Memories of Prague

CAPITOL HILL, Seattle--I have a high school friend of German descent who visits the fatherland regularly and does she speak the language? Sie spricht ja Deutsch! So when I asked her what things to see, she suggested the Mad King Ludwig's castle, which was the inspiration for Walt Disney's idealized fairly tale image of a castle. 

Nah, Dad, says my son. If you want to see a CASTLE, go to Prague.

I couldn't say no to my son, so He, Shira and I drove from Nuremberg to Prague to see what he was talking about.

And the castle is truly impressive. But  there's a lot more to Prague than just a castle, and we saw some of the best parts the first day we were there. This Cathedral, for example:

Of course, this magnificent cathedral is located within the castle at Prague.

The soaring interior of the Cathedral admits a great deal of daylight.

Prague is resplendent with classic architecture and examples of tradition past. Some examples:

The Opera House

The Belfrey Restaurant in the classic old church below carries banners promising the best view of Prague from whatever those corner nooks are called, but the building itself is quite a sight, due to its hanging, bay window tower whatchamacallits.

No need to take the staircase. The old gal has an elevator.

Anyone see the movie, Grand Budapest Hotel? Just in case you haven't, here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk

I don't know about you, but speaking as a retiree, if I had a choice of being a greeter at Walmart in my golden years or a lobby boy at the Grant Hotel Europa, it wouldn't even be a contest. Not for the hotel, silly. For a cheap place to stay (lobby boy quarters) while I'm enjoying Prague.

There doesn't seem to be anything ordinary in the architecture of Prague.

Why be so pedestrian as to depend on concrete?

See what I mean? Now that's a sidewalk you want to use.

Well, there goes the neighborhood. Asymmetrical. Even the windows don't align.

Inside the castle's walls, even the new buildings retain an old world feel.

Look closely, and you'll see the wires that hold that platform that makes laying tiles a cinch.

Pigeons share a snack on the wall of the Charles Bridge leading to the castle.

On a gloomy day, a view of part of the castle from the Charles Bridge

Entry to the castle from the Charles Bridge.

If there was a way to close off the entryway to invaders between these two arches, it wasn't immediately obvious.

This view gives a hint at the size of the Prague castle.

Surprise! The castle hosts a sizable vineyard that dates to 908 and is named for Good King Wenchelas, who did, indeed, exist. He was duke of "Bohemia from 921 to 935, until he was murdered, purportedly by his own brother.

These are pinot noir grapes that overlook the lower reaches of the castle and the city, below.

Wencelas was reportedly a devout Christian who embraced Christ's message of kindness to the disadvantaged. Not all the world was so kind, as reflected in the architecture and statuary, below.

Those thin slots make it possible for archers to slay invaders. Shooting arrows into those narrow slots isn't quite so easy.

A fountain outside the castle's cathedral suggests  an awareness that life could be a little dicey...

...and downright ruthless. Why does a statue display  the heartless stabbing of a kneeling man?

Not included in the photo of the public artwork below is the depiction  of a man being hurled from a bridge for offending the king. The art is situated on the Charles Bridge leading to the castle, renowned for its many statues. Tourists are more likely to notice bright spots which they are encouraged to touch for good luck.

It's not clear whether the city polishes the art work to attract tourists, or whether a lot of rubbing has removed grime built up over the years. But there always seems to be a crowd lined up.

Strangely, there's no crowd lined up for this statue.

Here are some images that suggest ways to get around in Prague:

A sightseeing boat navigates the Vltava River, the longest river in the Czech Republic, which flows through Prague enroute to its destiny with the Elbe. The water moves at a good clip over a broad drop off as pictured here, which seems to produce a standing wave. Why don't they have river surfing in Prague?

You can't stroll in Prague without seeing people on Segways.

In Engligh, Russian, German and Czech, the sign in the auto windshield advertises tours of Prague for roughly $70 American. And you can converse with the driver! It's not clear whether that's $70 per person.

Due to the nature of Thai massage, I don't think it occurs in this East German Trabant. For roughly $14 American, you're going to have to go elswehere. Perhaps this Trabant is a taxi that takes you to the massage?

This stretch limo will likely take you to the party.

Although the young pedestrian seems to have other thoughts on his mind, the American fascination with breasts has apprently made its way into the city. Would Czechs understand the play on words?

I think this statue probably predates Hooters. So, uh, why did the king of breasts, uh...beasts... get implants? This is just very strange.

In any big city, people are part of the attraction, like these street musicians who kept a crowd's attention as night fell and the evening chill set in.

On the left, he plays an Australian didgeridoo; on the right, his friend plays steel drums.

This man appears to be wearing American plains Indian regalia. But what attracted us to him was the strains of El Condor Pasa, an Inca folk  tune popularized by Paul Simon, who added lyrics. So why is he playing Andean folk music in a North American headdress?

Sometimes you just get worn out and you need to take a nap. This guy looked like he was asleep.

It's a great illusion. We all knew it was a trick. But how does he do that?

We rounded a corner, and there was a Puma store! My son, Tracy, is a shoe designer for Puma, so naturally we stopped in. Wilson got a look at one of the shoes Tracy designed, pictured below.

It's a woman's shoe, with the interior raised to give a high heel effect. Tracy has worked for Puma for two years. It's a great, and very affordable way, to see Europe.

Well, we only scratched the surface on Prague. But the city's been around for about a thousand years. (Wow! Isn't that how long the Third Reich was supposed to last?) It's probably worth a second trip, someday...

Next time, in my final blog dispatch about Europe, Wilson and I will take you on a whirlwind tour of the KGB Museum of Prague. We'll share the observations of the faceless enthusiast who thinks Stalin was really a cool guy.

Love,
Robert,
and Wilson