Last weekend Phil had a course to attend in the famed city of Prague, which even Hitler thought worthy of saving from Nazi bombs, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity for me to check it out.
Many people talk about the Charles bridge and the view. But to me, Prague is all about the buildings; it is a lesson in 100o years of architecture as the styles change from Romanesque to Gothic, Renaissaince, Baroque to Roccoco. Grand churches (lots of churches and synagogues), public buildings, housing. Seeing all these styles juxtaposed against each other is like a five course feast of design and masonry. It speaks of grand ideas and the bold people that executed them. And beyond the engineering developments, it reflects beliefs and attitudes about what was appropriate and what was beauty - from the simple Romanesque, to the hard and austere Gothic to the lavishly ornate Baroque.
While it was a delight to savour the city, the almost inescapable throng of tourists who were trying to do the same left a somewhat bitter taste. At times it was almost comical to see the herds of people wandering the streets, following the point of an unopened umbrella, and crowding the pavements to hear a few facts that I read in a guide book. The streets are of course cobbled, and most show signs of a million footsteps, and require very sensible footwear to negotiate the ups and downs. But in other places, new cobbles were being laid, ironically to please the tourists and ensure their sore feet.
Sunday 21 March was the equinox, or the day when the times between sunrise and sunset are equal. So there was a spring market set up in the main square, with trees festooned in silk blossoms and streamers, and hand painted egg shells for sale amongst other things. They do like to find excuses to celebrate things in this part of the world. We had been told that Prague was cheap, but that depends on your point of reference. In comparison with Western Europe it is cheap, but so is NZ.
