First Stop in Europe - Prague

After an overnight flight from Amman, Jordan, Lisa and I arrived in Prague to begin the final leg of our round-the-world journey. During our final three weeks on the road, our plan was to to make a loop of a few central European cities before ending the trip in Paris.

Our first reaction upon arriving in Prague was that it seemed so easy to travel in Europe. We landed at the airport, booked a room, took a bus, then a subway, and then finally walked a few blocks to our hotel – all without a single person talking to us, asking where we were from, or offering us a ride or a room or a good deal at their store. It was less exotic and exciting, to be sure, but after a few months of traveling in non-Western cultures, there was also a bit of relief at having our space back.

I was reminded, though, of a conversation I’d had with a young woman we’d met on a plane in India. She was from Bombay, but had spent the previous four years living in London. The hardest thing about living in the U.K., she told me, was that she had too much space and too little contact with other people. It felt uncomfortable to her to be left alone as much as she was in London. Lisa and I, of course, had the exact opposite reaction. It points out an interesting cultural difference between East and West – as Westerners, we tend to compartmentalize everything, including our space, while in the East there is much less of a concept of privacy or personal space.

As far as Prague itself, the city was amazing. I’d have to put it up there with Paris and Venice as being among the most beautiful cities in Europe. We especially loved the architecture of the Old Town, the sculptures and paintings and flowerboxes that seem to adorn every building. We toured Prague Castle, visited churches, wandered the streets, admired the view from the Charles Bridge, sat in the sunshine in the Old Town Square, sampled Czech beer and coffee, and spent an evening listening to a classical music concert in a centuries-old church. It was certainly a good city in which to be reintroduced to the West.

Here is a view of Prague Castle towering over the city...















And here is a corner of Prague's Old Town square...