Czech Us Out!
Travel Location: Prague,Czech-Republic
Having stayed up pretty late the night before, we were lucky to wake up just in time for breakfast. I peeked out the window and was thrilled to clear blue skies over Prague. After a quick breakfast, we headed across the southern bridge in search of the “fornicular” that would take us to the top of Petrin Hill. Couldn’t quite find it, so we decided to brave the hike. It was a tough one, but the stroll through the gorgeous green park and increasingly unobstructed views of the city made the effort well worth it. Finally, we reached the observation tower, which sits on one of the highest points in the city. It is modeled after the Eiffel Tower, but was made exactly one third its size. We soon started the climb to the top. Although I’ve never been too nervous about heights, the open air deck and grid iron step allowing you to see just how far the ground was getting was making me very uncomfortable. Still, I stuck it through to the top. The view was amazing and with the clear weather we were able to see for miles and miles (or should I say, kilometers and kilometers). We easily spotted the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and an enormous tv tower in the distance, but soon the crowd got the better of us and we started our descent. For some reason, walking downstairs made me even more uncomfortable, but Kent was a doll leading the way and talking to me the entire time. I was so grateful he’d been there for me, but it made me worry. How was I going to handle the real Eiffel Tower? Kent and I would be in Paris in a few weeks, and climbing the tower was on our “must do” list, and I wasn’t going to give it up easily. Well, at least I’ll have him there to help me out then, too. What would I do without that boy?
After we reached the bottom, I instantly felt a billion times better. Next up… Mirror maze. In a building next to the observation tower, there was a mirror maze with a memorial diarama at the end to give it some sort of educational purpose. We had fun wandering through the maze, trying to make as many reflections of ourselves as we could. We tried taking our time, but apparently mirror mazes attract children and we were soon outnumbered. We made our escape and began our scenic walk back into town.
Our new mission was finding the John Lennon Wall. After a quick snack of hummus and a banana shake, we found it. Back in the 80′s, an artist painted a huge portrait of John Lennon on a wall in Grand Priory Square. The wall soon became a place for the Czech youth to write their grievances about the then communist regime. To this day, graffiti is still allowed on the wall and it has been decorated with a montage of new Lennon portraits, Beatles’ song lyrics, and words of peace. The wall is constantly changing, and the original portrait has been hidden unders the many layers of new art. Kent and I admired the colorful graffiti and tried to take in all the words of wisdom before continuing on our way. We stepped out of the square onto a small bridge connecting Kampa Island with the mainland (we were back in Little Venice). On either side of the bridge were gates lined with barbed wire and heaps of different kinds of locks. There were all sizes and colors of padlocks, and even a few bike locks in the mix. Nearly all had writing on them, and on the walls of the bridge, a few pictures of locks had been drawn. It was an odd sight, but a future google search clued us in on a rather romantic tradition. Couples go to the bridge, fasten the lock together to signify their love and then throw the key into the river below. Awwww… Adorable! We took a few pics, then headed on our way to the Kafka Museum. We walked toward the entrance to see a fountain comprised of two nude men pissing into a pool shaped like the Czech Republic. We thought it funny that this was the second museum we’d seen with naked men in front of it.
The museum was a good one. I had hardly known anything about Kafka beyond the fact that he was a writer. I think both Kent and I left with a better understanding of his life and work. Might even pick up one of his books when I get back to the states.
After an hour or so at the museum, we left and headed back to Old Town as the sun was setting. Hard to believe, but the city is even more beautiful at dusk. Wandered around the shops and bought some tickets for a marionette show later in that evening. We chose a different restaurant in the square, one that could cater to Kent’s craving for Czech goulash and my craving for potato soup. The food was okay, and the service, though still a bit shoddy, was much better than the night before.
We finished our meals and then each ordered a crepe from one of the many booths in the square. As soon as we were handed our desserts we realized these delicious crepes were sized to share! Neither of us could finish a whole one!
Soon it was time for the marionette show. We walked down to the theater, that seemed more like someone’s attic, and a few minutes after we sat down the puppets began their performance. They danced and sang to a Don Goivanni opera that had debuted in Prague, and although it originally felt like a rinky-dink performance, both Kent and I occasionally got lost in the puppets. I wasn’t too clear on the storyline, and some of the puppeteers were definitely more skilled than others, but all in all we were entertained so I guess I can’t complain.
We stopped in the Sex Museum on the way back to our hotel. Although I’ll spare the full descriptions of what was displayed there, there were definitely some interesting historical items. One was a pair of sandals typical to a Greecian prostitute. On the soles of the sandals was raised letters spelling “follow me”. They would walk around town in these, creating advertising footprints. Then, the men could easily follow the prints to their favorite lady of the night.
After an hour or so giggling in the museum, we headed home. We watched some tv, had some hot tea, and went to bed way too late.
