I’m excited to be in Prague. I had
heard this was a beautiful city but neither of us have had the chance to visit,
so we grasp the opportunity to spend a few days here. We make our way to another airbnb find. This one is walking distance from the old
city – so perfect for our visit.
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is situated on the Vltava River and is
home to about 1.3 million people, so not overly huge and more importantly a ‘walkable’
city, which is ideal. We are staying at
the apartment of an American man who has moved to Prague. He greets us warmly and shows us to a
spacious room with a large desk and extra bed.
He is going away for the weekend so we don’t get a chance to get to know
our host but the positive side of this is that we have the run of his entire
apartment to ourselves. We make use of
the large kitchen and dining area, the spacious bathroom complete with spa and the
living room with great leather couches to lounge in. But we are here to explore
Prague, so we head out to enjoy a beautiful warm day, with perfect blue skies...
I’m dying for some spicy Indian food so our first stop is the Himalayan
restaurant where we indulge in some Chicken
Buriyani before heading to the Old Town Square. While Nigel did not have a lot of time to
orient us to the city, he had left us a Rick Steve’s guidebook. When I lived in California, Rick was my
favourite travel author, so this is a real find. Over lunch we orient ourselves to the city
and learn there are about 4-5 distinct areas to explore. Our 3 days here will more than suffice to discover
Prague.
I am blown away by the beauty of the Old Town Square and realise why this
has made the UNESCO world heritage list and it is on the top of the list for millions
of travellers to Europe!
The square is bustling with activity.
The fountain with a statue of Jan Hus takes centre stage and I learn a
little about the history of this courageous man, who instigated the Protestant
reformation in this part of the world, causing as much controversy within the
Christian community as Martin Luther did in a century later in Germany. His statue, erected on the 500th
anniversary of his death, faces the Tyn Church, a church where Catholics once
worshipped, now converted to be a place of worship for Anglicans. He believed quite passionately in the true
concepts of Christianity including the fact that a priest did not have to mediate
on behalf of a believer and that the Bible should be written in a language that
could be understood by the congregation!
He was burnt at the stake for daring to voice these ‘radical’ ideas. Interesting to note that the
self-preservation spirit of the status quo has not changed although their
methods of ‘torture’ might be more ‘refined’!
One of the attractions
that really draw the crowds in the town square is the very elaborate
astronomical clock, built in 1410. It is
a work of art but what is quite amusing is that every day on the hour, the upper
glockenspiel-style section of the clock performs the same scene of miniature
figures file past. Death waves an
hourglass, the 12 apostles shuffle past small windows, and a rooster crows.
After the hour strikes, a Turk wags his head.
Crowds stand around long before the hour, just to see this played out
each day!
The buskers are also a major attraction for everyone at the town square. Travellers
gather around, willing to be entertained and happy to applaud anyone who is
game enough to get up there and perform in this incredibly beautiful place. The square never seems to empty and no matter
what time of day you pass this space, there are swarms of people just hanging
out, eating, laughing, enjoying the incredibly architecture and watching the
world go by. It is a photographer’s
paradise but how do I convey such beauty?
There is something about the charm of Prague that also begs you to listen
to a performance of classical music. As
we walk down one of the little alleyways, we discover the ticket office and are
tempted to buy tickets for a concert that evening. Later we realize these concerts are a bit of
a tourist trap but the pieces they’ve chosen were some of our favorite’s and the
Neo-Renaissance building Rudolfinum, where the concert will be performed a
spectacular venue. The concert included
pieces from Mozart, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Bach, Bizet, Brahms and the Czech
composer Dvorak. Listening to pieces
such as Pacehlbel’s Canon and A Little Night Music after days of the road was a
wonderful treat - we just wished it had lasted a little bit longer!
As we came out of the Rudolfinum, we found that the night-lights had been
switched on in the city. The river is a
breathtaking site, but I’ve left my camera at home. We walked back slowly, enjoying the balmy air
and the beauty of Prague at night. We
buy gelatto and relax in the square, before heading back to base.
The highlight of
Day 2 was walking across Charles Bridge, with Baroque statues lining the bridge
on either side. Elaborate Bridge Towers
on either side protect the bridge from possible attacks. The bridge was completed in 1402 and for 3
centuries it was the only link between the two sides of the river! The bridge is another draw card in this city
and the crowds on this glorious summer’s day were huge. There are portrait artists, people selling
cheap jewelry, cartoonists all vying for space with hundreds of travellers all
over the world trying to have their photograph taken or to touch a stone relief
under one of the statues. I discover
that in 1393 then-archbishop Nepomuk was tortured to death and his body thrown
off the bridge here. Touching the relief
is supposed to bring you luck – go figure!
It gets quieter as the throngs spill out in various directions at the end
of the bridge. We discover an area full
of character, lots of cobblestones streets and hidden alleyways. We sit on stone steps to eat our lunch and
people watch. Prague Castle is close by and the throngs are making a beeline
for the next attraction on the list. We
don’t actually go inside but walk up there for the incredible views. Suddenly there is a huge throng standing
outside the palace gates and I notice they are changing guards at the Prague
Castle. Nothing quite compares to the
pomp and pageantry of Buckingham Palace though.
We wander the streets in search of the John Lennon memorial. On the way we cross a little bridge and
notice the number of padlocks that have fastened to the railings. The padlocks
are a token gesture from the many lovers who have walked through – a symbol of
their undying/internal love for each other.
We reflect a little sadly that for many people locks, knots and
contracts have come to symbolize love!
We eventually arrive at the John Lennon memorial. The wall has been covered with messages of
peace and love that have been inspired by Lennon himself. There are familiar lines from Beatles songs
as well as other inspirational quotes.
Steve’s favourite -
“Everything will be all right in the end. If it isn’t all right, it isn’t the end.”
The graffiti started in the 1980’s and while the communist government of
the time tried their hardest to eradicate the writing, it just kept coming
back. The writing once started a riot on
Charles Bridge between students, who were protesting against the communist
regime and the police. I love the
wall. It is a symbol of people had the courage
to defy authority…to stand up and make a statement about their own
beliefs. The graffiti has been written
over many times and the bright colours themselves were perhaps a symbol of
hope.
The sun is almost setting so we make our way back to the square to shoot
a bit of night photography. But the sky
was not as blue as the previous 2 nights and I am a little disappointed. Still, the square is always amazing at night
and the buskers return with new acts.
Today, a fire dancer has taken centre stage. We sit on the cobblestoned ground to watch
her.
We start Day 3 at Wenceslas Square, named after the patron saint of
Bohemia, Saint Wenceslas. This is the
commercial heart of Prague and the new part of town. The main street separates the old Renaissance
buildings from the more modern, glitzy buildings. This area does not have the charm of the Old
Town Square but this is the equivalent of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, with many
recent historic demonstrations such as the protests again Soviet occupation in
1969 as well as the protest march in 1989, which led to the Velvet Revolution
and the fall of the Communist regime taking place here.
We walk up to the Jewish Quarter created when the Jewish community of
Prague was ordered to leave their homes and settle in this one area. As time passed, this area became more crowded
as restrictions for Jews became more severe.
The area contains many old and new synagogues as well as other well
preserved monuments. The Jewish cemetery
is quite remarkable in that over 20,000 people are buried in this small space
in over twelve layers of graves.
Our day ends at the top of the tower in the Old Town. We are looking down from the Town Hall Tower
on an incredible scene.
The sun sets; The sky turns an inky blue and the lights of Old Town are
turned on slowly to cast an amber glow on the square.
People are dining on
the courtyards below. A busker strums his guitar and people listen mesmerised
by his words, which rise up to us and fill the air...
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Goodbye Prague!
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