Day 1 - Exploring Prague

Kati, Alex, and I in front of Charles Bridge

I've waited years to see Prague, and I have to say that it's not what I expected at all.  The baroque architecture is unique and interesting to say the least, but it's obvious that the city is trying to "Westernize" itself to a very large degree.  Such Westernization is understandable in light of the all-too-recent (1989) revolution to overturn the ruling communist regime.  Yet seeing such desperate attempts to cater to western tourists is disappointing because of the rich and unique character of the city and the country itself.

For example, Prasky hrad (Prague Castle) is quite amazing--despite the fact that it is much more a palace and much less a castle--yet they felt a need in the 1990s to institute an hourly "changing of the guard," clearly mimicking Buckingham palace.  The only difference is that the Czech guards are in blue and not nearly as good at standing still.  A somewhat smaller version of the Eiffel Tower sits atop one of the largest hills in the city, further exemplifying Prague's mimicry of Western Europe.

We managed to see just about the entire city over the course of a single day.  Everything from the Jewish Quarter and Mala Strana (Old Town) to the castle and the very impressive Strahov Monastery.  Probably the most bizarre sight in Prague is the Metronome.  Climb any tower in the city and you'll likely see the giant red arm of a metronome, 72 feet tall, moving back and forth in one of Prague's many parks.  It's such a strange sight that you figure there must be an interesting story behind it (and there is).  The position where the Metronome stands used to be home to a very large bronze monument to Stalin.  Naturally, when Russia's hold on the area was relinquished, nobody particularly wanted to be reminded of the time-period that destroyed so much of their lives and history.  Thus, they tore the monument down and erected a giant metronome.  Why a metronome?  That's where my knowledge ends and nobody has been able to give me an answer as to where the idea came from.

Another interesting, yet very creepy, sight found along the eclectic streets of Prague is the statue of the infant of Prague (Baby Jesus).  There's an entire church built around this monument to a little porcelain doll.  Each year the doll gets a new set of robes, a new crown, and a new little orb to hold.  I don't understand this obsession at all, but to each his own.

Just as a quick note before I sign off, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm uploading my pictures as we go and if you click on the set of pictures to the left, they'll take you to my full albums that you can look at.  I do have limited space though, so I'm going to be cycling through to make room for the newer pictures as we go.