Prague, or is it called Praha?
1 Comment [Writing this post in Budapest. I finally have a chance.]
I got into this Czech town in the late afternoon of a very dark day (25th June 2006). The weather did not know whether it wanted to rain or just be really cloudy. So it alternated between both. The lighting accentuated the color & contrast between the homeless junkies & the street, which gave me a great shocking feeling one might feel from seeing works by a master modern artist. This was not a good first impressions for someone who has been given high expectations of the city’s beauty. I don’t really want to sound like this was an East European stereotyped joke, but it made me wonder what I had gotten myself into.
However, the next day was pure warmth and sunshine. I definitely got much more of a tan walking around the town. In fact, after a while I got plain old soaked with sweat. Luckily I just bought a 1.5 Liter CamelBak hydration pack to tuck away in my messenger bag. I’ve learned that drinking water while touring the city is just necessary for survival. [I drink it regularly just so my messenger bag won't be so heavy. I think I'm developing back problems here.]
I passed over the Charles Bridge where many merchants were hocking their tourist wares. There actually was an interesting booth (not pictured) of a son selling his old father’s art… vivid expressionist works painted on sheet metal, which had a glossy glow in direct sunlight yet has a cool contrast of colors in the shade. I was tempted to buy one piece I liked, but I really didn’t want to carry it around with me for another 2 months. Contrary to the belief that there are nothing but vendors on this bridge, there are in fact some sites to see on this bridge– the statues being the main attraction although half of them are actually replicas. Pictured here is the statue of St. John Nepomuk. The story goes that St John was a priest that refused to break the sacrament of confession (if I recall), yada yada yada, death ensued and he was dropped off the bridge. Five stars appeared when he hit, so they built a statue on the bridge for him… and thus the reason for the five stars on his head. Now us tourist walk up and rub the plaque clean and make a wish… I wish that I didn’t look so foolish in my picture. 
Another historical story about the bridge. Convicts used to be marched from the castle to the town square for a nice hanging… and they would always stop at this statue of Christ on the crucifix to pray… ok, it’s not much of a story. But you get to see the construction underway on this end of the bridge.
So I crossed the bridge and hit the castle on the hill, what a climb. Here’s a picture of the St. Vitus Cathedral in the castle grounds. I climbed up to the top of its bell tower, but I don’t think I got any pictures while up there (video I did take). I walked about the castle grounds, but opted out touring the palaces. I had started to go over budget with the travels and hostels. I wanted to conserve a bit.
And back to the Charles Bridge who likes to hide other bits of stories. The tiny island under this bridge (between the main Prague districts and the castle district) hides the Lennon Wall. No, not the socialist, the hippie artist. After John Lennon was murdered, graffiti of Lennon’s song lyrics appeared overnight on this wall. This was during the time of old Soviet rule and it was a marvelous act of rebellion. Whenever it was painted over, graffiti was sure to come back. The Soviet rules are gone, but the graffiti lives on. This wall is still the only place in Prague where graffiti is legal. Some in the know tourists come by and scribble their own private messages. I wonder how many layers of ink are on this wall.
And finally, back down and more walking around the city. Honestly, there’s a lot of city to walk here. I hung about the old town square quite a bit probably because it was somewhat central (and closer to my hostel).
I even spent some time in a dungeon of a bar watching a snore of a World Cup game. Maybe I was just too tired from walking. Or maybe I was just too full from eating some local cuisine (Roasted pig, pickled vegetables, some sort of potato dish, and spinach).
The next day I walked about areas that I missed. It included a lot of the Nove Mesto area (all boring quiet Med and University campuses), the Wenceslas Square area, and a trip through the Jewish Quarter… If one looks on the map, one notices that I walked across town… it’s quite a walk, Prague is bigger than I thought (yet still very doable).
The one big goal of the day was to find Kafka’s grave… a bit morbid, but that idea got put in my head by another traveller from Ohio. I ended up in the Old Jewish Cemetery in the quarter. I ended up going to other synagogues in the area because it was bundled in with the ticket, and not really worth the effort in my opinion. The same goes with most of the cathedrals in Europe… Oh my gosh, I haven’t been to church so much since I was a kid. The cemetery has some interesting history, and the feel to it is just spooky (something out of a fantasy novel); the jagged array of tombstones make for interesting viewing. One will also pass by the grave of Rabbi Judah Loew the Maharal, who is featured in classic golem myth of Prague.
Those were the highlights that I have pictures of. However, I would like to say that Prague is a very complicated feeling city. I experienced a lot more than the pictures show. The weather went from rain to sun to rain to sun; the city life felt very modern to very old; it was clean & safe and it was also dirty and dangerous; it was quiet and loud under a roar of tourists; it was cheap and it was expensive. The city has a split-personality disorder– every time I think I have it figured out, the city changes on me. — and it made me want to stay longer.
you failed to mention how Prague has the hottest women in Europe… a normal place, such as Southern California or even Germany, about 5-10% of females are attractive. In prague, easily about 30-40% of the females were hot. this ratio is unheard of!! i need to go back to prague…
Comment by Kenny — July 7, 2006 @ 8:36 am