<p>I am planning to study abroad in spring of 2010, and I can't decide between Paris and Prague. Both places have courses for my major as well as other courses that interest me, and I've never been to either city before. I also have language skills (French and German) that I could use in both cities. I've been to parts of Eastern Europe before and I loved them, but I feel like actually living for 4 months in the Czech Republic would be harder and more stressful than being in France. Prague looks beautiful, but I don't know if I'm ready for such drastic changes yet.</p>
<p>Can anyone share any experiences or advice? Am I wrong about Prague? Let me know!</p>
<p>Prague isn’t in Eastern Europe… its Central Europe. Why would the Czech Republic be any more stressful that France, both countries are in the EU after all. </p>
<p>Personally id go with Prague, its right in the centre of Europe with good transport links all over the continent. The city was largely untouched by WW2 and as such is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’d be an adventure, and German would certainly come in handy, as would English if you dont speak Czech.</p>
<p>Many people and organizations (the UN for example) consider the Czech Republic and other former Eastern Bloc countries to be part of Eastern Europe, so I think we are both correct. I appreciate your opinion on Prague, though - I agree that it would definitely be an adventure.</p>
<p>Historically it has always been Central Europe.</p>
<p>If you do go to Prague (or anywhere in Central Europe for that matter) do not label the Czech Republic as an Eastern European country. Eastern Europe is often associated with Russia, migrant workers (always a controversial topic) and poverty.</p>
<p>My original reference to Eastern Europe had nothing to do with how some people in the Czech Republic react to the name; I was simply using a common term to refer to the region I had visited. Many of the locals and tour guides I met in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia used the term Eastern European to describe their culture, as well as Central European. My own elderly family members from Slovakia have labelled themselves Eastern European also. Seeing as I have traveled in countries neighboring the Czech Republic, I’m pretty sure that I would know how to appropriately conduct myself with people in Prague. But thanks for the advice, anyway. ;)</p>
<p>I hope I can get some more opinions here of both Prague and Paris from other members!</p>
<p>Hmm well i still disagree. Germany is now considered West European though historically it is Central European, and during the Cold War parts were considered Eastern European. So its a complicated issue but i accept different generations and people will have different opinions.</p>
<p>What do you hope to achieve with your time abroad? I assume you dont intend to learn Czech, is improving language skills one of your goals?</p>
<p>This was my problem as well! Ultimately, I decided on Paris for several reasons (i’ve been to Paris but never Prague before)</p>
<ol>
<li>Paris is more centrally located than Prague, and there are more things to do/see there–and you can always visit Prague from Paris (and I plan to!)</li>
<li>They don’t really speak German in Prague, they speak Czech, which is an incredibly difficult language and not that useful outside of the Czech Republic, whereas French is very useful, especially if you (like me) see yourself having a career in international relations/development, etc.</li>
<li>There are more opportunities for direct enrollment in Paris with French universities.</li>
</ol>
<p>I hope to see you in Paris in spring of 2010! Perhaps we can arrange a trip to Prague from there (it’s only like an $80 airfare)</p>
<p>Paris more central that Prague… are you kidding? Its right in the centre of the continent! How much more central can you get? Czech isn’t that difficult and many do speak German.</p>
<p>Why would you fly to Prague from Paris, its probably cheaper and more exciting to take the train. Night trains <3</p>
<p>I did take a very basic non-credit Czech class for free last semester, and it wasn’t too hard. But in places like Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, I saw that a lot of people had German as their second language instead of or in addition to English, so I figure it must be similar in Prague. Language skills are very important to me, but I still can’t make a decision with that in mind!</p>
<p>mastermargarita: I’m happy you settled on Paris! Good luck with everything :)</p>
<p>Yeah I agree with Sam, the first thing that came to my mind when you called the Czech Republic a country in Eastern Europe was Soviet Union/Communism/Eastern bloc and Iron Curtain</p>
<p>German is a second language for many in the Czech republic and in some small towns I was able to get by with my “war movie & college roommate German” better than I was in English. (I never formally took German but one picks things up, nicht wahr?) In Prague itself, English is a common third language in Districts I and II…drops off rapidly when you get outside the tourist zone. I think Czech is easier than Hungarian or Russian, fwiw…you just have not mentallyl “freeze” when you see things like accented R’s and Z’s.</p>
<p>I agree about Prague’s location. You can get to a lot of places: Budapest and Vienna are close at hand, longer excursions to Istanbul, Malta, Italy, Stockholm, Krakow, and, yes, Paris are all doable for week-long or even shorter vacations. </p>
<p>The Czech Republic is an Eastern European country and Prague is located in Central Europe. See the old aphorism about Prague being the heart of Europe. The Czech Republic has assimilated with the West far more rapidly than, say, Hungary or Slovakia. There are still pockets of “Soviet” mentality in administrative or mercantile areas though, as I say, they’re assimilating rapidly.</p>
<p>If I were exiled from the US, I’d choose London for language, Prague for art & architecture. And the food is pretty good too. (And btw, French is my best foreign language, so it’s not a language thing that causes me to skip Paris.)</p>
<p>Prague, while not as inexpensive as Budapest, is a damned sight less expensive than Paris as a place to live.</p>
<p>Yeah Eastern Europe implies Soviet bloc, second world, etc.
It’s generally defined as as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states.
Central Europe is like Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, etc
W Europe is obviously France, UK, Germany, etc
SE Europe is all the former Yugoslav Republics, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Romania (yay), etc</p>
<p>Much of Germany i would say was Central European. I wouldn’t call the Baltic states East Europe either, East Europe to me is Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.</p>
<p>E Germany=C European (you can feel the difference when you cross the former border)</p>
<p>And sure, the Baltics shouldn’t be considered part of Eastern Europe, but technically they are (geographically, at least). Moldova I would consider a special case, it used to be part of Romania and we say it still should be, but a half century of Russian domination and strong influence has meant that a significant minority of those living there are Russians and perhaps a majority favor the East. It’s kinda like the Ukraine debate - 50% pro-Russia, 50% pro-West…tricky situation. But enough of my rant about Eastern and SE European politics :)</p>
<p>“East European” doesn’t mean just Russia/Ukraine. During the Cold War, which I at least lived through, all behind the Iron Curtain was “Eastern Europe” and the line didn’t change with the fall of the XSSR.</p>
<p>A good shorthand for “Eastern” is “ex-Soviet” and Czecho certainly has that ex-Soviet feel in attitudes in contrast to, say, Austria, though it’s further along in assimilation with the West than Hungary is or even its former spouse, Slovakia. Linguistically, Czech is the Westernmost of the Slavic languages, another data point.</p>
<p>Damn…but I should find the name of the hotel I stayed in my first trip to Prague. The experience would disabuse anyone of the notion that they were any place but Eastern Europe.</p>
<p>Technically, of course, the borders are as stated in my original post. But they are also backed by cultural and historical differences…although countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria were Soviet dominated/influenced, they were not part of the USSR itself (like Ukraine and Belarus, for example). And that is a major distinction. Additionally, the mindset (pro-Western vs pro-Russian) is very important as well.</p>