Praha - Prague - Praha

In Prague, we spent our time wandering down winding streets. We meandered through streets packed with people and with no one at all. We forwent Prague’s pubic transport system in favor of our feet, walking to any and all parts of the city that we wanted to see. This included churches and cafes, castles and convents, and museums and bookstores. Rarely were we lost since our meanderings rarely had a clear destination. Unlike many other European cities, Prague received virtually no damage during World War II, so the winding medieval streets are still preserved, now closely lined with buildings from the 18th to 20th century (and even before in some cases). Our walking was made even more special because of the time of year that we were there. Although Christmas is celebrated in Dubai as a completely commercial holiday, it is not the same as when it is part of the country’s larger religious and cultural heritage (As an aside, what’s more odd, celebrating Christmas in a formerly communist country or a Muslim country? Just something to think about…). In several of the town squares there were Christmas markets with local and mass-produced handicrafts, hot dogs, mulled wine, and tridlnks (dough rolled on a device like a long roller-pin and then roasted over fire and served with cinnamon sugar and almond slivers). At the largest market in the Old Town Square there was a huge Christmas tree with five different types of lights and a stage with nightly performances ranging from Czech and English Christmas carols to a kids presentation with a Barney-like St. Nicholas and angel for St. Nicholas’ Day. The other things that took some getting used to was the short sunlight every day, only from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and how cold it was compared to Sharjah.

While I’ll talk about a couple of my favorite churches and convents in the next blog, the architecture was definitely the highlight for me. St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle had a majestic Gothic exterior with a huge nave with a surprisingly modern interior. Some of the frescoes depicted secular scenes and the stained glass were very unique colors. Instead of the traditional subdued colors, there were bright green, purple, pink, and even rainbow colors. St. Mikulas (St. Nicholas) church was dominated by its high-Baroque style where every part of the church was covered by some ornamentation. Surprisingly, the church accomplished this feat without feeling gaudy whatsoever. Frescoes lined the walls and ceiling depicting the life of Christ and St. Nicholas (who was being more than Santa Claus by rescuing sailors, saving women from prostitution, and pardoning an unjustly accused man). Around each corner of the alter at the front of the church were four marble statues of the Church Fathers. Their eyes were carved out in a way if you sit in the front few pews they stare down at you in judgment (this was an especially nice place to sit during the Advent concert that we went to at this church). The other interesting church that we went to was the Mirror Chapel at Klementinum, the old Jesuit college. Their were mirrors on opposite walls reflecting into each other to depict eternity. Their were also mirrors in the frescoes in the ceiling that reflected the star motifs in the floor. The stars then shrouded the painting of Mary in the ceiling. In the frescoes depicting the different stages of the Ave Maria, the angels were holding mirrors reflecting the love of God to Mary and then reflecting Mary’s love to the world. The last very special church that we visited was the Cathedral of St. Barbora in Kutna Hora, a small town about an hour outside of Prague. Funded by the mines in the surrounding areas, this spectacular Gothic cathedral was at the top of the hill at the end of town. While the spires and the numerous archways on both sides of the church were the most dramatic part, the massive nave and some of the frescoes showing the miners in the interior were also interesting to see.

Other than churches, walking around we saw some of the other nice architecture around the city. The narrow streets are closely lined by buildings that shoot straight up right from the skinny sidewalks. The buildings red-roofs are only interrupted by the Gothic and Baroque steeples. At Klementinum (after seeing the Mirror Chapel), we got to go up in their tower and see Prague’s skyline, only fragmented by the twisting and turning roads weaving throughout Stare Mesto (Old Town) and on the other side of the river in Mala Strana (the “Little Quarter” of the oldest part in the city). The other design highlights included Prague’s famous Art Nouveau on many buildings throughout the city. This nostalgic patterning had elaborate floral façades shrouding images from nature and the country’s religious and cultural heritage. It was also fun walking over Charles Bridge that was lined with over thirty statues (some of which were in the process of being preserved) as we walked over the Vlatva River from one side of town to the other. The final highlight was the fountain/statue outside the Franz Kafka Museum. There were two men peeing as their midsections moved back and forth and up and down (you can use your imagination to figure what you think it looks like).

Our trip wrapped up on a good note as we watched Kanye West’s Prague-based music video for “Diamonds are Forever” as we lay under the covers at 6:12 PM, it already being dark outside for nearly two hours. Otherwise, Julie and I had a great time eating good food, drinking coffee, and soaking up the holiday cheer. I’ll be posting soon about some of the religious practices and devotionalism associated with some of the unique places that we visited.