Apart from lovely architecture, fine beer, complicated languages, history and the attendant abundance of battlefields, the one thing Central Europe can really boast of is extreme weather. Winters are long and very cold, brief Springs and Autumns are pleasant while Summers (usually) are short and very warm. But over the last 15 years, the weather seems to be more like South-East Asia. So today we have a big flood emergency in Prague after more than 4 days of non-stop rain in Bohemia.
I took these photos at lunchtime today, about 300 metres from my apartment. Thankfully I had the foresight to live on a hill given the history of floods in Prague. So the metro and most of the bridges are closed, which makes commuting a non-starter. Hopefully a bit of normality by the morning.
Amazing weather all over Europe.
ReplyDeleteYikes!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the building in the middle of the river? They'd have wet feet!
It houses a small hydroelectric generator, with some turbines driven somewhere below by the river (there is a weir just next to it). A nice piece of Art Noveau architecture from 1912. Anyway, they's have very wet feet this morning as the whole island was submerged by the flood.
DeleteIts seems extremes of weather are becoming the norm across the whole of Europe. We've had more than our fair share of flooding in the UK in recent years and the trend seems to be the same across the region.
ReplyDeleteStay safe, and I hope the flooding doesn't do any lasting damage.
Thanks Lee. Yes, weather wise this has to have been one of the worst years in Bohemia; it was still snowing here in April, -20c most of the winter, and a very wet May and now June. Thankfully there doesn't seem to be much damage compared to 2002, but North Bohemia looks like it's going to get whacked with flooding (Litomerice, Decin, Usti Nad Labem etc.)
DeleteWow...incredible photos. Stay safe, Mark...hope you've invested in some wellies!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sidney. I think I'd need a hovercraft, not wellies, for that water :-) The metro lines were all closed, so I had to drive over one of the few bridges open this morning, just past the building in the first picture. The island it was on is now completely under water. Thankfully the waters are now subsiding.
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