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JOE: Artists of all sorts have always held an important place in this city's history. And I don't just mean the artists painting portraits and landscapes on the bridge. (I especially don't mean this devil of an artist who paints self-portraits. His paintings always show him with his horns on and mouth open screaming. Why does he do that? And why does anybody buy his "art!?" Let's just say that if he were rich he'd be "eccentric." He's kind of rude too. He actually tried to charge me 50 crowns ( a little over a dollar) just for taking his picture! And, by the way, those paintings are not cheap either!)

Music is everywhere, playing on virtually every street corner in the tourist areas.On the Charles Bridge, the musicians space themselves about every 60 feet, barely outside of earshot from each other. I know it's partly touristy schmaltz, but I have always LOVED street musicians and artists and they are everywhere. That's heavenly! Jazz is also huge here. The American music continues to be played in little bars all over the city. We went to a jazz bar the other night -- the one President Clinton visited a few years ago and played his sax - and were quickly reminded how much I hate jazz! It's crap! Except for that Dixieland, Louis Armstrong, classic Jazz. That's beautiful music. And of course I love me some blues. But jazz sucks.

Prague's long tradition of music and art goes way back to Mozart who made his home here toward the end of his life and, of course, was a superstar here in his time. His operas like the famous "Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" are still performed in venues throughout Prague. (By the way, much of the movie "Amadeus" was filmed here because it looks more like Amadeus Mozart's Vienna than does present-day Vienna!) The film scene is world-class. Plays are also a big deal, in fact, the most famous Czech playwright, Vaclav Havel, is still the president here (although he has lost some popularity after recently marrying a woman 17 years his junior). He and other Czech artists were largely responsible for keeping hope alive during the communism reign by bravely challenging the authorities. They are just one major example of why art is about much more than aesthetics here. It's always been about the artists making bold statements with their work.

JENNI: Prague is reputedly one of the most liberal countries in Europe…prostitution is legal here, and drug use is tolerated - though not legal, I don't think. They even let more American ex-patriots (50,000) live here than anywhere else in Eastern Europe! We regularly were handed brochures for escorts, exotic dance clubs, and live sex shows. Since we skipped Amsterdam on our trip (where I wanted to see some of these "forbiddens"), I talked Joe into taking me to a live sex show. The show was supposed to start at 10:00, so we got there just in time, I thought. Instead, we waited for 30 minutes while the owner postponed the show until he filled the theater with more people than just Joe and me! But that's okay…it gave us time to watch what we could only assume was a job interview between one of the performers and another woman who appeared a bit uneasy. It was all in Czech, so we made up our own stories about the situation…when showtime came, we were treated to what can best be described as clinical acts of love in harsh lighting. It was comical, titillating, embarrassing (for the guy with stage fright, that is) and fascinating…I wonder how they compare with the "pros" in Amsterdam.

But perhaps the most interesting part of this expedition was the chat with the owner afterwards. It was a slow night, so he had the time to "practice his English," as he put it. He's about 55 years old, with a 28-year old son who is a mathematics professor in Colorado…he wouldn't let us take his picture for fear of what it might mean to his son's career. He was here before the fall of Communism, and when asked what the big differences were between now and then, he became quite animated as he said it's so much better now. His business can thrive, his entrepreneurial spirit can thrive, and he can travel. However, many people his age don't feel this way. Many people here in their 40's and 50's - dubbed "the lost generation" - struggle with the democratic changes and some even think Communism was better. (For example: a young Czech girl at the hostel shared with us a story about an older woman in front of her in the line at the grocery store…the woman asked for yogurt, and the clerk said, "which kind?" The woman insisted that she wanted "just yogurt," but the clerk kept listing the different kinds they had to help the woman choose. The girl told us the woman just looked terribly confused at the number of choices and eventually just walked away without any yogurt.) Communism guided the lives of its residents in so many ways, that the concept of choice is apparently foreign to many people. In fact, this age group, and those a bit older, are the strongest supporters for the Communist Party in Prague. I can see how this savvy, street-wise businessman would find opportunity and excitement after Communism. He even has his own political party, called The Party of Common Sense. He's currently trying to get enough signatures to register his party and run for a seat in the legislature.