prague

Prague - February 2003

(A sort of visual journal)

I travelled Cork-Amsterdam-Prague (luggage lost in Amsterdam) and came back Prague-London-Cork (luggage lost in London this time). Apart from that it was a magnificent 3 days. I loved Prague. My big regret is that time was so limited (it was a work meeting) that I only spent about 3 hours walking the streets and missed out on a lot of the sights. I must go back there sometime and spend some time in the city. In April there is a new flight direct from Cork to Prague starting up. I wanted to see the Jewish Quarter, some of the monasteries and visit more cafes and pubs.

Impressions: Pretty and picturesque, poor in places, and very "World War II" looking in places. Churches everywhere, red roofs and bridges. Ancient cars going very fast on ice-covered cobblestones. Cold, cobblestoned streets.

(This reminds me of the joke about 2 nuns cycling down a cobblestoned street.

"Have you ever come this way before?"

"No."

"Must be the cobblestones.")

Drably-dressed people - all black, brown, grey clothes, scruffy looking for the most part, very colourless. All wrapped up well against the snow and then next thing you'd walk past a beautiful girl with her coat open, a short miniskirt and bare legs! A city of contrasts. Beer to die for and their red wine is pretty good too!

The people - still emerging from a dark era of communism. Tourism must surely be their biggest industry. They are pleasant and polite but I also found them to be cold, not very warm-hearted. Probably because they live a harsh life. Prague has a big sex and underground youth/drug culture (I only discovered this on the last day I was there, drat!).

I missed out on an exhibition of 300 pictures of Josef Koudelka. I'd love to have seen his B&W pics of Soviet tanks on the streets of Prague in '68. I just couldn't physically find the time to go across town. I was sorry to leave. So, on to the pictures, in no particular order....