bout de papier, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1989), p. 27
by Islay Mawhinney
If you were to ask any of the officers who have passed through the Prague Embassy in the past 28 years whom they remember particularly of the Czechs they met, you would probably receive a unanimous reply: Cipra. He has elan, panache, dash, sophistication and charm, and all this in a country whose citizens are most often compared to the dour Scots. But in any country Pan Zdenek Cipra would be considered remarkable and he has been running the Canadian Embassy for 28 years under the guise of being the Ambassador’s driver.
In his youth, he was a racing driver and he has not lost with the passing years his fine touch at the wheel. The rallies and the races may be distant memories but, though the Ambassador might leave the Embassy late, he is never late on arrival. If the streets are blocked with traffic, there are always the tram tracks. This is where bemused Praguites in stalled Skodas often see the Ambassadorial chevrolet with the flag flat out in a high velocity sprint to another appointment. If there are no tram tracks, there are always other possibilities to be explored on the side of the street usually reserved for oncoming traffic.
But arriving first does not always involve unnerving high speed races against the clock. Last fall, on the morning of his farewell reception, the West German Ambassador must have been dismayed when he looked out the window of his Lobkowicz Palace to see Prague Roadworks Inc. (Prazske Komunikace) tearing up the only access road to his residence. Later that morning, all of diplomatic Prague was caught in a chaotic web of stalled traffic. Cipra, however, had been in the area earlier in the day and had quickly seen what had to be done. We had an extremely pleasant drive at low speed through the autumnal splendours and along the footpaths of the park which spreads up the Petrin hill behind the German Embassy. The Canadians were the first to express their regrets to the departing Ambassador and to wish him well in his future endeavours.
Cipra had become, after 28 years, the doyen of the ambassadorial drivers and there seemed to be an understanding amongst all the other drivers that the best parking spot should always be reserved for the Canadian car. Otherwise, who could explain why there is always without exception a space at the very doorstep of wherever the Ambassador is invited. At the termination of these events, as weary Ambassadors spill out onto the sidewalks, it was always the Canadian and his wife who were swept away first. Cipra in great style banishes Canada’s overworn image as a diffident Middle Power. In Prague, we are in the super league.
Driving skills, however, are the least of Cipra’s talents. It was as a linguist that he really shined, slipping effortlessly in and out of Czech, German and a very colloquial English learned on the job but spiced with certain indefinable Czech influences. When you ask Cipra to do something for you he always says, “I do” rather than “I will” thereby making the promise seem much more emphatic and certain to be carried out. These linguistic skills combined with driving wizardry and a very definite elegance of demeanour have endeared Cipra to our Very Important Guests. Sadly, Mr. Trudeau missed the succulent wild boar which Cipra managed to obtain for a dinner that had to be cancelled. Hunting afficionados are quick to take advantage of Cipra’s expert advice on equipment.
Cipra’s wife died three or four years ago which was a great shock to him. Now, however, he has remarried, to a friend of many years. Together, they are much preoccupied with the restoration of an old farmhouse in a beautiful part of West Bohemia.
Unhappily for the current incumbent of the Embassy, Cipra retired at New Year’s from his duties as driver and now devotes himself full time to house renovation, the pursuits of the country squire, travel and a little “paper work” in Prague.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1989), p. 27. Read the rest of this issue →
