Prague, Czech Republic
In five days I will say good-bye to Prague, one of the most beautiful and interesting cities I’ve ever visited. It’s been a thrill to live here, especially during an Indian summer. What a stroke of luck.
Why do I love Prague so much, you ask? This city has so many things to thrill, inspire and entertain one. Architecturally it is old and so classically beautiful. Bear in mind it did not have the crap bombed out of it in previous world wars with one small exception when the Allies dropped a few bombs on the downtown, by mistake. They apparently thought it was Dresden, Germany - a similar city with a river. I’ve been fascinated about their WWII history especially time under Nazi control—I feel that it has shaped the temperament of the people…and this is very much still apparent.
There are parks everywhere here. They get a gold star for green space. And it’s a good thing too since almost everyone lives in an apt or condo with in the city limits, so the parks, cafes and wine bars are considered their living rooms. Prague people truly love their dogs and let’s say the parks are well used. Very fertile.
The arts scene here spans from classical to new age. I was lucky to see Mozart’s Magic Flute opera at the original theater where he directed the premier. I’ve also seen a couple of chamber concerts in gorgeous cathedrals in Old Town. The churches no longer attract parishioners, so they do not hold services and instead use these spaces and sometime their ancient organs for concerts. It’s lovely. My all time favorite performance in Prague was the premier of Kylian, Bridges of Time ballet. The choreographer is a famous Czech, Jiri Kylian, who now lives in Netherlands. It was such a special performance and felt like a beautiful combination of ballet and modern dance…nothing at all like a Swan Lake type of ballet - so really refreshing. I wanted more.
I’m still trying to visit some art museums before I go and have been to a few smaller places near the castle. The National Art Museum is vast with a collection of about 8 buildings around the city. My favorite contemporary Czech artist is David Cerny. His sculptures are all around Prague and usually portray his strong feelings about government. See purple finger picture and men peeing on map. Street art seems quite accepted here. My fav is the John Lennon wall that is constantly evolving as people paint new messages and pictures—layer by layer to remember John and what he stood for. It’s quite beautiful and seems to really move people – both locals and tourists alike.
Beyond the parks, theaters and museums, I’ve taken several walking, historical, architectural and art tours. It’s amazing what you learn from the pro guides who take their guiding very seriously. Our Remote Year group spent a day on the German border hiking in an area where they filmed Chronicles of Narnia. It was 6 glorious miles on a gorgeous fall day, after a classic Czech lunch with their fabulous beer. As I was looking for one last art gallery visit I happened upon a free concert in Old Town and am now the newest fan of Ewa Farna. This is what I love about travelling - you can't always plan for the best experiences of all.
The food scene is Prague is fantastic. Classic Czech fare might be pork in gravy, with dumplings. No greens. Or it could be roast duck, in gravy with, yes…dumplings. Vietnamese food is super popular here too. Really one can get whatever one dreams of. Some of our group celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving by going to a Poutine restaurant. Food is cheap too—a great dinner with a glass of wine--$15 on average. Czechs are super proud of their Pilsner beer and they should be – it’s got a great taste and a small beer only costs $2.50. And when we absolutely need our greens (or bread/pastry fix) we’re lucky to have a small farmers’ market (4 days a week) only a block away from our apartment.
My workspace here in Prague is only a 25-minute walk through pretty parks and neighborhoods. It’s a mansion that was the Danish embassy—so think lovely classic building with large garden. Many of us set up our desks and work in the garden when the days were warm. A chef makes a daily lunch special for everyone which is super convenient. To be honest, I have not used this space too much because I’ve been coughing and hacking for weeks and did not want to bother my fellow workers. I have a spacious desk and balcony off my bedroom, so this has been a great place to work too.
What else might you want to know about? In every city we do community work and here we’ve worked at a family center—one that takes refugees—and a small group of us painted the concrete area with game boards like bag toss, tick tack toe, checkers etc. That was a fun project and they appreciated the help.
I have two great ladies as my apt mates this month and then, next month, in Lisbon, I will have only one roommate, a nice gal from SF. The experience has been really good so far in spite of the fact that most of us have never lived with strangers before—in small, foreign spaces. We all do our own thing but occasionally we get together for dinner, go to a concert or take a walk. I’ve loved getting to know the family of 38 very diverse folks. We’re deepening our friendships and coming to appreciate each other more and more with occasional meal or drink (or drinks), volunteer projects, a tours and side trips, just a few words while we pass in the hall, a night on the town, late hours at the work space, girl chats at the kitchen table over tea… there’s never a dull moment. We all seem to be on personal journeys and embrace the lessons along the way as we sort out personal goals and dreams. As expected, there have been several hookups within the group and no doubt that has created a bit of drama at times —I’m not fully aware of the details as I have been heads down focused on work but I’m told that we have had a little Peyton Place going on. Oh, to be 25 again!
Tomorrow, my roommate Amy and I will take a couple hour bus trip to a little fairytale castle town called Cesky Krumlov. It will be nice to get out of the city and see a bit of countryside and this historical medieval town. I’m going to enjoy our quality time together since we’ve both been working hard and not hanging out other than a late night cup of tea now and again.
The first two months have flown by and I have no regrets about signing up for Remote Year. There are lots of challenges along the way, but it just makes me more resourceful and confident that I can find solutions. My only wish is that I had my personal business back home all taken care of (like my boat sold!) but I am super grateful for family and friends who are helping me along the way.
I’m ready to move to Lisbon and I know for sure that I will return to Prague someday. This is a city that calls to me, maybe the way Paris used to.