Damien Galeone

When you live in a city for a long time you become used to the sounds of it. These sounds could be unique to the city or an everyday sound that resonates with you for some reason. In Pittsburgh it could be fireworks, as they are set off to celebrate everything: a Pirates’ win, a Tuesday without rain. In Jerusalem it could be the muezzin calling Muslims to prayer. And in Dallas, the people walking around saying, “Holy fuck. I live in Dallas.”

In any case, you’ll probably continue to identify some sounds to your city until you get really old and start pooping on your stove. Then you’ll live in a place where the only sounds are Matlock on the television and your 16:45 dinner bell.

Here are some sounds that make Prague…well, Prague.

Wednesday Air Raid Siren

I arrived in Prague ten years ago on a Tuesday morning. On late Wednesday morning, as I walked through Anděl trying to find my new school, a siren pierced the air for exactly one minute. I figured it was all over. The Russians were fucking coming. Again.

Little did I know that on the first Wednesday of every month at exactly 12 noon, there is a one-minute air-raid siren that shrieks through the city. Of course there hasn’t been a true air-raid in Prague since, oh, 1968ish, but it’s still a tradition. That means it is largely ignored by the populace and is usually just something you have to sit through.

If you’re lucky enough to be in the vicinity of some tourists, it is damn good fun to watch them squirm and call their mommies.

Bů! Čerstvé mléko! (Moo! Fresh Milk!)

Ah yes, the Bů! Čerstvé mléko! guy. This is a man who drives around Prague in a truck selling fresh dairy products. His ice-cream man call is a recorded voice that says “Bů! Čerstvé mléko!” over and over again.

Depending on where you live in Prague you hear this call for fresh dairy products at different times of the day and on different days of the week. I hear it in Podolí every Monday at 17:30.

I have met the Bů! Čerstvé mléko! guy once, when buying ice cream and yogurt. It was not unlike meeting the Mr. Rogers of dairy. Sidenote: Czech cows say Bů, Czech frogs say Kvak, and Czech cats say mnau. This language is tough.

Bells

And not nice ones either. These aren’t Red Cross Santa ding-a-ling bells on a sidewalk outside of Macy’s at Christmas. These bells are attached to the hundreds of trams that run around Prague on a daily basis at all times. These bells essentially tell people, “Stay the hell out of my way!” And as trams are essentially propelled metal monsters, these bells are a good idea. To be in Prague is to hear a cacophony of these bells.

These bells are also attached to the mood or the mental state of the tram driver. A two tap notification ring can represent a driver who is in a good mood. A steadier, more thronging blast suggests a driver who’s nearing the end of his tether. And a violent, obnoxious full-press ringing is indicative of a driver who hasn’t gotten laid since the late 1970s and is just sobering up for the day.

In any event, these bells are synonymous with Prague.

The Rock Boats

This is nowhere near as cool as it sounds. I live near the Vltava River and every summer there are three or four ‘rock’ boats running up and down the river carrying tourists. They allow tourists to see the city from the water – admittedly, a wonderful view – they charge 90Kč for a Gambrinus, serve duck, and blast American rock from the late 80s and that timeless Ukrainian club music.

This, at first, was beyond annoying. However, I am now so used to the rock boats that I can’t sleep in the summer without my Bon Jovi lullaby.

What sounds will forever remind you of your city?