Prague is one of those cities that everyone raves about –
its beauty, its history, its charm. So I decided I had to go. When my
recruiter told me I shouldn’t book a flight to Moscow until I received
confirmation on my visa processing, I figured instead of book a last minute
(and probably more expensive) flight to Moscow, I’d book an early cheap flight
to Prague, then a last minute flight to Moscow from there. After saying goodbye
to everyone in Wisconsin, Minnesota, then Colorado, I took off for Prague via
two layovers (cheap ticket) in Chicago and London. I finally arrived in Prague
a day and a half later, jet lagged and sleep deprived. I checked into the
hostel after lugging my suitcase (a big change from always traveling light) up
the freakishly slanted metro escalator steps (I was seriously concerned for my
trip back down the escalator with my suitcase in three days time due to the odd
design that made everyone look like they were going to tumble straight down any
second) and down the cobblestone streets of Prague. Once I dumped my stuff,
took a shower, and had some time to compose myself, I took off on a little
walking tour of Prague for orientation.
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| Old Town Square |
Prague
looks like a fairy tale city. It is one of the best preserved medieval towns in
Europe, with a variety of architecture and charm that makes every street
pleasant to walk down. The Old Town Square was my favorite place to hang out
and watch tourists, but I fell in love with the Charles Bridge and its view of
Prague Castle early the next morning, when I got up at 6 am to beat the crowds
and see the sun rise over the Charles Bridge.  |
| Charles Bridge, Prague. |
I love the idea of “waking up with the city,” as Paul
Theroux described it in one of his travel books, when just a few people are out
starting their day, the streets are quiet, and everything glows in the early
morning light. That morning (the day before I only managed to walk around for a
few hours then passed out at the hostel early) I got myself fantastically lost
two times, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed every new twist and turn down the
streets to see what view I would come upon next. I actually never really
oriented myself very well in Prague after three days, as the streets are pretty
windy and tended to set me off in the complete opposite direction than where I
thought I was going. But, as always, that’s the best way to learn, and I was
rewarded with new discoveries each time I got lost.
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| View of Prague Castle |
I
didn’t do much in Prague besides walk and take pictures, but I did cough up
entry fees to both the Prague Museum of Communism and Prague Castle. The
Communism Museum outlined the history of communism in Prague, between the end
of World War II and the advent of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The story
is typical among most communist outlines: collectivization didn’t work,
children were indoctrinated in their textbooks, and everyone was essentially
brainwashed to ‘serve the state.’ Footage of live protests and riots in some of
Prague’s main gathering areas, including Old Town Square and Wencelsclas Square
put the events into better perspective for me. Czechoslovakia was famous for
the “Velvet Revolution,” which alludes to the smooth transition from communism
to a republic, followed by the splitting of Czechoslovakia into the Czech
Republic and Slovakia in 1993.
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| St. Vitus' Cathedral |
The
next day I took my history lesson back to the medieval period, where I learned
more about Prague Castle, situated on top of a hill above the Vlatava River,
and its Bohemian kings. I arrived right at opening time, and was so glad for my
timing especially when I returned to the entrance two hours later and found it
swarming with tour groups. I enjoyed the old cathedral, the original castle,
constructed in the 9th century, and the castle grounds with relative
peace and quiet. I learned that the founder of Prague castle was the grandfather
of Wenceslas, of the Christmas Carol “Good King Wenceslas.” Though Wenceslas
was revered as a saint and the “eternal protector of the Bohemian lands,” he
was never actually a king. I guess “Good Duke Wenceslas” doesn’t quite have
the same ring to it. After touring the castle complex I hung out in the castle
gardens for a while and took in the views of the city from the heights of the
eastward facing castle – I bet Wenceslas saw many a beautiful sunrise in his
day.
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| Beef Goulash |
Prague
offered many advertisements for ‘authentic’ and ‘traditional’ foods, to make
the tourists happier, but as always, I was traveling on a budget and therefore only
indulged in one ‘Czech’ meal, at a restaurant from a recommendation book at the
hostel written by local Prague residents. I chose the menu of the day in Czech,
as there was no English translation for the specials, only the full priced
meals, and was treated to a hearty plate of goulash (basically beef stew),
bread dumplings, shredded horseradish (interesting…), and some veggies. It was
delicious, and 1/3 cheaper than the more touristy restaurant next door
advertising the same dish. Win. Other Czech speciatlies that I noticed on menu
boards seemed to be roasted duck, garlic soup, and a type of sausage that
looked like a giant hot dog on a baguette.
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| Morning sunrise |
I felt
like I was getting my traveling legs (and sore traveling feet) back during my
three days in Prague, and it was thrilling to be back in Europe after three
years and reminded so much of the beauty I experienced three years before. To me, there’s really nothing to compare a
beautiful Gothic cathedral to in the world, and I enjoyed running back through
my Western civilization courses in my head to review architecture, empires, and
dynasties so that I could put Prague’s history into a better perspective. I’ve
never spent much time studying Central or Eastern Europe, so I’m hoping the
next nine months in Russia will help round out my European history education.
It was fun to hear familiar languages again, like French and Spanish, and to
try to guess where people were from. My stopover in Prague was the perfect
introduction to the next year I have to look forward to in Europe, and now that
I’m finally on my way to Moscow, I’m very excited to get back to work, have a
place to live for more than a month at a time, and meet some new people.
My
layover here in Stockholm is just about over, so that’s it for now. I’ll write
more from Moscow – I’ve got a week of orientation coming up, then I imagine
I’ll start teaching a week from Monday. Wish me luck, and enjoy your Labor Day
weekend!
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