Party Boats and Mašinka

During the summer after the “Velka Voda”, the 1,000 year floods, I realized that summer life in Prague revolved around the boats. No, there is no hidden sea in the middle of Europe, but the constant flotilla along the Vltava is the closest thing to a Riviera Prague will ever see. There is always a theme to these summers and the constant weekend trips down to the river seemed to make a different kind of water-borne Mašinka.

“Mašinka” is Czech for the “little train.” As party songs go, “Jede, Jede Mašinka” will never be as big as something by “Las Ketchup”. In Czech, Las Ketchup is not mentioned in the same breath as Maximum Overdrive and for good reason. Three beautiful Spanish girls certainly come up in separate conversation to three heavy-set Czech men. The first time I heard it, I was riding the Mašinka down the Vltava. Downstream the flood destroyed so much, but by summer was hard to tell there was ever a problem. The same three hour tourist cruise that costs twenty or more euros during the day is only 100czk and a whole lot more fun. A floating dance club is not my first choice, but cheap beer and overly friendly women do have their appeal.

Czech language is more than challenging. Many ex-pats do not attempt to learn more than some obligatory phrases. Well that is unfair. It is not uncommon to hear people in the market barely able to utter the most basic polite requests. I was amazed when one of my friends walked up to the DJ and asked to hear “Jede, Jede Mašinka”, “Go, Go Little Train”. He was trying, but was finding great difficulty picking up Czech. Mind you, his problem was with the Czech language not the Czech girls. We did call him the “Pantsman” for a reason. He started a ruckus when Maximum Overdrive started with “… all of the drunken guys on the train…” It was clear he knew Czech party songs.

The boat that leaves from Palackeho Most is always the most fun. Palackeho Most is the bridge at the “Dancing Building”. Over the summer, the boys from the office cruised on most of them. The boat that docks on the upstream side of Palackeho Most had the most lively crowd and lots of women. Most concerning was the range of beer prices. The PM has 20 czk glasses, but on some of the other boats the price was as high as 30 or 35czk. Hmm maybe there is a correlation. While an explicit statistical analysis of the price of beer on a booze cruise in Prague and the ratio between the sexes remains beyond the scope of this paper. I would venture a SWAG to say that it does.

There are many stories to tell about these boat trips. Alas that would incriminate too many people. We had an amazing time and only once were we disappointed on the Čekov Most boat. Lazy cruises along the Vltava are the Bohemain equivalent to the American college “meat markets”. No doubt, the Praguers understand the meat markets, judging from the staggering count throughout the city. None are as much fun as the boats, not even “Nejitstota.”