The middle days in Prague

So I have decided to combine days three and four together for what I feel are legit reasons. Here is the short version, if you want more details then feel free to read below. Got up at the crack of dawn to an already light Prague day. In case you missed this in an earlier posting, morning decides to poke its head from the dark at around 4:30am, so sleeping past 6ish is difficult at best. Bumped my head on the angled shower ceiling, knocked on the door of my co-worker and headed to the metro. Spent the day in registration, tried to help people in languages I didn’t understand. Had lunch, help more people, a drink with the client, then off to dinner some sightseeing and then back to the place to catch up with friends via IM and hit the sack. That my friends was Prague in a nutshell for days 3 and 4.
But like every good story there is more than one chapter to our book. First I should say how nice it is to work at a place that gave me the chance to go and do what we do in Europe. While it is a difficult situation, I can never express enough gratitude for the opportunity to make this happen.
Prague is a bit of an enigma. Upon landing you think to yourself that this city doesn’t seem like anything too special. Once you spend some time here everything changes. This is a special place, surrounded by a millennium of unbroken history. Unlike so many of its fellow countries, Prague was untouched by both world wars that ravaged so much of old Europe. This place makes you feel like you are stepping back in to a medieval village, surrounded by a modern city. Churches, Cathedrals and Castles dominate the skyline on both sides of a city connected by a river. Connecting the cities two sides is a delicate network of bridges, boats and a metro system that moves you easily from one side of the city to the other.
Home of two Holy Roman Emperors, Prague is full of fortifications and religious icons. I have never been too much in to religion, but here you can see what its place was in medieval society. This was the binding sense of community that this society needed as it struggled through centuries of a vassal system. While I personally feel that is a horrible time in human evolution, you can not overlook the work and craftsmanship that they brought to this city. This was the equivalent to one of our super cities, and by location it became a dynamic melting pot for many cultures.
The architecture represents a host of nations as well as a time period. You can see the Russian influence and as you turn the corner you see the Baroque period staring you in the face. The Italians gave the city the art of sculpture and the Dutch showed this society how to build around a river. Finally the influence of Germany is around every corner and the French are most notable on the cities signature complex, the Royal Palace.
But the influences are seen everywhere, not just in the buildings. Gelatos on every corner, Schnitzel in every restaurant. French wine with dinner or German beer if Pilsner is not your taste. You want globalization, come here! The funny thing was they did it way before the time of the internet and media. It was done here because a large number of people collected here and shared their cultures and ideas. The difference was that this culture was accepting and used all of those influences to create something distinctly their own. It is easy to put your finger on Italian style, German efficiency, France’s love for all of the arts. But when someone asks me what makes Prague, Prague I will be a little lost from words. For once I have met a city that I can’t pigeon hole, which I don’t want to describe. The best thing I could ever do is to tell you to come here. Experience the people, the culture, but most of all take time to explore the city on your own. Tour guides always tell you what is coming up around the corner, in my mind that is like someone telling you what the ending of the movie is going to be as you walk in to the theatre.
Grab a map, put on some good shoes and hit the streets. Because around every corner in Prague there is something very special.