Vaclav Havel with Bill Clinton at the Reduta Jazz Club
A memorable moment in the relations between the United States and Czech Republic occurred in 1994 when then U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the country and took in the music at the Reduta Jazz Club. Havel presented Clinton with a saxophone and then our former president jammed with the band for a few songs. Sadly, Havel passed away two days ago after a brilliant life as a politician and a writer.
The Reduta Jazz Club in Prague still proudly proclaims the home of this fabled meeting with pictures of this historic night in front of their establishment. Oddly enough, Europeans have embraced jazz more than mainstream Americans have, so when traveling overseas in Europe it is a must adventure to check out the jazz scene in any European city. The Reduta Jazz Club is an outstanding place to start in Prague.
TT
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I got to visit the Czech Republic a few years ago and learned a lot about the history there. Havel was instrumental in the changes and really is a hero there. I was sad to hear that he died but thankful I got to learn more about him and see some of the places where history happened.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Best of Travel 2011: The rules
He will definitely go down as a great man Jeremy. He left quite a legacy not only as political leader, but a humanitarian and an artist.
I’m such a Clinton fan!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..France & Italy With Trafalgar Tours: Day 5 (Part 2)
Andi,
I think all of us Americans who travel a lot really appreciate Clinton. He was the last President we have had that the rest of the world really admired.
I traveled around SE Asia during the Bush years, and our reputation politically was at its lowest. People were kind enough to never blame our politics on me individually, but sometimes I felt awkward and embarrassed at the turn of some of the conversations with people from all over the world.
It would be interesting now to gauge what the rest of the world thinks of Obama, not that he has had much of a chance to get anything accomplished.