Prague: You Should Czech It Out!- EuroTrip 2022 (Part 1)

I love this trip! Each new city is just amazing as the previous ones, and I didn’t think that would be possible. There is just so much culture, history, and creativity in each stop! Before leaving, most of us grabbed breakfast at the amazing French bakery across the square from our hotel. The breads and pastries at Charlotte were all it took to get one ready for the day! The trip to Prague from Krakow via bus and train was relatively uneventful and we got to see so much of the countryside along the way. With a few exceptions of mountainous terrain and forests, it was fields of wheat, corn, and other grains as far as the eye could see. Our hotel in Prague is just a short walk from the train station and its proximity to all the great sites in the city gave us a huge advantage in exploring the city. Miss Sophie’s Downtown Hotel is a sleep, modern, boutique hotel with the largest rooms we have had so far on the trip. Most European hotels have micro-rooms that are mostly 250-300 sq. ft. but not Miss Sophie’s!

We did an orientation walk to the main promenade that is anchored on one end by the National Museum and at the other by Old Town. This is a modern, cosmopolitan shopping district, for the most part, with retail shops, fast food, and souvenir stores. I continue to notice that KFC, McDonalds, and Subway are well represented wherever we go. Here there was an Under Armour, Foot Locker, and H&M as well so it is very recognizable to Americans. I am also amazed that everywhere we go, 2 of every 3 people speak English fluently and can seamlessly go back and forth in conversation among 3 or 4 languages. This command of languages continues to impress me so much! There was probably more English being spoken on the streets and in the shops of Prague than there was Czech! This reality also makes me feel totally inadequate since I don’t know any other languages. I really should work on that. After the orientation walk, we exchanged money to Czech crowns, went to dinner as a group, then settled in at the hotel.

As usual, I was up and at it early for our first full day in Prague and had two walking tours scheduled to join, one in the morning over WWII and Communism in Prague, and one in the afternoon covering Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and the Charles Bridge. As it would turn out, the English-speaking young man from Prague who was my guide in the morning would also lead my group in the afternoon! The dive into WWII and Communism in Prague and the greater Czechia region was very interesting to me. During the interwar years, Czechoslovakia was an island of multi-national democracy in a sea of dictatorships and totalitarian regimes. THis experience with popular government would come in handy later on, but for now things went down hill. Most people are well aware that before WWII even began, Hitler started by annexing territory on the borders of Germany, including the Sudetenland (German speaking border region of Czechoslovakia). Within 6 months, all of Czechoslovakia would be taken over by Germany and war seemed imminent. No shots had been fired yet, but maybe this saved Prague from the destruction that other European cities faced. On both tours, it was discussed how the Jewish population in the city, just like in all other cities that fell under Germany’s control, was moved to ghettos and later loaded up by the tens of thousands for deportation to concentration camps in the east. Czech men who wanted to fight against the Axis Powers fled to France or England to join their ranks. Much of the city of Prague was remade during the German occupation to resemble Germany. Theaters and government buildings were constructed, names were changed, and synagogues were destroyed.

A couple of highlights of the tours included seeing the remnants of Prague’s medieval past in Old Town and walking the Charles Bridge. A number of city towers from the days of fortified defensive walls still stand as do several cathedrals that date back nearly 1000 years. One of the most popular places in Old Town is the astronomical clock that provides a brief glimpse of the 12 apostles each hour on the hour, but you have to be ready to see it or you will miss it. The clock is on the tower of Old Town Hall, but in the final days of WWII the majority of the building was destroyed by the Nazis. The tower containing the clock, however, was saved and stands as a sentinel to days gone by now. The main square reminded me of Krakow with its energy, outdoor restaurants, street performances, and views of the medieval past and I am convinced that this is one of the factors that most attracts me to European cities. I love their vibe! Before ending the day, I tried a traditional trdelnik, or chimney cake, that is produced by wrapping a wooden dowel with sweet dough and roasting it over hot coals. The cake can then be filled with fruit and/or ice cream or eaten plain with cinnamon sugar on it. The origins of trdelnik to the region are dubious, but it’s popularity is not! I can’t wait to keep exploring Prague tomorrow, this city is beautiful!