Most Prague districts are supplied with hot water from power stations and heating plants using centralized heat distribution. Unfortunately, maintenance is performed annually, which means residents must do without hot water for several days (typically 5 to 12) every year. Each district has its own schedule, so there isn’t a city-wide shortage of hot water, and most natives make do by heading for their gyms, instead.
This regularly scheduled maintenance, however, is apparently not the cause for the present absence of hot water in my flat, where we have been without hot water for very nearly a week now. I don’t know what the problem is: all I’ve heard from the landlord on the subject is "Damn technicians!".
I knew of course that things would be different outside the US; that was, in fact, part of the point of my leaving. But gosharoonie: I wasn’t expecting things to be this primitive!
