Praha: Castle, Cubism and Communism. Oh my!

I never imagined that the first time I flew by myself would be from Amsterdam to Prague but so it was. I am going to try to get my adventures typed out because I suspect that if I don’t do it now I never will. Don’t expect anything too amusing. I am writing it Grandma style meaning it will be more like a record of things I did with a little flare here and there. The next weeks are going to move at a hyper speed which is actually kind of concerning but never mind that now.

Thursday night I flew to Prague, met Molly, etc… On Friday I got up and went with Molly on the Metro to her School which was actually in an area that I wanted to see called the Vysehrad. Molly told me it was the where Prague supposedly began and it was really nice. It was early enough in the morning that it was peaceful as we wandered from the metro stop down the cobblestone streets, by a little chapel and through a couple gates in the Vysehrad. There was a church called the Church of Saints Peter and Paul as well as a little park with great views of Prague. Also, in the graveyard by the church lots of famous Czech people were buried. So I didn’t have to wander forever, Molly led me to Dvorak’s grave. It was actually a neat graveyard that felt really calm and well kept. Anyway, after leaving Molly and wandering around the Vysehrad some more, I walked down the hill and took the tram to near Charles’ Bridge. I walked around there for a while and took pictures. It had started to rain, however, and there was a general haze over the city making my pictures less than ideal. On a side note, there was a general haze over the city that was kind of disturbing. I don’t know if it was the most polluted city I have been to but that made me feel like it was.

Anyway, afterward I wandered down some streets of the Stare Mesto which were cute and filled with both good and awful shops, I made my way to the Strarmestske Namesti or the Old Town Square. There I walked around, saw the astronomical clock, the chapel, etc…and the Jan Hus Statute. By that time, it was raining raining, I was really wet, and I decided to walk to the old Jewish Ghetto. While wandering through there, I happened upon the Franz Kafka Statute and the Spanish Synagogue. There I bought tickets for the Jewish Museum. The Jewish Museum consisted of the Spanish Synagogue, Klaus Synagogue, Ceremonial Hall, Maisel Synagogue, Old Jewish Cemetery, the Pinkas Synagogue, and separately I went to the Old-New Synagogue. The Spanish Synagogue was really pretty, but the Maisel, which was about the History of Jews in Bohemia, was the most interesting. Each place had a different theme or aspect part of the museum. The Old-New Synagogue was also super intense because it was so old and is claimed to be the site of a miracle. I think I read that the rest of the Ghetto burned at one point but that the Synagogue survived. Anyway, so after that I was hungry but on the go so I stopped by a grocery store and grabbed a snack. I also looked around which I knew Melissa would be pleased with.

Later, although drenched because it never stopped raining, I walked across Charles Bridge to the neighborhood across the Vltava. I walked by and debated going to the Kafka museum but decided against it and instead walked to Kampa where there is a modern art museum within the park. I didn’t really like the museum very much. It had a bunch of stuff by Getfreund and Kupka. I guess after the awesome museums that I have been to over the last few months, I was just under whelmed. I then met up with Molly and we went to Café Dob Ratrakika, got coffees and a piece of Medovnk cake which she said was traditional Czech. The rest of the night was pretty low key.

Saturday I got up early and took the metro to Wenceslas Statute and Square. The Square wasn’t that great but I think that they are trying to restore it to its former glory and I could imagine that. I also wandered to the Jerusalem Synagogue which was pastel and beautiful. After, I took the metro and tram up to Prague Caste. I kind of wandered around some of the Hradcany neighborhood and square, went to some shops and went by the Loretta. Once at the castle, I took the long tour of a bunch of stuff – Story of Prague Castle, St. George’s Basilica, St. George’s Convent, and Golden Lane. The line at St. Vitus Cathedral was way too long for my patience so I skipped it. I rationalized this by saying that it couldn’t be cooler than the hundreds I have been to since January which has included Notre Dame and St. Peter’s. Speaking of lines, OMG tourists! There were so many, I couldn’t move in Golden Lane. When I was done at the castle Molly met me and we ate lunch at Maly Buddha. We then ventured to the Strahov Monastery which was super cool. Why you ask? Because they had two gorgeous libraries. We couldn’t actually go into them but we could look in the door. I was annoyed that we would have had to pay in order to take pictures but I got postcards. The Philosophy Hall/Library had lots of rich colored wood, ornate furniture and two stories of books. It also had frescos on the ceiling. The Theology Hall was smaller but equally as interesting and more cozy. They had this cool book holding thing there which rotated so you could have multiple books open and scroll between them. The Monastery in general was really pretty and I can imagine how great it would have been in its prime. We saw some other stuff there and took a walk. It was a beautiful day outside and so we walked from Strahov to Petrin Hill. Molly’s guide book said this was one of the top things to do and had the best views of Prague and it was really pretty. All the trees on the hill were blooming (lots of cherry trees) and each path provided a new sweeping view of Prague.

At the bottom of the hill we walked through the Mala Strana neighborhood, past the Church of Our Lady Victorious, went to the Memorial to the Victims of Communism which some Spanish speaking tourists were uncomfortably and inappropriately playing on, and went in some shops. At that point I had really only churches and museums that I could still go to. I decided that I didn’t really want to go to any of the museums so it would kind of be a waste of money so I went back with Molly. It was also dinnertime. Later we met out with Molly’s friend and went to a café in a neighborhood I hadn’t been to yet. It was attached to a bookstore and was super cool. Someone Molly’s friend had met briefly, who was also studying abroad in a different program, met up with us there. It became quite evident, as soon as he started talking about Ron Paul and John McCain and was shocked that we didn’t feel like drinking or going to a club, that he was, ah, interesting. As it turned out he was completely moronic, but it made things interesting.

The next morning Molly and I met up with her friend again who, by the way, was really nice, and got some breakfast. On the way there we walked around the city and went through a market. It was morning, there were already street performers, and there was definitely a very tourist feel at some points but it was still really pleasant meandering about. We got brunchy breakfast at Café Grand Orient which was in the House of the Black Madonna. The building and the Café were cubist and I really loved it there. Other than the cubism, the decorations were black, ivory and mint and filled with marble tables and faint satin seats. In the window sills there were fresh flowers and they had the patio doors open letting the music of the cello and violin players float up. It was just so classy without being imposing. After walking around some more and going to a shop where there was a disgruntled expat, we went back to Molly’s and then to airport where I said goodbye to Prague.

Oh man, that was lengthy. I hope you didn’t read it all because it was pretty boring but if you did, I am impressed.

Other Random Things:

• I hate Italian tourists. I know this is probably unfair but they had their chance. First, they were pushy and mean in Versailles and I almost got run down and then there was Prague (Actually first was Rome). There were so many Italian tourists everywhere in these big groups. Seriously through, they pushed in lines, and were really just unpleasant. The teenagers were especially full of attitude and loud. I almost flipped out at Prague Castle. It was so ridiculous. They just seemed to lack any kind of self-awareness or have any notion of people in general. They would just stop and go the wrong way through the exit which held up probably hundreds of people and like I said: pushy. The other thing that annoyed me was that they were in huge groups making it impossible to get around them. North and South Americans as well as most Western Europeans seem to travel individually, as families, or with a couple people so even if they are annoying it isn’t so bad. At least I heard in English, French and Spanish, and I’m sure in Czech but I couldn’t tell, other people complaining as well. Speaking of tourists, it is interesting how during study abroad I have learned so much about tourists and stereotypes. In general, for example, it seems that most European countries hate British tourists because they drink too much and get loud and rowdy. I have heard that repeatedly. It’s just interesting.


• I liked Prague but I think I would have liked it better had I been a Kafka or Art Nouveu fan because there would have been more sites that I would have been super excited about. Don’t get my wrong, however, Prague is pretty cool.


• One of the most striking things about Prague to me were the contrasts between the aesthetic of the grand Hapsburg Dynasty remnants and the things left from Communism. Walking in the city center there were beautiful pastel, ornate buildings but then suddenly you would come across a stringent and overly plain structure. The neighborhood that Molly’s host family lived in was build under communism and I can’t really describe the feeling it inspired or adequately describe it but there is just something odd and fascinating about the distinctions that their history has created in their city. Speaking of communism, I kept being reminded all weekend of all the ways I learned about communism growing up, how I perceive that is different in Europe and now vastly my ideas have changed.


• Europe has made me appreciate and even like Frescos.


• At the airport, I was spoken to by two different people in French when I was going through security, etc...while others were being addressed in Czech or English. They just assumed I was French? It was strange.
  
• Since I got here I have flown United, Air France a couple time, British Airways, KLM, and Czech Airlines. Surprising, I think that Czech Airlines was the nicest.
  

In conclusion, I went to Prague and it was cool. To be absolutely honest, cities were more exciting when I first got to Europe. In some ways, things that were exciting and new actually seem to be shared between the European cities I have been to. I decided Prague is like what I think about Hawaii. It is cool to hangout in and visit but I don’t think I would have to live there. This weekend definitely highlighted to me what I like and dislike most about Amsterdam. I kept comparing the two. Amsterdam is definitely distinct. There is less grandeur and most simplicity in the feel and yet it is very conducive to happy living. Of where I have visited, it’s not the most exciting place but I think it is a really great place to live. I didn’t fall in love right away because, I guess, the city is more subtle. The longer I stay, however, and continue to discover the more I love it.