I Love Prague-Day 1

I am in love with Prague.

The flight was bumpy, and Lufthansa seemed to think that the tighter they packed us into economy class, the more we would long to upgrade to business class on the next go round. They did have food- the stewardesses seemed surprised to hear that we did not expect food on plane trips in the US. We slept a little, and, come the dawn, looked out on a sea of clouds. We were 45 minutes in Frankfurt, clearing security and changing planes in an airport that has clearly outgrown its capacity (Note to US airports: They did have a “sleeping area” with reclining seats for folks who wanted to nap. I thought it was a nice idea, until I realized that its presence implied that people waited a long time all the time.) Then the 45 minute hop to Prague.

Coming through the clouds, we saw rolling hills, and suburbs, and a few boxy apartment complexes that dated back to the Soviet era. The airport is about 20 km out of town, but before landing we flew over the fairyland village that is to be our playground for the next 3 days. It’s got a castle, a river, cool bridges and a mixture of Art Nouveau and Baroque architecture that is striking at a distance, and even cooler when you get up close. We landed, cleared customs and were on our way. Despite exhaustion, we managed to wander the city for 6 hours before collapsing into a heap. A few observations:


1) Not all who wander are lost. This might be my motto for Prague exploration (although it was also a theme in one of the guidebooks). The center of the city is largely devoid of cars, and consists of narrow, windy streets with side passages and all sorts of shops and restaurants. Turning the wrong way got us to the Golem Restaurant, and several impressive art galleries. We hope to continue making wrong turns more regularly.


2) Classical music is alive and well in Europe. We found 3 stores in our wanderings that sold ONLY classical music, including the largest collection of Dvorzak that I have ever seen. There were classical street musicians, and people handing out fliers to organ concerts. The quality of the buskers was excellent. We tried to go to an outdoor concert at the castle, but found that it was cancelled due to technical difficulties (darn). We could have seen Don Giovanni done with really cool marionettes. Classical music is normal here. What a concept.
3) Man is the rationalizing animal. Prague once hosted a large Jewish population, and had one of the most vigorous ghettos in Europe. It was, however, a ghetto, and during the Nazi occupation, most of the population was killed in Therienstadt and other concentration camps. The town’s crown jewel, an “Astronomical Clock” has a Jew and a Turk who are rebuked by the twelve apostles on the hour for greed and vanity, two of the major sins. Yet we heard a tour guide speak of the good relations between Jews and Christians, and dismiss anti-Semitism as an aberration. More on that later- we will be doing a walking tour of the old Jewish Quarter later today.
4) Architecture can really enhance a city. Baroque, classical, Art Nouveau and, yes, even socialist realism have a way of blending to make walking in Prague a treat to the eye and ear. I’ll post a few pictures.

So, we are alive and well and wandering around Prague. Our hotel, by the way, Hotel Bellagio, is quite nice, with free internet and all. The beds have the “blanket stuffed in a sheet” thing that we first saw in the old Soviet Union. Must be an Eastern European thing. We had rabbit and goulash and dumplings and beer for dinner, We are in Prague- how can that ever be a bad thing?

Onward to the day (forecast high of 16C), and possibly a concert tonight. I’m thinking classical, but we found a basement Jazz and Blues club that is intriguing.

Later.