22 May 2015
Postcard from Prague
June 2013
It's a little unusual perhaps, that while Pamela and I
have been to the Czech Republic many times - in my case perhaps 30 - neither of
us has ever been to Prague. Robert went there in his tour through Central
Europe with Miika some years back, so we ask him for advice on the sights.
"Beautiful women," he says without hesitation, "the best of
anywhere we went." We had hoped for some hints on Prague Castle, or the
Charles Bridge or a favourite Museum but Robert did remind us of Prague's
reputation as the party capital of Europe.
We're here for a couple of days en-route to Brno, staying
in the Unitas Hotel in the Old Town. The hotel likes to describe itself as a
former convent, but it's in fact more famous for being a prison in communist
times. Vaclav Havel, former President, was imprisoned here for example, but the
receptionist assures us that the rooms have been renovated since then and that
the room key works from the inside. Opposite the hotel is an enormous Police
Station including, we're told, the HQ of the anti-corruption police. There's a
TV crew outside as, in good democratic political tradition, inside the police
are interviewing the lover of the recently disgraced Prime Minister who was
caught with his pants down.
Along similar lines, there are signs of Prague the Party
Town, with many night clubs, dodgy massage studios, cabarets and the like but
it isn't ever really sleazy. Perhaps it's the magnificent Central European
architecture, the relative cleanliness, the friendliness and approachability of
the Czech people, the hundreds of attractive cafes, restaurants and bars or the
ubiquitous tram system whisking everyone around the city, but the city feels
safe, relaxed, and at ease with itself. There are lots of tourists, from
seemingly every corner of the world, to the point that it's a bit much at times
and in places. English is widely spoken and well written (other than the sign
'WiFi free' perhaps not matching the intended meaning) and everything is
photogenic and frequently photographed.
Czech food does not have a reputation for delicacy and
refinement, being more of the sausages and dense bread, pork loin and mashed
potatoes style. Beer is the national drink, but the wine from Moravia in the
south, especially the white, is often very good. A culinary highlight is U
Medvidku, a micro-brewery and restaurant, where in bustling surroundings, with
the Czechs eating in the front smoking section and the tourists in the
non-smoking garden, we enjoy smoked tongue and lentils, cheese soaked in beer
and served in oil, sausages cooked in beer and (we were unable to resist)
'Drunken Plum', being prunes soaked in Slivovitz and wrapped in bacon: devils
on horseback as we would call them at home.
There's too much to see culturally in our short time, but
a lasting impression of the Czech Castle, Jewish Cemetery and Charles Bridge is
the role and impact of religion in the city's history. King Wenceslas of
Bohemia is buried here and there's an altar frontal to St. George. There's also
a rather morbid fascination with instruments of torture, dungeons and other
things to remind us of the wondrous history of religion.
In common with other places in Central Europe, there is a
strong musical tradition, with several different concerts on offer, from opera
to string quartets, from symphonies by local boy Antonin Dvorak to melodies by
Lloyd-Webber. Sadly, there's just not enough time to enjoy it all.
We've enjoyed many of the sights of this great city (and
can confirm Robert's observation) but much to Pamela's chagrin ("it'll be
like India, you'll see"), we're now heading by train to Brno, where a
board meeting, some wine drinking and a sports day await.
# posted by DavidF @ 17:31 
