Floating in Prague

The Czech are an appreciative, laid back, and classical people: thankful for a moment of sunshine, thankful to bump into a friend unexpectedly in the street, thankful for any and all little pleasures in life. In Prague, you'll never see anyone running frantically to catch a tram nor hear mad taxi drivers tooting their horns. The city is by no means stagnant though. Prague is moving, but it's a gentle movement like a summer breeze with lots of pauses and sighs. Go ahead, stop in the street, close your eyes, take the time to bite into that vanilla eclair and savor ever so slowly every little drop of cream. Stop to hear that string quartet playing Dvorzak near Staromesto, watch that puppet show, go in to view that wild colorful art in a gallery window, or why not just check your hair in a mirror to make sure your look is impeccable: flowing blonde hair, black gown, meshed stockings and stiletto heels.

Class and verve sooo rule here in Prague. Watching the waitress put together a Viennese coffee, measuring out the correct proportions, piling on the clotted cream, shaking on a dust of chocolate. Step back, have a look and smile. Quality trumps quantity here. Meticulousity and honor far outweigh the constraints of time. I can just imagine the New Yorker going crazy at how long it takes the front desk clerk at the hotel to fill out the form, find the key and slowly drag you up to your room. Is it all to your liking, sir? Check out the view of the clock tower. No, the hour is off about 20 or 30 minutes. So, when is breakfast served? Well, in the morning of course! To enjoy Prague you have to adapt to the locals. If you had planned to see the Castle, visit four or five churches, or museums, take a cruise on the Vltava and take in a play in one day, think twice. Prague in one day, no way!

Prague is a curious blend of Baroque Austria circa 1750 (Check out Amadeus for a look!) and the Soviet Union 1970. It's a pure delight to search in vain for elements that facilitate and destroy modern western society. No plastic chairs, bags or bottles, no Lady Gaga, no superstores, no cash registers with bar scanning machines. Those round horn shaped bread rolls are ever-present, as are the long white cigarettes taken out of steel red cases, as well as the makeshift huts around town selling black gloves and hats for less than a euro. White peacocks reign supreme throughout many of the city's parks, daring you to step onto the grass. And strangely enough, Prague is the only city with a delightful royal palace where royal guards goose step, prouder than the peacocks, to protect a king that has never existed. In a nutshell, the Czech republic is laughter and pure joy on a sugar high of classical music on a freezing rainy day. Dvorak is still buzzing my ears, but I just can't laugh enough to get warm. Carpe diem in the past people! Float away.