Wednesday, September 24
48 hours in Prague
Just got back from a quick visit to Prague. Gorgeous city - stunning buildings and all that. Can't say a bad thing about the loveliness of Prague or I'd sound like a true curmudge.
What was off-putting however were the monstrous hoards of unmannerly tourists, coming mainly from somewhere in the Eastern block we concluded. Literally bus loads of them everywhere, pushing and shoving their way through the city. Repugnant, surly-looking individuals too, like extras from Shrek without the cartoon charm. Worse, they behaved as if they'd broken out of a Lithuanian prison. Did the beautiful people decide Prague was out this year or something? (I know I am being blantantly elitist, but this is my blog and I can say what I want!)
We tried unsuccessfully to dine at authentic Czech restaurants, hoping to sample some gulash or who knows what. Sadly, the currish masses had invaded those places so we ended up at a Pizzeria. Turns out the pizzerias are more "authentic" than the Czech spots, featuring edgy Czech fashionistas drinking Budvar (aka Budweiser) accompanied by their their dogs. I guess the "knuckles roasted by pheasant on black beer with onion and grandmother cabbage crackles" will have to wait for our next visit.
Our friends here who grew up in former East Germany said Prague was a great meeting place for East Germans before the Wall fell. People from Iron Curtain countries could rendez-vous with friends and family from the West there without fear of repercussions. It made me happy to think of Prague in this light - as a joyous place where you could be free for a minute without feeling like you were being monitored.
And on that note, I had to include the bottom picture in my selection...I think it's a winner! It's a window display at Louis Vuitton characterized by surveillance cameras trained on a purse. I love that they are so unapologetic about their totalitarian past and also clever enough to subvert it in the pursuit of capitalism!
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