"Bohemian" Revelation!

I'm almost as excited as I was when I discovered Monocle!

Before I arrived in Prague (in Central Bohemia)

I was convinced that I would be confronted with a population who were bohemian

free spirited, unorthodox artists - the bohemian (or boho) lifestyle so romantically represented in media and fashion (read: 'Bohemian Hippie Blouse - Mango') the world over

REAL Bohemians, as it turned out, did not quite match the ads.

I felt jibbed.

Imagine being inspired by those fantastic "Incredible India" TV spots only to have a guide take you to a Mumbai slum as your first indian experience.

Epiphany!

sitting in a cosy cafe doing research for a long overdue evolvingchoice article on the recently held EU Roma summit, I found my answer!

Bohemian is a French word which emerged in the 19th century...

The French... Believed the Gypsies (Roma), who's neighbourhoods artists were flocking to, were from...

Bohemia!!