Remembering Prague

There was something special about Prague, and I didn't fully appreciate it while I was there. The city survived two world wars, damaged in spirit but untouched by bombs. It lived through an era of oppression behind the Iron Curtain. And that's just the 20th century history, layered over hundreds upon hundreds of years of being at the crossroads between east and west.

Praha, as the locals call it, is unlike any place I've seen. Vibrant and beautiful like Paris, yet not at all narcissistic. Polite and orderly like Germany, but so much more lively and buoyant in spirit. Rich in history, but not overshadowed by it's past like Rome. Enjoying the fruits of commerce and freedom, but not yet so jaded as London.

Prague is a city that seems to feel comfortable with itself. The result is that as a tourist, I felt oddly at home, even as I struggled to read signs with more consonants and accent markings than I could have imagined were possible. Being in Prague is to be surrounded by history, while feeling very much in the present. It's sublty is charming and seductive - a place to be enjoyed without feeling like an interloper. I find my thoughts straying back there when I long for a bit of tranquility with a touch of mystery.

Prague may well be my favorite European city, with all due respect to my first love, Paris. I hope to return there someday soon. Three days just wasn't enough!