Living in continental Europe has its
perks (and drawbacks – weather, expense, administrational
interference in even the most mundane everyday tasks), and besides
the gravitas and scenic window dressing authentic historical
surroundings provide, chief among these is the proximity of other
major cities and countries. With Prague just three hours from home,
what better place to visit for a Christmas holiday?
We randomly crossed the border a few weeks earlier on a University retreat in the Sachsen Switzerland. Walking through the town of Sebnitz, we came upon a sign welcoming us to the Czech Republic. EU open border policy means border crossing is as simple as crossing the street. The Czech Republic we entered this day was run down – think stores in people's garages, buildings crumbling, graffiti. But what we found in Prague last week was a whole other world. We also visited the Seddlac Ossuary, otherwise known as the 'bone church', in Kutna Hora, a small town some 70 miles outside the city. Once again, quite a different experience from Prague, like time traveling back to mid 20th century communist era rather than the 13th century. Well, except for the bone church which is festooned with the bones of plague victims from the 14th century. I find that global cities never offer a great representation of their home country. They exist in their own bubble offering cultural hints of where you are but never really more than a superficial glimpse. Whether this caters to tourists in search of a sanitized experience or owes to the fact that populations are such a mishmash I'm not sure. But in the case of Prague, while the population is a mix of Baltics, Russians, Ukranians, Romanians the preserved history is spectacular.
Anyway, so I finally made it to Prague. It was everything I expected it to be, except much larger and more expensive. Somehow I had pictured a smallish city easily walkable. This it most definitely is not. Actually, what I liked -and which is a touchy subject with the locals who are adamant Czech Republic is central Europe – is that you really feel as though you have entered the cultural east. There are many Russians, Romanians, Ukranians, and these languages are spoken more often than English. We tried to learn a few basic phrases, but Czech is a tough language and nothing beyond 'good day' stuck in my head.
The food was hearty and pretty good,
assuming you like dumplings and lots of meat. This is no place for
vegetarians or vegetable lovers – unless pickled red cabbage is
your thing. While dumplings aren't necessarily my favourite, I really
enjoyed the meals – and the desserts were to die for. We discovered
amazing delis in the Jewish quarter, no big surprise there, with the
most incredible desserts . What I found confusing was the currency –
the Kronun is not broken down into cents, so the smallest
denomination is one, and up from there it counts. This is confusing
when you are trying to establish how much money you actually have.
The locals were much friendlier than expected. In Leipzig I have
grown so used to generally unpleasant – actually flat out rude and
sour people, but the Czechs are much nicer and so much more
sophisticated. And the men are distracting: tall, really good looking
and so well dressed. I also want to know what the women's secret is
because they all have this long, lusterous, shampoo commercial worthy
hair. In fact, being here made me sad that I cut my hair short this
year and I am now determined to grow it back. The secret might
possibly be this special shampoo made from beer that we kept finding
in stores around town. Needless to say, I now own a bottle.
Prague is so jam packed with history
that the only city I could think to compare it with is Istanbul,
where around every street corner lurks some ancient hidden gem. I was
amused that a lot of the popular local anecdotes were actually pretty
gruesome in nature. Defenestrations for instance occurred regularly
throughout Prague's history. What is a defenestration? Throwing
people out of windows. Dislike followers of a certain religion? Then
round them up and push them over the edge. The Sedlac Ossuary was
also kind of gruesome. I'm not sure how many skeletons line the
chapel, but the fact that some priest found them stacked and decided
to make furnishings rather than burying them is...interesting.
Personally, I would be offended to be used for anything less than the
grand chandelier. In one of the main churches (there are so many,
good luck keeping them straight), hangs a 500 year old mummified
forearm and hand over the entrance. It belonged to some unfortunate
thief who got caught back in the day and serves as a reminder not to
steal from the church. It looks like leathery KFC, which I will never
eat again.
The old town is so full of winding
passages and narrow streets that are very difficult to navigate,
meaning much time was spent wandering lost. Also, really, the whole
city looks like an 'old town' so this makes it quite difficult to
tell where you are. And I swear there are seven towers that look the
same as the famous 'Powder Tower'. In the main square was a twinkling
Weinachtsmarkt, though as with everywhere in these parts full of
stalls hawking Christmas kitsch. The main square is surrounded by
beautifully preserved buildings, and also features the famous
astronomical clock with its glockenspiel, rated Europe's second most
disappointing tourist attraction. It definitely lived up to this
distinction, providing an exceptionally boring show. In the newer
part of town was Wencelas square – actually a boulevard, and named
for the Good King Wencelas of Christmas carol fame. Around here one
finds the main shopping area populated with horrible sales people. I
don't think we looked like shoplifters, but they follow you
everywhere leaving you with maybe one foot of personal space in
which to browse.
The Charles Bridge divides Prague 1 and
the old town from Mala Strana on the other side of the river,
dominated by the Castle district – which holds the distinction of
being the largest castle in central Europe. It's a mishmash of
historical architectural styles since it was transformed over the
centuries by various occupants, most recently the notoriously
chinless Hapsburgs. It's a steep hike up narrow cobblestone streets
to reach the castle, but the view from the top is breathtaking and
well worth it. Also at the peak sits Saint Vitas Cathedral, a
tremendous example of Gothic architecture. Also on top sits the
Strahov monastary where the monks are known for brewed beer (we
sampled – it was tasty) and the philosophical library, one of the
world's most famous. I had seen it before in one of those annoying
facebook posts about the top ten this or that – in this case must
see libraries, so I was curious and very impressed, though found it
in dire need of an open window.
The rickety trams that bomb around the
city looked like relics from the 60s, but actually contribute to the
charm of the cityscape. I was also impressed with the local
handicrafts, and found the hand painted Russian dolls and Bohemian
crystal ware so beautiful. I'm not clear where the Czech fondness for
marionettes comes from, but many stores carried large selections of
elaborately carved, lifelike puppets, some terrifying like witches
and demons, others bearing the likeness of dead celebrities. There
was even a theatre showing operas enacted with marionettes, Mozart's
Don Giovani was on rotation during our stay.
The one thing I found a little
terrifying about Prague was the sheer number of tourists (I know, I
am one). It's just really overwhelming and I can only imagine must
drive the locals crazy. But when I complained to one of our tour
guides, she said that this is the quiet season and that in summer
there are easily triple the number. Oh...god. But I really liked what
I have seen of the Czech Republic so far, and hope to see a little
more. I was so impressed with the people, the history – it felt
somehow exotic for me. But Poland and Hungary are calling, and from
Vienna next year much of the east will be even closer
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