The Golden City - Day 1

I had studied in Vienna, Austria when I was in college and was blessed with the opportunity to travel during that time. I roamed north to Copenhagen, west to London, south to Rome and east to Warsaw but I never made it to Prague and had deeply regretted it. I had mentioned to D sometime over the last 9 years that if we ever got the opportunity, Prague is a place that I would really like to visit. So, when we discovered that we were coming to Belgium to stay for a bit, I “strongly mentioned” my desire to visit the golden city, the city of a hundred spires, the mother of cities.


We had planned several of our adventures before we left (most notably Paris and Amsterdam) but I was a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of taking on the Czech Republic. The language is decidedly foreign. The distance is substantially further than other trips. The fear of screwing it up and being disappointed after building it up for a good 12-14 years was considerable. Once we arrived in Belgium and discovered that Prague was a tad more expensive of a trip than originally planned, we were close to abandoning the effort. Thankfully, we were extended and had additional time to figure out what to do. D wisely counseled that I would regret not taking the trip, regardless of the expense. I was not so sure of that, and again, gratefully, with the extension, we could plan further out, which brought down the price – both of travel and hotel – which made the bargain hunter in me thrill. [Side note: I guess it had never occurred to me that, like airplane travel in the State, train travel here becomes more expensive the closer to departure you book. Since I used the Eurorail Pass as a student, I had not discovered some of these finer points of train travel. Live and learn.]


Air travel was a possibility, but we decided instead on the overnight train – but instead of doing it like I did as a student, cramped and crowded, we did it like proper employed adults and book a sleeping car. We were both quite excited about that, but I promised that I would let D tell that part of the story, so I will skip ahead to our arrival in Prague.


Prague is an ancient city, having been settled in 200 BC. The first castle was built there in the 10th century but it was in the 14th and 15th centuries that Prague's history took on greater political and religious significance. Under the reign of Charles IV (1346-1378), Prague became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and therefore, the center of the European world. Some of the majesty brought by Charles to Prague include the Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral in eastern Europe. One sees evidence of the majesty of Charles' reign all over the city. Prague is blessed with having been spared the complete devastation brought to most of Europe by World War II. There was some bombing there but very little in comparison to other major cities. This means that there is a remarkable panorama of architectural styles in every direction including: Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Renaissance, Neo-Classical and others. This is a huge reason as to why I really wanted to visit this city, a chance at seeing history in the buildings as well as the monuments.


After checking into our hotel, we needed to eat and wanted to start orienting ourselves with the city. I was glad to be visiting in November because we were able to get a better hotel more cost effectively and closer into the heart of the city. Also, we knew that it would be less crowded than during the height of tourist season. The hotel was great, overlooking the Vltava river and the Charles Bridge, we were a short walk from the heart of Old Town and the Castle.



We found a lovely restaurant not far away and enjoyed some local fare. Knowing that the Czech Republic has a long and distinguished history of beer production, we were eager to try the original Pilsner, the Urquell Pilsner. We weren't disappointed. It was a light beer with good character, but not bitter. It was very refreshing and well complemented to the meal of traditional knedliky (like dumplings), goulash and sliced meats with gravy (a very tasty, filling meal on a chilly November day.) After fortifying ourselves we started our mp3 tour of Prague.

I had been doing research on Tripadvisor.com (upon the good advise of friends who swear by the reports posted there by real people) and it had mentioned walking tours that one could purchase in mp3 format. I decided that this was the place to try it out. D and I have really enjoyed walking tours before, but we both loved the flexibility of having them at our command and both being able to stop and discuss at anytime, or just pausing for the day and picking it up again the next. It also gave us the chance to get the lay of the land without committing hours on end, which we both liked. We saw the astronomical clock perform with thousands of our nearest and dearest and enjoyed the ambiance of Old Town Square. The contrast of the gothic Tyn Cathedral and the Baroque St. Nicholas Church is remarkable. Franz Kafka's former residence is also on display with a substantial monument to Jan Hus, the 15th Century church reformer burned at the stake, occupying the center of the square. A cornucopia of visuals to occupy one's attention.


The astronomical clock, or Orloj in Czech, is a extraordinary piece of machinery. Dating back to 1410, the Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the sun and moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. I don't pretend to understand how this clock actually tells time, but to read about the different components all work together in what is a mechanical astrolabe, a medieval astronomy device, is fascinating. I particularly like the visual appeal of the the combination of Schwabacher numerals, representing old Czech time, as well Roman numerals, showing “modern time” – overlapped then with the Zodiacal ring to show the phases of the sun and moon. What I love most about history is the reminder of how clever and brilliant the minds were of those that came before us. To determine time they used the knowledge they had of the earth (local latitude), sun, moon and stars to pin point and predict. Wow. And after 600 years and countless wars, it is still running and providing us with the time.


The “Walk of the Apostles” and other moving figures were added in the 1800's but add a social history component to the clock. The wooden figures of the 12 apostles come out from windows in the structure just above the clock face and move in a circle. The figures down below, next to the calendar dial are a bit more interesting in their social commentary. On either side of the calendar face are 2 figures back to back that symbolize 4 things hated at the time of the clocks creation. On the left side is a man admiring himself with a mirror representing Vanity; next to him is a Jew holding a bag of gold representing greed or usury. On the right side is a skeleton that shakes his bell every hour, announcing death and reminding all of their ultimate date with it; and finally there is a figure of a Turk in a turban representing infidels. Prague was one of the most accepting and culturally diverse cities of its time, which is why these statues are so interesting, almost contradictory. There is a Jewish Synagogue in Prague dating back to 1270. Telling glimpse back in time.


After taking in the clock, we moved on over to the Jewish Quarter. As I mentioned, this is one of the few places where Jewish synagogues survived World War II – and there are several. We decided against the ticket that purchased entry into the various buildings (and cemeteries) and instead pleased ourselves with enjoying the beauty of the exterior. My favorite was the Spanish synagogue. The interior has a Moorish style that makes it wholly unique.

We had exhausted ourselves and the daylight fairly well by this time and decided to pick up the tour first thing the next morning.