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HOW WAS PRAGUE DURING COMMUNIST LOCK DOWN? /ft. Honest Dad
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May 11, 2025
We listened to your calling and here it is - new episode featuring Honest Dad and your questions from Instagram. How was it growing up during communism, when did tourists first come and how Prague changed? Let us know in the comments if you enjoyed this episode, we'll be happy to do more like these for you. Oh, in case you didn't know - WE MADE A BOOK! About our love for the city of Prague, the best beer places, cheap restaurants… get it here: https://honest.blog/shop/honest-guide-en/ If you feel like checking out us on Instagram, here are some links! Janek: https://instagram.com/janekrubes/ Honza: https://instagram.com/honzamikulka/ our Instagram battle: https://instagram.com/realhonestguide Send us your pictures from your trip on our Facebook wall! https://www.facebook.com/HonestPragueGuide/ or let us know what would you like to see! We hope you'll have an amazing time! Thank you for your support! Honza Mikulka & Janek Rubeš
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hello and welcome to yet another home edition of The Honest Guide
0:04
Honza was supposed to be here today to make some traditional Czech food, but that's not gonna happen
0:11
Actually, Honza will be here today. No, no, no, not you, man
0:15
My dad, Honza. Yes, in this country, we're all named Honza, and we listened to your requests to have more Honest Father episode
0:24
So here's a Q&A with my dad. Hi, Daddy. Hi, my dear son
0:29
We ask people on Instagram if they would like to ask you a question because you became very popular because of the latest episodes
0:37
People seem to like you. Who is that Instagram guy? What do you mean who's that Instagram guy
0:42
You ask Instagram. Yeah, but... Okay. Okay, so here are questions that were sent to us by our viewers
0:51
Let's start with, what's your favorite honest beer? Well, how much time we have
0:57
No, dude, no, just give us a brand. What's your favorite honest beer
1:04
Shall they pay us? No, they will not pay. Okay, so Matuska
1:10
What's your favorite pub in Prague? Well, that's so many pubs. Well, I prefer
1:17
compare you to the cheaper pubs. Cheaper pubs? Cheaper pubs with good beer. We have a show
1:23
promoting cheaper pucks. Well, still, yeah. What's your favorite Czech food? I just had
1:31
Svičková, which my wife made for me. Leftover. What is your favorite chef? My wife
1:39
Where did you... Did you have Svičková with dumplings? No, she's lazy to make a dumpling
1:44
So she made that little pasta. Pasta. That was just pasta. Or all Italians just committed a suicide after explaining my dad with a pasta
1:57
Well, but pasta with swichko, huh? You f***ing. Were dumplings better when you were a kid back in the days
2:06
If dumplings were better when you were a kid. I hear you. But I don't remember
2:12
You don't remember? Well, I should remember what was it, how was it when I was a kid, because I don't remember what I ate yesterday, but yes, probably yes
2:23
Now we move to history part of the questions that we received from you. Thank you for the questions again
2:29
Do you identify yourself as a Czech or a Czechoslovak? Well, I was born in Czechoslovakia, so I identified myself as a Czechoslovakian
2:42
Yeah, but now? Well, now I live in Czech Republic. I'm Czech
2:48
Hey, that's my question. Do you like how they call our country Czechia
2:52
Actually, I don't care. How was living in Prague in the Soviet times and were there any tourists
3:04
Well, you know, that's difficult because when you are a kid, when you are young
3:11
you love life so if I say it was wonderful it wasn't because there was a
3:18
stupid communist regime and we can't do what we want and we say somewhere other
3:24
things and we are allowed to say at school at here so but but the memories
3:30
are it was great but I but now let's stick to like Prague what Prague look
3:35
like like do you remember what and empty empty city dark gray with no lights and that was the key different first time when I came to the US and I took a picture of the lights and the American flags
3:52
I was shocked why people put their flags on the walls because they used to love their country
4:00
That was a shock. Why they put in flags? Now we're putting flags when we win the ice hockey championship or whatever
4:09
Was it difficult to travel during these times when there was Czechoslovakia
4:16
Well, of course, yes. Well, your viewers don't understand. Because, for instance, there was one paper you need if you want to travel, so-called exit visa
4:25
Normally, you need a visa from the country where you want to go
4:30
The communists give you the exit visa. They allow you to go to cross the border
4:36
So were you allowed to travel? I was lucky because my sister, she helps you with your English and me a little bit
4:46
She got married in the United States in 1967 before Russian occupation
4:52
She married an American guy. She was legally married. So sometimes communists let me visit her
5:00
Of course, my parents have to stay in Prague as a... Rukoimi
5:06
Hostage. Hostage. They never let us go together. During those times in 1968, you were a kid
5:13
And I remember you were telling me how you could hear the planes coming in
5:17
I even remember the moment when the ring at 3 o'clock or 2 o'clock in the morning ring
5:24
My fire picked up the phone. And what? Who was on the other line? Russians
5:30
Somebody says, we are occupied. We are occupied. You made it through
5:35
Oh, come on, Dad. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. We'll go back to the beer
5:40
In some age, in the age, you are sensitive. Oversensitive. Don't make fun of him if you cry
5:48
I'm an actor. I'm not pretending. No. So you talked about how Prague has changed since you were a kid
5:58
So let's just talk about where you live. Prague changed when I was 30 years old
6:04
Or 35. 1989 was the breaking point. Of course it took a number of years before all those wonderful
6:14
restaurants, places which you are filming and tourists have a reason to go
6:19
So was there, before 89, were there restaurants on all towns were full of tourists or..
6:25
Not full of tourists. There were restaurants for reasonable prices in those days. Really
6:30
Well, for me everything always seems to be expensive but I am a cheap guy, you know it
6:34
Yeah, I do. Danny, why did you name me Janek? Well, my grandfather, which I never met, was Jan
6:45
It's complicated. My father's brother, who lived in Canada, Jan Rubeš, who was a quite famous opera singer in Canada, in Toronto
6:53
He played with Harrison Ford. In Witness. We are fairly proud of it
6:59
Jan Rubeš, check the movie, check the name. And so I want to have another Jan Rubeš in the family
7:05
Okay. But your mom starts to call you Janek because it was easier
7:10
What's the most embarrassing story about me? What means embarrassing? Embarrassing? Talk to me
7:19
Well, I remember one. When you were at the third grade or fourth grade at a school Yeah and the principal of the school called me and your mom that you did something really terrible and they showed us the prints Oh no no you can talk
7:37
about that. That was sixth grade or seventh grade. Well, yeah, it's nice. No, now, well, if you put
7:44
this, you put it. It was seventh grade. Okay, seventh grade and they show us put on a table
7:52
the pornographic pictures. It was porn. It was like... Well, nude ladies
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Nude ladies. With the faces of the teachers. I only took the pictures
8:03
I didn't... Well, finish the story. Well, and they put it in and said
8:08
only who has the skill to do that must be your son
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And I look at it and I said, if my son will do that
8:17
he will do it much better. This is very bad done. and that was the first time when your mom
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we were in some fights, we divorced later on, said, I love you
8:29
That was, you really protect your son first time in your life
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So that was the story. Would you like or dislike about me? I will say what I like or dislike about you
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I don't care. Well, first of all, you are my son, so I have to like you
8:46
He always complains that. You only like me because I'm your son. I always said yes
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I don't know. I don't like you like on you when you are when I ask you the question how to change
9:01
the rings on my phone and you look at me. Yeah, what do you honestly think about my beard and my
9:11
beer addiction? Beer is this. Beert and beer. You call this a beard with all those holes and
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things. He doesn't like it when I say that. When he's nervous, he's like... That's the first part
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of the question. The second part of the question. And beer. My beer addiction. Well, his grandfather
9:35
was the very famous and one of the biggest anti-alcoholic fighter. He has a doctor at the mental hospital
9:46
He has alcoholics there. But it is not virus that you go there
9:50
and you can catch it, but maybe. But my father likes beer. Okay
9:55
I hope it's not addiction. No, it's not addiction. If it will be addiction, I send you to some old father's friends
10:01
Okay, great. What was your reaction when we started with Honzik chasing all the crooks around Prague, all the scammers
10:10
Of course I was afraid about you. Really? But I never admit it
10:16
Admit, yeah? Přiznal? I would never admit that. Do you enjoy watching it
10:22
Yeah, I am afraid. I am afraid. You did crazy things. And when you started like the house and started like the fans
10:31
and when there was staying around the house, the black Mercedes, and so that's
10:38
I have a strange feeling. Yeah, when I locked the house and there was a black Mercedes
10:44
we all had strange feelings. Yes, yes. Have we ever traveled together? Yes. When
10:50
You don't remember? No. Where is the last place we've been together
10:56
Last place was US. When you did that, not Big Ted Talk, how you... TEDx. TEDx
11:04
TEDx. I was proud on you. Yeah. Thank you. But the best trip we have the best I remember with not his mom but my wife She is not his mom she is his stepmom
11:19
And we were in Israel. That was fun, right? Well, expensive beer
11:25
But you pay for it, so that was good. Where was your favorite place you've been to with your wife
11:31
You travel a lot. Yes. So what's so far your favorite? Best place in the world for me was Yemen
11:37
It was in a time when we get the last chance when we can travel
11:43
when Yemen was free and united. And we travel hiking in Yemen, in the villages, in Haraz
11:50
and we're on the island Socotra. Most wonderful place in the world, unfortunately
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probably will be damaged by the wars. Daddy, where is Honest Mom
12:05
Or maybe who is Honest Mom? Your mom. Yes, of course. She is home in her apartment
12:13
Why did you divorce? Long story or short? Short story. I was a terrible husband
12:20
Thank you. Last but not least, can you be in more videos
12:26
People are literally asking for you. Depends on you. Well, of course, I'm writing a number of where is your dad and those things you don't recognize
12:36
to go outside hiding in but if you do more and more I think they will invite
12:40
me more and more what's the episode you would like to do with us would you like to go to the city and show your film when the yeah about the underground life
12:53
of life you want to go like what catch well no direct dealers so what on the
13:02
ground isn't like under the road no I don't want to say What's your movie
13:08
The red lamp. You have to get it left. Red light. District
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You idiot. And on that bombshell. All right, Daddy. Thank you so much for having us
13:28
And this was fun. We made you cry. We made you laugh. How long can it be
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be. This episode? It depends on Hansiku, how he edits it. Okay, Hansiku, make
13:40
it short, please. Thank you. Thank you, Daddy. Well, that was really
13:51
really interesting. Well, so maybe next time we can probably finally do something
13:56
real in the kitchen. Who knows? Maybe we will be listening to some blabbering again
14:03
I'm just joking. I really hope you enjoyed this episode with Janek and his dad. We noticed that you liked him in our previous
14:11
videos and we thought it would be really cool if he would be here to share some of his wisdom and
14:16
some funny stories because he has a lot of them. If you liked the episode just post something in
14:22
the comment. Maybe we will even make him honest the dad YouTube channel. It might be a lot of fun
14:28
Thank you very much for watching The Honest Guide. I hope you are still safe wherever you are
14:32
and we'll see you next week. Bye guys. Now I'm gonna do something really quick so I hope you're
14:41
hungry man and we have a couple of Czech words for you at the end. Tatínek, tačka, táta
14:48
they all mean the same father. Tačka, tatínek, tačka, tačoulinda, there might be more
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