I arrived in Most in the afternoon and walked around the city. I saw the fantastic Hněvín Castle and a pretty gothic church. However, in the 1960s the old city of Most wasdemolished to make room for mines, and since then it has been a city dedicated to mining and industry. The center is mostly modern and developed and the outskirts are filled with eyesores like “paneláky” – blocks of flats.

Because there wasn’t much for sightseeing, I came up with a different plan. I decided to find a good pub and see some differences between American and Czech pubs.

I found a busy pub near the center. There were lots of tables, each with a green tablecloth, an ashtray, and beer mats. I found a free table and sat down. The waitress seemed angry when she brought me a beer. She dropped a beer mat in front of me, put the beer on it, and marked a slash on a slip of paper which she left on the table. This was very different from an American pub – a typical American waitress is super friendly and smiley.

I watched hockey on television and drank beer. Two men approached and asked if they could sit at my table, which is another difference between U.S. and Czech pubs. In Czech pubs people share tables with strangers, which does not happen in America. The two men spoke to me in broken English. They told me a little about the city, the history, and ice hockey.

During our chat I picked up a useful phrase in Czech, “ještě jedno,” which means “one more.” Every time the waitress came I said “ještě jedno!” until I was rather drunk and then I said “no!”

I was surprised when the waitress brought me more beers even after I said “no.” Later the two men at the table explained that the Czech word “no” is short for “ano,” which actually means “yes.” This misunderstanding led to a drunken evening. However, the two men were very friendly, the local hockey team won the game, and I finally made the waitress smile, so it was also a great evening.