As I pack my bags and get ready to move onto Dublin, Ireland, I can’t help but think of what a great time I had in Prague. The first time I came to this city six years ago, I only scratched the surface of this city that has seen some interesting times. The people here are a proud bunch. The women are strong both in legend and in current times. The men are as equally strong, providing the backbone of this country. My grandfather is from this country. He died when I was 8 but I remember him as this strong powerful presence with a heart he would show only when necessary. He worked hard and loved his family and loved life.
I don’t know if I am trying to associate myself with this country because I feel I should but I see a lot of qualities and traits in myself that I have observed here in the Czech Republic.
I decided to take a break from being a must-see-everything tourist and decided just to wonder a bit around the city yesterday. I read in my guidebook about a good beer garden on the top of a park just north of the city castle, so I decided to see if it was worth checking out. Turns out they were right! Amazing views, cheap beer and a guy selling sausages made my day complete. Had a couple of beers and decided I was sleepy so I took a nap. I flew 5000 miles to take a nap in a public park and I am totally ok with that.
To round out my trip I bought a ticket on a 3 hour dinner cruise along the Vltava River. Having a couple hours before my trip, I decided to wonder around the city again. I found the only exhibit that I found interesting and it was at the city library. I love museums don’t get me wrong, but being in Europe I can stand only so many rococo paintings of Jesus Christ or some kind of battle or dead people. And it’s summer, so being outside when the weather is nice is key!
Anyways this exhibit was on the 1958 world expo and Czechoslovakia’s presence at the expo. Being 13 years or so into the Cold War, the Czechs were one of three communist countries that were allowed and invited to the world’s fair in Brussels. The exhibit detailed the fair itself, how the Czechs showed off their technology, design, housewares, what a typical day in the life of a Czech was, with obvious good overtones to make sure westerners knew that they were happy, even if they weren’t.
It would have been amazing to see this exhibit, as we don’t do world’s fairs anymore (EPCOT in Florida is NOT a world’s fair people…). The design of the pavilion was this interesting mix of international style and communist architecture. The main structure a kind of boring L shaped box with this stylish C shaped restaurant pavilion with a French style restaurant and beer garden were housed. They designed special chinaware and glassware for the restaurant; everything was to showcase Czechoslovakia’s culture and modernity.
Of course the government had to approve any Czech national going to the fair. You had to be a good worker or politically connected to attend. Only 6,000 Czech nationals actually attended the fair, a modest amount for sure. They were given classes on how to respond to western style questioning and warned of the western propaganda machine that would be in attendance of the fair.
The next part of the exhibit was how the 1958 Expo changed design in Czech culture in the 60’s. Art, housewares, cars, planes, trams, architecture, nothing seemed immune from the Brussels Style as they called it. Corbusier style communities were designed and implemented, a Czech national expo grounds was built in Brno, even clothing and shoes were modernized. It was an interesting take into the culture during the heyday of the communist control of the Czechoslovakia country.
To end the day was the dinner cruise. Trudging along the Vltava River noshing on potato cakes and sausage, watching the sunset, it sinks in. This is my last night. It was a great way to spend an evening in Prague and I suggest it for anyone visiting the city.
Prague’s rough edges and tourist centric atmosphere make it a must see for anyone curious about Eastern Europe. The city center has plenty of English speaking people and even if you want to get away from that a bit you can still communicate enough to get beer and sausages so you won’t go thirsty or starving! The 1000 years of architecture is always a nice draw too, something for everyone. There is a great party scene here but it is terribly expensive so if you want to hang with your buddies and just have a good time would hit up the 24 hour food stalls throughout the city for cheap good beer and cheap food for your 3am munchies. Go to Prague, tap into your inner bohemian!
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