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Praha
Friday, September 17, 2010
Praha A city of yielders, tourists and graffiti artists. I must say that parts of the city are breathtaking, but if I'm being honest Prague will be my least favorite city. The Charles Bridge is an amazing sight, but it is crowded no matter what time you visit it. The Prague castle is large and the gardens are lovely but the paid "tours" are a joke. You don't really get to see that much which is amazing considering its size. The beauty of the city is in the small details. Passing by a building with murals painted along the side and lion handles on the door is lovely. Huge statues on the awnings of hotels give these buildings life and color. But, this is a major tourist destination. The taxis are con artists, making it very clear to me that I am an outsider. The servers here are incredibly rude. Missing in Prague are the lovely hidden nooks in the city that make it livable like Berlin or exciting like Amsterdam. Quite a few stores here don't have prices listed so as the clerk watches you and and sizes up the likelihood of you stealing something, you also get the sense that they are assessing what price you are willing to pay. Don't get me wrong, we have met some lovely people here in the Czech Republic. We have also had some amazing food at the 33 restaurant right down the road from our hotel. But those are rare gems and even they have their tarnishes. I was terribly excited about the cruise down the Vltava river and even that was a disappointment. You really didn't get to see the parts of the city you wanted to, especially since the Charles Bridge is not lighted at night as in the brochure picture. An hour of the three hour tour was spent in the lifts evening out the water, and what a view that was. The astronomical clock was beautiful, but it felt like you were drowning in a sea of tourists if you waited for the on the hour show. Prague likes its crystals and garnets but not all shiny things are created equal so buyer beware. If you want the real feel of Prague, learn Czech first. Maybe then the culture will be more accepting of you. I think for me, I will enjoy Prague most in the pictures, savoring the smallest of its treasures. Saying goodbye to Europe, for now.
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