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Dobre
Den from Prague, the Czech Republic! 
Golden
Prague. The City of a hundred Towers. The Musical Heart of Europe. Prague lives
up to all of its nicknames and more. It is also sometimes called "the most beautiful
city in Europe" and we would 
have
to agree (so far). It's one of the few major European cities to escape the ravages
of World War II, and that means its world-class collection
of architecture has survived to tell the history of its wonderful cultural tradition.
But we have found Prague to be about much more than its romantic history and beautiful
landscape. Prague is smack in the middle of a land called Bohemia, and Bohemian
is exactly what it proves to be.
JENNI: We have called Prague home now for one week, and will leave in another couple of days. This is by far one of the most historical and magical places we have been so far, and I hope it only gets better.
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, with about 1.5 million people. People are polite here and English is extremely prevalent - more so here than in any other place we have visited -- although our initial greeting gave us quite the opposite impression. On the overnight train from Munich, we were awakened abruptly a few times to "SHOW PASSPORT! SHOW TICKET!" and the signs on the train were posted in five different languages - none of which was English. Even the signs at the train station were confusing - in what seems like every language BUT English. And we were without a Czech phrase book.
But all that was misleading. Apparently the train system is a holdover from the Communist era (when only German-, Russian- and Italian-speaking passengers were riding into Czechoslavakia) as are the unchanged train stations. Immediately off the train we were accosted by hotel hawkers selling rooms, in English. Even the brochures were in English. And the nice person at the ATM described the hostel we're now in, in perfect English, and told me the exchange rate for Czech korunas. Apparently there are many things that are holdovers from the Communist era (Communism fell in 1989 - just 12 years ago!) that make a visit to Prague very unique.
JOE:
As we walk at sunset, holding hands across the Charles Bridge, we experience a
beauty that is overwhelming. Gorgeous 17th century statues, blackened with age,
elbow into their crowded spaces between artists and the hordes of tourists. And
the castle glows on a hill in the distance as it has for a thousand years.
Saturday night on the bridge we saw a man fall to his knees and begin to talk loudly to his girlfriend in German. Smiling broadly through her tears, she was clearly overwhelmed by his statement or question. Positive we had just witnessed a marriage proposal; I offered the man congratulations. But he said, no, that wasn't a proposal. They were ALREADY married! He was just professing his love for his wife. That's the second time during our visit to Prague that the thought struck me that it is so unfair that, for most couples, there is never another level beyond marriage to which you can aspire. Maybe this trip can prove to be that next level for us.
JENNI:
I mentioned that Communism was the way of life here until recently...actually,
the Czech people declared independence in 1918, after WWI. But that taste of freedom
and self-rule only lasted until 1939 when the Nazis marched in, paving the way
for Communist rule when Germany lost and the Allies split Europe into "spheres
of influence" after WWII. Unfortunately for the Czech people, they came
under the influence of the USSR. The Communist party took over the Czech Parliament
through democratic elections, attaching a sort of legitimacy to the takeover.
But that's where any legitimacy ends. The leadership quickly became a dictatorship,
killed or imprisoned all of the political enemies of the state, and subjected
the Czech people to one of the harshest forms of Communism. It was much stricter
here than Yugoslavia, according to the Belgrade shopkeeper of a junk storewe talked
to here. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it created a domino effect for other
Communist countries. That's when the "Velvet Revolution" took place here, (so-called
because there were no casualties) creating Czechoslovakia from the balcony of
this famous hotel. In 1993, Czechoslovakia divided into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia - this division was known as the Velvet Divorce…I'm sure you can guess
why!
JOE:
Prague is defined by its beauty: a testament to its culture and perseverance
through a history of being dominated by other countries. One of its few native
kings, Charles IV, dedicated his life to making Prague the political 
and
cultural hub of Central Europe, 
a
title it enjoyed for only a very short period of time. Much of the rest of Prague's
history is rife with war: king after king from other lands took over Prague; each
victor deciding to outdo the previous administration by trying to make the city
more beautiful. Each one shoe-horned new architectural styles into the already-crowded
landscape. That's why the Prague Castle - which took 1000 years to build -- has
a cathedral that started out Gothic, but then later became part Renaissance, and
part Baroque in style. By the time it was finished in the early 20th century,
artists had put the finishing touches with some Art Noveau (late 19th and early
20th century modern art style) stained glass windows and sculptures. The cathedral
exemplifies the city's landscape, which is extremely crowded with buildings from
all of these architectural genres. It is almost too much to take in at once. I've
had to learn to sip it … just like the crack coffee they serve here.
JENNI:
One of the best Jewish museums is here in Prague...Hitler had planned for
this museum to commemorate the "extinct race" or Jewish people, and
had gathered all types of Jewish relics and traditional religious objects. Near
Prague is in the infamous camp Terezin, where the SS would make the prisoners
put on shows and plays to try and convince international groups like the Red Cross
that the Nazi concentration camps weren't so bad. The truth is, Terezin served
as a halfway house to Auchwitz 
and
Dachau, among others. Memorials to the children of Terezin and the many families
who disappeared during this time are commemorated in painstaking displays and
handwriting in several beautiful synagogues of the Jewish Quarter. Unfortunately,
no photography is allowed.
Over the thousand years since the first Jewish settlers first came here, residents of the Jewish Quarter were alternately accepted as an integral part of the city and cordoned off into separate, walled-in areas - it all depended on which ruler was in charge. There wasn't much land when the community was walled in, so the burial grounds had to be used judiciously. More than 100,000 plots are crowded beneath only 12,000 topsy-turvy headstones surrounded by high grasses and shade trees. It's one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen.
JOE:
My favorite landmark is the Jan Hus momument, which
is just unlike any 
sculpture
I've ever seen. It commemorates Jan Hus who was the original Protestant. He led
a religious revolution demanding reforms in the Catholic 
Church
a hundred years before Martin Luther. He is a symbol of Czech Nationalism. That's
him on the far left standing tall, trying to look cool even though there is always
a pigeon squatting on his head. My favorite part of the statue is the troll in
the back, pointing his grotesquely large fingers backwards. I have nicknamed him
"Bo" because he is pointing toward Bohemian Bagel, our favorite food joint in
Prague. (We have eaten there several times. We love the chicken chili with bagel
chips, but what we love most is that the drinks have ice and it's FREE REFILLS!
YEAH! It's also quite inexpensive. The Bohemian Bagel, owned by an American entrepeneur
from Connecticut, is also the place where we 
access
the Internet, by the way). Anyway, about that Hus monument ... Aside from its
beauty, I like the statue because its story is unique. It was sculpted in 1900
by Ladislav Saloun, a maverick artist who was never formally trained and never
again made anything famous. During rough times, it has been a rallying place for
the Czech people. During the 1940's, the Nazi's covered it with swastikas. In
the late 1960's, locals covered it in black to mourn the Soviet decision to invade
the town with tanks and put down a demonstration.
JENNI:
Learning the history of the places we visit is so vitally important to understanding
the culture and "the way things are done.. I can't count the times we've run across
a particular custom or attitude that could rub Westerners the wrong way - but
when you understand why things are done the way they are, it's enlightening. In
Prague, everything is either possible or not possible. And anything that requires
any effort will also require a great deal of deliberation and likely some persuasion.
When Joe took my pants to get the zipper repaired, it was "not possible." And
they sent him away. I went back a few days later and they told me the same thing
and dismissed me. However, I got them to suggest another place that would find
this type of work "possible" so we headed there, only to find that it was "not
possible" in the time frame we asked for. End of discussion. No suggestion as
to when it could be possible - it's just "not possible". So we asked for a different
time frame and suddenly everything becomes possible and we see the light at the
end of the tunnel. It's a strange concept to me to have to guess what the sales
clerk wants to hear in order to make the sale. We've read that people in authority
- from sales clerks to doctors to police officers - expect to be buttered up in
order to perform the service they are paid to do. It's typical for a customer
to preface their request with an extra-polite way of saying please followed by
"don't be annoyed with me, but…" in order to get service - without a smile even.
And patients generally bring gifts to their doctor and their staffs to maintain
a good relationship, and they do not seek second opinions for fear of ruining
that good relationship. This "way things are done" is possibly a leftover effect
from Communism, when people had little choice and little power to find a way to
make things happen. Knowing this, Joe and I do not take brusque service personally…we
figure it's a certain charm of its own. 
JOE:
The astronomical clock in the Old Town Square is another example of tourists crowding
around open-jawed to see a clock strike the top of the hour. Sure, there are figurines
that dance around for 20 seconds, but it is a really dumb experience. The legend
surrounding the clock, however, is interesting. Back in 1490, the man who engineered
the little working figures so impressed the community leaders that they decided
no other town would have a clock like theirs. So they summoned the clockmaker
and then gouged his eyes out with red hot pokers! The story goes that the clockmaker
got his revenge by groping his way around the clock one night and found a way
to dismantle it to the extent that they could not get the clock to work again
for another 80 years! 
The Old Town Square betwen the clock and the Hus Monument is a lovely picturesque
plaza where we enjoyed relaxing, having a cup of coffee (and hot chocolate for
Jenni) and just chilling.
Our other favorite site is the The Charles Bridge.
Aligned with nearly 2 dozen statues of saints and the Virgin Mary, the bridge
is its own world of artists, tourists and postcard-perfect scenes. The bridge
is probably Prague's most familiar monument and we've spent hours here, enjoying
the breathtaking scenery (especially at sunset).
JENNI:
We were lucky enough to stay a few days with some friends who are expatriates
from Dallas living in Prague. Des and Bill have a wonderfully comfortable apartment
on a quiet, tree-lined street, and they have English language TV! 
We
stayed in their spare bedroom and took full advantage of their knowledge and tips
regarding their adopted city, and learned their frustrations with customer service!
Des is a corporate lawyer for a firm here, and Bill teaches English. They have
lived here for more than a year, and they know all the best places to go for dinner.
Our introduction to Prague was all the better thanks not just to their comfortable
home and English TV, but also to their gracious patience as impromptu tour guides.
They left for a vacation in Greece shortly after we arrived.
We are now in a pleasant hostel down the street where a double room is only $24 a night. Showers, toilets and sinks are down the hall, and although it can't compare to the homey comfort of Des and Bill's place, this hostel has its moments, and we are thankful for the price! Now if people would just stop slamming the doors…
JOE: The
Strawberry Hostel is a coral-colored college dorm during the year. Yes, it's rather
spartan, but we're enjoying our stay. It is loud 
most
of the time with the exuberant singing and yelling of a crowd of mostly American,
German and Italian College students who constantly slam the door. The hostel has
a reception area where a lot of the kids sit around drinking and smoking cigarettes.
Sometimes their music isn't really that bad. But the smoking is too much for Jenni.
We heard two Italian guys play some mean Stevie Ray Vaughan. The free breakfast
here consists of bread, cheese and some kind of baloney-sausage combo. Not too
bad, actually. But if it weren't free, I don't know if I'd pay for it. I would
go back to Des and Bill's any day. Maybe they'll join us later on in our journey.
Until then, thanks again, guys for rolling out the red carpet and making us feel
extremely comfortable. I hope we can repay the favor some day.
JENNI:
Maybe we can repay them on another visit to Prague...one of the legends of this
memorable city concerns this gold cross on the Charles Bridge. The cross commemorates
a place where a king decided to throw a priest over the bridge to his death. That's
because the priest refused to tell the king about what the queen confided during
confession. Legend has it that if you rub the gold cross, you'll return to Prague.
We're going to rub the gold cross tonight.
More on Prague later. Next stop: an unscheduled visit to Krakow, Poland!