While working for British Airways (or one of its previous incarnations) my grandfather struck up what was to be a lifelong friendship with a pilot of a Czechoslovakian airline. This was back in the days when most Czechs were held tight behind the iron curtain. Not so the international flying pilots, of course.
My grandfather went to Prague to visit him a few times. One of those trips was in 1973. He took plenty of photographs, all carefully transferred to slides and stored in secure cases. I dare say they haven’t been seen by a single soul in decades. Today they can be seen by everyone and anyone with a web browser and an internet connection.
Again, I could have done more work on the photos. But I’m really after quick and easy. But nonetheless, I was pretty happy with the results. So, without any further ado, I present to you a slideshow of Prague in the midst of the Cold War. You can see the full set on Flickr by clicking here.
The Mexile 
Nice pictures. Even in the dreary days of Communist rule, Prague was a lovely city. Today, I suspect those nearly empty streets are jammed with traffic and crowds of tourists.
LikeLike
I’ve never actually been to Prague myself. I’d like to. I think about it from time to time. But I know that your suspicion is in fact a fact. And I go somewhere a little bit quieter…
LikeLike
Nice photos. Looks like fine photography runs in your family. Lucky you! And how praguematic to put them on the web.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where there are tons of family slides still not seeing the light of day. Or of a film scanner.
LikeLike
Praguematic…I see what you did there! 🙂
Gramps would love what you can do with a camera and a computer in the 21st century. Nevermind, he loved what a camera and slides could do in the 20th century instead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The slides take me back to a different era — and an entirely different life for me.
LikeLike
I dare say any trip to Prague for you back in those days would have involved high explosives dropped from a great height.
LikeLike