Final Word from Friday, July 29, 2011
Much is made about the poor quality of some tourism services in Prague, but whatabout the behavior of the foreign tourists themselves? It's a two-way street, isn't it? IfCzech tour guides have to be trained and certified, for example, what's wrong withasking tourists to obey a few rules too? Can we really blame taxi drivers for gettingangry when tourists cross the street too damn slowly? And what's with this walkingon the left side of the sidewalk? Australian, British and Japanese tourists shouldhave to sign a pledge at the airport stating that they accept the local rule of the road.Young German men would have to agree not to stretch their arms across both sidesof the metro car, and Russians poring over maps would be encouraged not to bark atwell-meaning locals who offer them assistance. If Czechs can get foreigners to payKč 69 for a beer, getting them to conform to a few local rules should be a breeze.
Glossary of difficult words
two-way street - a situation or relationship involving mutual or reciprocal action or obligation;
rule of the road - the law requiring that traffic travel in a given direction on a specific size of the road;
to pore over something - to be absorbed in the reading or study of something;
to bark - to utter a sound, command or question abruptly or aggressively;
to conform to - to comply with rules, standards or laws;
a breeze - a thing that is easy to do or accomplish.