I saw several women I had recently met at WIB the previous Monday evening – among them June and her husband Keith, Eunice and Bibi – and my old friends Karin and Charlotte. I also saw Annette and Jana, whom I haven’t seen for seven years. Annette and I recognized each other instantly and vowed to get together to catch up on old times. (I certainly hope so – Annette is one of the more interesting and talented people I know.) Jana was there with her husband Edward, both of whom emigrated to Canada in 1968. Edvard was a computer specialist and became the General of Informatics at Statistics Canada before moving back to the Czech Republic in 1993. Edvard Outrata is former Chairman of the Czech Statistical Office, President of the Czech National Council of European Movement, Vice-chairman of the Legal Committee of the Senate, and currently is a senator in the Czech Republic parliament. Jana Outratová runs the International Women’s Network, a non-profit organization of women managers and business owners, which still meets monthly at her house where I met her seven years ago. So many people to talk with, so little time!

posted by JWinn @ 10:56 PM