Eva Tolkovsky

"It was in late 1969. Up until 15 September, there was amnesty. Although there were the protests that year, Palach burnt himself to death and such things, people started losing hope that there was anything to be done about the situation. Plus there was the amnesty up until 15 September when everyone could freely return from abroad. That was a challenge. I thought something would probably happen past 15 September. So I went to see my dad whom I haven't been in touch with for ages and asked him to get me a flight ticket to London. He helped me out and I left on the 13th, determined to see what happens after the 15th and based on that either return or stay. As it turned out, on 15 September they shut the borders and so I knew that it would have grave consequences. I was still a minor which meant that they'd put me in a boarding house and my study plans would have no chance of succeeding. So I ended up staying in London."

"In fact, for me, 1968 was traumatic in the reverse sense. It was so amazing that I was never able to really cure from it. It marked me with its beauty and awesomeness. I had my exile's dreams and was always imagining myself walking around Prague, trying to recall which way to go to get to some place, not to forget my way. Even though I hadn't hoped I'd ever get the chance to see Prague again."