Arriving at Prague’s train station Thursday morning I was not sure what to expect. I have been to the city before. Actually, I have been to a lot of cities—cities bigger than Prague—but I was still a little nervous as I stepped off the train. Prague was supposed to be amazing. According to my friend back in Nebraska, Prague was supposed to be THE city. The city that I will love the second I step off the train. The city that will put all other cities to shame. In short, Prague was supposed to be like a little piece of heaven on earth. I, however, did not find Prague to be any more impressive than any other city I have ever seen and by the end of our long weekend I found the city to be downright vexing. Now, let me count the reasons.
People
As is the problem with just about any place in the world, people make much better doors than windows. And in Prague, there are people everywhere. Trying to walk between our group’s hostel and the main square—where we spent the majority of our time—was like trying to win a game of dodgeball by yourself against an opposing team comprised of thousands—and I hate dodgeball. Throughout the entire weekend I held on for the one moment outside where I could stop dodging and smell the roses. It never came. Instead I spent the better part of the weekend trying to avoid tourists who cannot rationalize why it is a bad idea to stop squarely in the middle of random places so that they can molest a thousand year old statue. Honestly, I have nothing against assaulting statues…just please, the next time you do it, step away from the crowd and help everyone to avoid a domino effect.
Money
As one would expect…Prague is a very expensive city. The average meal in Olomouc, from a street vender, is around $1.75. In Prague a meal from a street vendor is double and a restaurant is nearly triple. To put it into perspective…a cup of water in Prague costs about as much as a hamburger in Olomouc—not to mention that a cup of water is generally just that: a measuring cup’s worth of water. Continually a visitor to Prague must make the choice: food or water – or the choice many of my fellow group members made…beer.
People with money are the real problem with Prague—and, in general, with humanity. In Prague—and I am guessing the rest of the major cities in Europe—the locals do their very best to take the tourists for everything they have. And since many of the tourists are willing to give everything they have to the locals a vicious cycle has ensued. The locals have realized that they can charge just about anything and add on just about any fee as long as they advertise with the words, “Authentic Czech” somewhere in English. They know that they can add gratuity onto restaurant bills—which goes against European custom—and have tourists pay it without little or no fuss. Before going to Prague, a visitor hears about all of the city’s history and beauty. However, for this gnome, none of that can be enjoyed when several thousand people are vying for the chance to get a 25-dollar caricature of him or herself as he or she drinks a Czech beer.
The city seems, to me, to be a big charade and this sinister creature would much rather experience that which is real. After all, that is why I left my comfy bridge.
I should note: not everything about Prague was bad, but that is another post for another day. To be continued…
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