Prague in Retro

So before I go back to the present with a nice big post on Moscow (there's a lot of ground to cover), here's a full summary, with accompanying pictures, of Prague as I saw it a month ago. This was written before I went out that final night and encountered drugs, sex, and (my own) terrible dancing, though I added a few notes when I typed it up. Hijinx and hilarity tomorrow, I think.

Prague St. Vitus Cathedral in the Prague Castle Complex

Here’s what Prague has against it: it is cold; relatively easy to get lost in; poorly lit streets at night; an unclear linguistic dichotomy – who speaks what? (As a note, this annoys me because I mildly arrogantly assume everywhere in Eastern Europe has either English or Russian speakers in it, and additionally a lot of these languages are related enough to Russian to raise my hopes up before dashing them with a shovel). More essentially, the main draw of the city is likely the architecture rather than the location, nightlife, or high culture.
Following on that, what Prague is trading on is a familiar authenticity. It is Eastern European, technically, but far more accessible than the barren plains of Poland or the tiny cities of the Baltics, for example. A westerner’s visit to Prague is transportative and nostalgic, but at the same time not that foreign. Similarly, as Prague sells its authenticity, it wins tourists crowding the streets and money. Money that goes to Western businesses like McDonalds.
So as Prague nears its 20th year as an open city in the modern age, it must find the balance between progress with open money and its duty to the city’s past. A quick read of the English paper here suggests that the city politicians may not be up to snuff. And signs frequently advertising “authentic Czech cuisine” show that the citizens might be no better. Let’s hope that changes, because there is a lot of good stuff going on.

What is there to like about Prague? Most everything else. The city is beautiful, especially when walking it at night, and despite the bad lighting and confusing routes, the city feels relatively safe, the occasional prostitute or drug peddler not withstanding. Further, it’s easy to walk the main parts of the city, always a good thing. The metro is unspectacular but good enough for the city-size, and the ubiquitous trams cover much of the rest, running constantly at times, leaving an intrepid jaywalker in a game of Frogger. (Post-facto note: trying to cross a street in Moscow without a light is really like playing Frogger. Don’t worry, I never liked Atari that much anyway.)
The food is a good mix of West and East Europe, or perhaps better said, East and not East. Most Czech staples are meat-heavy, especially on beef and pork, but they’re missing the abundance of starches (read: potatoes) and butter, oil, or just plain fat juice that was endemic in Lithuania, Latvia, or Poland. Top choices were meat skeqers and the beef goulash. I ordered Spatijscke (clearly misspelled), a sort of noodle dish with selected toppings. It could be that I was sick or not hungry or just tired, but I hated it, hardly touched the dish, and then got an extra 15 crowns (about 60 cents) on my bill for the doggie bag, which I left there anyway. The wines here are fine, nothing special, though I usually go cheap as it is.
While many men have touted the Czech/Prague women as gorgeous, I was not blown away but once. They were certainly pretty, with an abundance of leggy blondes, but not world beaters by any means. (PF note: Later that night was when I saw the two very pretty girls at the club, shared a wink, and then got rejected on the dance floor…sigh) There was this one girl with the nicest outfit I’ve ever seen, however, on the Legee bridge, one South of the famed Charles. A red shirt, light, under a tan/warm jacket, with a black skirt to the knees, I can’t remember the shoes, so I’m assuming they were not ostentatious, but her hat tied it all together, this French (?) number, white and round, with a little bill, worn askew to her right. Perfect. Of course, she had a beau on her arms, which leads me to my next point: the best looking women by and large had male companions. Obvious, perhaps, but it knocks the feeling down. As for Prague men, well, honestly, it takes me a little longer period to make any judgments, since I pay less attention to them. No, really, it takes about 8 days instead of 2.
You are now looking up my nose at a statue of Franz Kafka

Culturally, here’s the scoop: the literary tradition is top-class, and the Kafka exhibit here represents it brilliantly. The museum is small with Czech and English titled signs relaying info on Kafka. In essence, they try to build an argument for why Kafka wrote the way he did, and why he’s so alienated and so special. A poor relationship with Pops K, the Hilsner affair leading to anti-semitism in Bohemia, low self-esteem over his clothes and looks, getting called a Ravachol (something akin to a little bastard, I believe), a hatred of his office, and four unfulfilled serious romantic relationships. The stark “plot” is accompanied by eerie music and odd, silent movies. The rooms feel dark and narrow. Never has a museum so effectively sent its message across using all tools available to it.
For art of the visual variety, I stuck with another favorite Prague son, going to the Alfonse Mucha Museum. It was as good as promised with his key posters on display, though rather short on time needed there. They showed a nice biopic that covered his life in about 20 minutes, with a British nar-RA-tor taking us through it. I didn’t see any other galleries and as such am mostly ignorant about other Czech art.
Music came in a couple ways. First, the museum of Czech music had a nice exhibit on Mozart in Prague and than a main, permanent exhibit with old and funky instruments. My feeling is that Prague does not have the strongest creative tradition musically, but they did put on some great music back in their day, and meanwhile pushed the envelope on instrument and scoring style.
Modern music looks unspectacular, but M1, a bar, had indie rock Wednesday and it was both packed and good. Says one ‘tender: “It’s this indie pop/rock shit. I hate it. I think it’s the kind of thing you either really like or really hate.” Touring bands come through here, but not often, and a lot of places have jazz.
I went to a Czech film on my last night and it was great. Marta starts slow, ends suddenly, runs a touch short (and I never say that about movies that are not based on books I’ve read), and features great acting and a mildly veiled plot. It is gruesome, in physical, sexual, and emotional ways, and makes for a great movie. Apparently, it is not representative of Czech film, but it is a good sign all the same.

Wencelas "Square" from the North, that's the National Museum at the far end

Now, for a detailed run through of St. Vitus' Cathedral and a brief run through of every other tourist site:

St. Vitus Cathedral: Now that I have seen this I feel much better about missing the Sistine Chapel. Not to say this bests that, necessarily, just that it is surely close enough, especially considering more cathedrals are sure to come.
Vitus is in the Eastern European gothic style through and through. On the wings are ornately constructed gold-plated or stained glass homages to Jesus, his mother, the Saints, and various Czech dignitaries. The ceiling is high, pointed, and beautiful, even missing Michelangelo’s touch. Below there is a royal crypt reminiscent of the one in Poznan (Poland), and to the right (South) there is a great tower.
We wound our way up 287 stairs with nary a landing. Some steps were a touch wider and there were windowsills to rest on, but mostly it was a straight hike. The stairwell was narrow, though not quite as slim as the climb to the top of Malbork Castle, where we worried for our broad-shouldered heavyweight’s chances of making it through, and later even more so for a not very slender woman walking there. Two regular-width people could pass each other in reasonable discomfort. The steps just barely were large enough for a full foot, so usually each step left the walker dangling, clinging to the outer wall going down or the central pillar going up. People going both ways stopped, and those coming down offered a smile and words of encouragement. It didn’t matter if we spoke the same language or not: the note in our voices did the trick.
Emerging from the dimly but sufficiently lit stairwell, the feeling is far more relief than exhilaration. We were high up, certainly, and what views there were in Prague, we saw them. Prague’s beauty, however, is far better recognized on the ground level. The climb was worth it, but mostly because it was there.

An example of the not quite spectacular view from the top of St. Vitus. I mean the city!

On to the other tourist sites/sights. The old Jewish section had very nice synagogues and its own little block on the north end of the old city. The Jewish community is now dispersed throughout Prague, I read. The old town center is absolutely lovely from all directions, and you can appreciate that while just walking around, especially at night. Charles Bridge is glorious if crowded. The Prague Castle peaks as a whole at the St. Vitus’ Cathedral, literally and otherwise. The museum of torture is blah: no pictures allowed, expensive tickets, gruesome but not so much, and not all that edifying. Wencelas Square is pretty hip, with a walkable middle showcasing modern art and a nice shot of the National Museum; choice.
There is a strong American ex-pat scene here, from cafes to bars to clubs. One of the two Americans I met put the number at 30K Americans in the city. Prague Post is a weekly English newspaper, and I’d guess between 50-75% of native Praguers speak passable English. Additionally, German, Italian and Russian from tourists dot the streets.
On the whole, I’m a big fan of Prague and would love to live here for a year or two, above all other European cities I’ve been to yet. We’ll see how that holds. Interestingly, for my purposes – cultural blitz, traveling adrenaline, and a dose of social life, a two and a half day stay is about perfect. (I should have somehow worked around this all-nighter idea, 2nd of the trip and 1st solo.) I saw most if not all of the sights, got a good feel of the city if not the people, had a great hostel, and had a decent time last night during my brief time out. I could come back here briefly, for a year, or never again. Not a bad place to be, and so I dig on.

The mildly silly looking Astronomical Clock in the old town center of Prague, representing the silliness of posting this a month late, perhaps.

Dan