Prague Journal

Thursday, June 9, 2005.

I had lunch with Hana, the program director of the Fulbright Center, at Stoleti, near the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood (founded at the end of the 11th century and restored in 1862-65). Although the food and location are great, Stoleti may be best known for its menu, which has dishes named after famous people. For example, there’s a salmon dish named for Gloria Swanson, mozzarella fresco called Arturo Toscanini, and a steak called Ernest Hemingway. Stoleti has a lovely outdoor seating area, but Hana and I decided to eat inside, since it’s not very warm today and threatening rain.
Hana and I are both dismayed that, despite protestations to the contrary, the US Embassy has denied many Czechs visas to visit the US. In the past, Czech Fulbrighters to the US had no trouble arranging visits for their families and friends. This time, several have been denied. Some Czech Fulbright awardees are having trouble getting visas as well. While American Fulbrighters have had trouble getting long-term visas from the Czech Embassy – perhaps in retaliation for the US treatment of Czechs – at least Americans can come here as tourists for 90 days without any visa at all. It’s easy to leave the country every three months and start another 90 days as a tourist. But for Czechs, they need a visa in advance just to get on the airplane.

posted by JWinn @ 10:43 PM