Monday, May 23
 

Prague Eternal

Prague is the most enchanted place on earth. Either I was born here in a past life or the city is imbued with a kind of spiritual undercurrent that bewitches all who set foot on her cobblestone streets. There are very few places that can make your heart ache with beauty. Mozart felt he was understood only in Prague. Even the Dalai Lama sensed Prague's unique reverberations. Visiting the city a few years ago, he paused in the middle of the famous Charles Bridge and remarked "This is the center of the universe."

The Tyn Church in Old Town Square, the historical heart of the Czech Republic. It's served as the site of numerous uprisings, beheadings, demonstrations, and burnings-at-the-stake. Prague students challenged the Soviet tanks here, waving their flags and singing their protest songs. But lately it serves as a giant recepticle for Prague's HUGE tourist population. There ain't a bus in Belgium or a British Pissup-er not heading to Prague for the summer. Go somewhere else people! Prague belongs to ME.

The remains of the Old Town Hall off to the left. The Nazis destroyed most of it as they were on the verge of losing WWII, but the tower still stands.

Memorial to Jan Hus, 13th century Christian reformer. He eventually lost favor with the King and was burnt at the stake.

Another view of the square. The first time I visited Prague was in 1991 (with Lisa!), just after the fall of communism. There were no hotels (we stayed in a dorm), very few restaurants (none of them good), and Old Town Square was deserted, except for a lone street vendor selling bottled water from a box. Now it abounds with chic cafes and loads of people. I prefer my old poetic, deserted, dusty, forgotten Prague. But still love it nonetheless.

Dom U Minuty ("House at One Minute"), adorned with Renaissance sgraffito. Franz Kafka lived here as a boy with his parents. What was his bedroom, on the second floor, faces the Tyn Church. In fact he was born just around the corner and much of his life revolved around the square.

After about a half day in Prague, we were obsessively plotting how we could move here and how fast.

Prague Castle from across the Vltava.

Charles Bridge (Karluv Most), Prague's enchanting pedestrian bridge. It's lined with baroque statues of saints. Bruce got up pretty early to get this picture (laying flat on his belly) as it's usually clogged with tourists...A funny story...the second time I was in Prague, 1998, I was there with Bruce. He had just given me a great pair of Italian shoes, so I wore them when we went out to dinner. Gorgeous, but killers. We had a nice dinner and a bottle of wine and long story short, we got locked out of the apartment we were renting. It was late, 2 am. I finally decided to ditch my painful shoes and went barefoot across the Charles Bridge in search of a hotel. The stones were warm and soft and the bridge was alive with song. We found a little hotel on the other side, and because it was so late, they gave us the Presidential Suite! It always turns out ok in Prague.

Well...except for this guy. He was thrown from the bridge in 1393 for being too religious.

Mala Strana, at the base of the bridge on the Castle side. I think it's my favorite part of Prague. We want to live on this canal, in fact we looked at a place just off to the left.

My favorite poet, Vladimir Holan, also lived in Mala Strana. His plaque is leaking, somebody fix that!

Mr "Fantasia." He sells portraits of himself with devil horns, inexplicably. We asked him about it last time we were in Prague and he just pointed to his head and said "Fantaseeeaaa!"

Me and B in Josefov, the Old Jewish Quarter.

Alas, the sun is setting, but I'm sure we'll be back...