Prague Compass Magazine - Meet Czech girls: Dating in Prague

Single Prague Female
A Guide to Prague Dating
by Jane Vein
Originally published February 2005

It's a never-ending scenario, full of hopeful evenings and late mornings. You go to bars, maybe painfully frequently, sit in the brightest corner making seductive eye contact and the entire male community invites you for drinks; then � nothing happens. After a while, you get bored with the reality of neon-nightlife and give in to virtual temptation. Drawn into sites full of penetrating pictures, provocative profiles and desperately seeking souls, the never-ending search to fill up the space between the long empty weekends and the lonely dreamless nights continues.

Going Virtual
Internet dating is nothing new, it's just that the advent of cheap computers, even cheaper internet access and internet equipped mobile phones, has allowed just about everybody to search, sift and sort the web non-stop for likely matches , no matter how esoteric their desires. A visit to the huge Planeta internet caf� in Vinohrady is revealing. On any given evening a full 25% of net surfers sit at their stations intently scrutinizing screens filled with photos of likely prospects from their preferred virtual match-up site.

So how do I get started, you ask? The Czech Republic has numerous options available, most of them offering basic services free of charge. If you're looking for a spicy romance with a torrid ending you have to check out Seznamka, the country's most popular dating site (www.seznamka.cz). This Czech language site is also accessible via WAP compatible cell phones. The wide variety of categories ranges from innocent ones like "Traveling Together" (Cestujeme spolu), "Correspondence and Friends" (Dopisování a prátelé), going out for picnics and watching movies to more risqué categories such as "Sexy meeting" (Sexy seznamka), which should probably be avoided by those with pre-existing heart conditions. If you're a foreigner whose Czech is good enough to navigate the site, look for the "Cizojazycné" (Foreign Languages) section where ads can be posted in English, Spanish, German, Russian or any other language.

For those who don't speak Czech there are several English language sites serving the Czech Republic. Date.com is a well-structured site with open access to photographs and personal profiles, while Plentyoffish.com offers a section for dating in Prague, but is more of a long-term proposition because most of the men on the site are primarily located in the United States and Canada. Nonetheless, this may be the site for you if you simply want to chat or exchange romantic emails. But the "ultimate singles resource", in my opinion, is metrodate.com, with an extremely well-laid out site, good quality pictures and creative personal descriptions. Equally important for internationally minded match seekers is that, as well as covering foreigners living in Prague, it also includes people who plan to visit or move to the city in the future.

With such a variety of choice and so many categories of potential matches, it should come as no surprise that different people use these on-line services for a variety of different reasons. Czech native Eva is a statuesque blond beauty whose youthful face and trim figure belie her 29 years and status as a divorced mother. Her work and parental duties take up a great deal of her time, so she has turned to the web to speed up the process of making new acquaintances. Over the course of the past two years, Eva has met activity partners for sports, a boyfriend and a few certified whackos. She says that she once met a 75-year-old English-speaking man who was only interested in an intimate encounter with her and said he was prepared to pay 3,000 € for the privilege. She politely refused.

American on-line dater Michael Chase was more single-minded in his pursuit. After placing an ad on one of the larger Czech language sites, he got 13 responses over the course of one month and ultimately went on eight dates. Almost every on-line contact he had began as his dream girl. One girl, for example, started a fantasy dialogue with him, initially on-line and later by SMS, where he was a fisherman and she a mermaid. Michael adds, "There were lots of really clever jokes and stories about her silver tail and my 60-foot yacht, etc. So we decided to meet and I took her to a sushi restaurant (of course), but over dinner the ability to keep up the energy just wasn't there. The next day, I wrote her that I enjoyed myself, but I didn't have enough interest to continue. She was disappointed, but sincerely thanked me for my honesty." When asked if he was satisfied with the on-line results he says, "Well, I didn't get a girlfriend if that's what you mean, but I did make friends and I still keep in touch with two or three of them."

Speed Dating
Speed dating is quickly becoming a trendy way to meet new people. It's fast, painless and safe, as well as being somewhat anonymous since personal details such as your phone number and address are kept secret.

First Sight speed dating is probably the most successful speed dating organization in the Czech Republic. Events are held twice a month with both Czech and English language nights available. Every speed dating event follows the same appealing and efficient scenario. The woman is boss and sits at her own table sipping her drink as ten successive men, her potential matches, turn up to meet her and engage in a quick chat. The woman has approximately five minutes to interview the victim of her desire. When the organizer sounds the bell, each of the gentlemen must continue on to the next table to meet another seductress. Both men and women take notes about their meeting, and at the end of the evening they fill out a questionnaire which is given to the organizer. If a man and a woman both express interest in meeting again, the organizer notifies them and they can arrange it on the spot.

On my first visit to a speed dating event, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of men to be found. They were attractive, smart and in some cases very interesting. It was almost impossible to believe that they were all single! From a young, very handsome lawyer to an interesting university professor, to a cocktail lounge tiger, I had several fantastic chats during the night and I would recommend this type of dating to everyone. Kirsten Kemfer, one of the First Sight principals, says that Speed Dating holds an advantage over other methods in that you actually get to meet your prospective date in person, as many people who engage in on-line dating tend to embellish the truth. First Sight claims that over 85% of its participants find a match so if you consider the price of actually going on ten quick dates, it makes their entry fee of 500 CZK look like quite a bargain!

Introduction Services
If you're really serious about meeting that special somebody and you're also willing to pay a price to minimize the guesswork, there are several introduction agencies, such as Hand in Hand or Planet Romance, which connect local girls with foreign men from around the world. Girls can participate for free - sorry guys!

Traditional Methods
If you're the demanding type and you doubt that internet, first sight or introduction services can get you the kind of dreamboat that you're looking for, remember that you don't have to be a tall blonde beauty speaking fluent English in order to find the ultimate Mr. Right. Just pick your favorite summer vacation location, book yourself the best hotel available, and sit by the pool waiting for the fatal occasion to meet that prince charming with his head buried in The Financial Times.

If none of the above works for you, don't despair! When your hand is curling up with cramps at the end of that all-night net session, remember that Prague offers something for everyone and you can bet that Solidní Nejistota and Emotan are open until dawn.

On the Web
www.seznamka.cz
www.date.com
www.plentyoffish.com
www.metrodate.com
www.planetromance.cz
www.handinhand.cz
www.firstsight.cz