Yes, it was I who made the statement about the people of Prague being
as cold as ice.  I have been accused twice of being "an American
tourist demanding fast, smiling, service and the comforts of home".
First of all, I am Israeli (you may have noticed from my name that
it's not an American name).  I have traveled extensively in Europe
and the US.  Most countries are warm and welcome their visitors.  The
strongest exceptions that I have noted for that are New York City (not
the rest of the US), Paris and Germany.  When I visited Prague, I did
not live in the area, only visited for a short while, and those who
have challenged my statement both mentioned living there.  I judge
the friendliness of a people not by how they treat their friends and
neighbors but rather how they treat visitors.  Watching people on
the street, the only people that were smiling were obviously tourists.

I saw many locals walking their dogs (it's almost guaranteed that
someone walking their dog will be a local!) and I was amazed to see
them completely ignoring their pets.  The dogs were without exception
trying to get attention from their owners and I only saw two (out of
hundreds) giving them attention.  In the "fast smiling service and
comforts of home" department, the waitress in the hotel's restaurant
actually yelled at me because I used a coffee cup to get a glass of
orange juice.  Later, I saw her yelling at a Japanese tourist because
she didn't rest her coffee cup on the saucer.

I totally enjoyed my visit to Prague and will return (especially to try
out the antique mart on alternate weekends) but I must say that it's
not for the people.  (Israelis in contrast are extremely friendly to
visitors, but not to each other).

Eli Shahar
Givatyim, Israel