Prague Blague

Before I left, a good few people (each of whom I hold in high regard) mentioned their love for the city of Prague, so I had some seriously high expectations.  In the middle of our ride, we stopped at the German-Czech boarder for lunch.  Walking inside the smallish truckstop/cafeteria, I was surprised to hear the familiar droning growl of 700 horsepower vehicles driving in a circle.  Sure enough, I looked to my right and saw Czech TV proudly broadcasting NASCAR from Pocono, PA.  Funny the things that follow you around the world...I actually saw a Walker, Texas Ranger episode airing in a Kenyan restaurant once, and Walker was trying out his hand at being a NASCAR driver at Bristol, TN.  At some point, I'll write a blog specifically about the South's contributions to the world...so be excited for that...

Anyway...Prague:

Even though we rolled into Prague at about 6, Awal and I wanted to get a head start on seeing the city.  After 2 hours of walking and seeing little more than graffiti, Chinese restaurants, casinos, and Skodas, Prague seemed to have all the charm of Peoria (no offense to ya'll from Peoria).  Thankfully, we had two days in Prague instead of our typical two, so the city had a chance to redeem itself.  And oh, did it ever...

We started out by meeting up with a free walking tour beginning in the city center.  For two hours, Jeff (our uber-knowledgeable and energetic American guide) led us around town and gave us a brief Czech history 101. Thanks to my history classes over the years, I knew that the Czech Republic had an interesting and varied past regarding WWII, the Iron Curtain, democracy, and the like, but being there made it come alive.  Among the sites were Motzart's concert hall (where he first performed and conducted Don Giovanni), ancient cathedrals, ane several revolutionary structures built by King Charles.  However, what resonated for me was standing at Venceslas Square.  In this location in 1989, 200,000 Czechs assembled to non-violently protest the Communist control of the nation.  These demonstrators each drew out their keys and shook them, symbolically demanding for freedom while creating a thunderous sound outside national government buildings Standing in that square, I felt a little bit connected to the Czechs and the peaceful demonstrators 20 years before.  

After our tour, we set our sites for Prague Castle.  The castle sits on a hill on the edge of town, thus it's always in easy view.  Our long climb was well worth it...the view of town is breathtaking and the castle itself is a marvel.  We merely went inside the foyer (which is cavernous) since a tour wasn't too cheap (we're doing our best to keep the trip on a shoestring budget), but still it was an amazing sight.  We made our way back down the mountain and through town and made sure to make our route pass over the Charles Bridge, the oldest bridge in Europe.  So after a less than inspiring start, we saw why people rave about Prague...it's beautiful, has amazing architecture, culturally and historically significant, relatively compact, and easy to navigate.

Even with the uninspiring start, I'd have to rank Prague as my favorite destination so far.

Up next...Vienna