Whipped into shape: Easter in Prague

It would have been hard to leave spectacular Switzerland if Prague hadn't been awaiting me, along with the fabulous Megan and Katie Woods, my friends from the Rome program. I'd received rave reviews about Prague from many others, several of whom had also loved Budapest (the two are often compared). Time to see what all the fuss was about.

After a bit of a delay coming from the airport, I arrived at Hotel Chopin around dinner time and met the twins for an evening stroll around the city, leaving New Town (Nove Mesto) for historic Old Town (Stare Mesto), one of the only Eastern European metropoles left intact after World War II. (Apparently Hitler had big plans for Prague, his favorite city, as a monument to the extinct Jewish race; fortunately, these plans did not achieve fruition but still kept the city beautiful amid the wreckage of Eastern Europe.) The Easter markets were in full swing, and we found a wide boulevard with restaurants and clubs and shops and hotels lined up and lit up in the dusk; it felt a little bit like Times Square. People were milling around, eating rolled dough coated in sugar (called trdelnik), drinking Czech liquor, playing live music, and selling honey and clocks and decorated Easter eggs and other traditional Czech items. It was very lively and bright. We wound our way to the Staromêstské námêstí, a the oldest square in historic Prague, which was hemmed in by the great Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, the world's oldest astronomical clock and tower, the Prague National Gallery, and overflowing restaurants and shops. It was certainly the tourist center of Prague, but for good reason; especially as it filled with Easter market shoppers and vendors, it was a very cheerful, Czech place to chill.

Staromêstské námêstí with the astronomical clock (the tower on the left) and the cathedral

Following our usual pattern, we looked for traditional Czech cuisine for our first meal and after a little wandering through the busy streets found a small restaurant serving the typical national dishes, including famous Czech beer, pork, goulash, and dumplings. The dishes were very like the Eastern European food we'd been able to try before, particularly Hungarian and Austrian, which makes sense given the area's geographic and historical background. After dinner we tried freshly baked trdelnik from an Easter market and traipsed back to our hotel to rest.

A Czech tradition

Pork dumplings and sauerkraut

The next morning, Easter Sunday, saw us up and out across the Vtlava River for an English Mass in the lower Castle district. It was standing room only with an American priest in a small but stately church, offering an interesting contrast to our Palm Sunday Mass just a week earlier in the Pantheon. We eagerly headed back to the Easter markets for lunch, indulging in Czech street food consisting mainly of various types of potatoes, ham, sausage, cheese, and sauerkraut. We all sampled a type of hot, sweet liquor with the consistency of melted pudding that was ultimately too sugary to finish. After lunch we joined a free tour through the Jewish Quarter and tried kofola, Czech soda somewhat similar to cola, before heading to the Rudolfinum concert hall for a brief classical quintet performance that evening.

The central square in the daylight

The clock tower and the cathedral

The Rudolfinum, Prague's second most important concert hall. (They say Hitler wanted the statue of Mendelssohn removed from the roof because he was Jewish, but the workers didn't know which one was Mendelssohn. They guessed incorrectly and ended up removing Wagner, Hitler's favorite composer.)

Antonin!

Prague has a rich history of music indeed; it has long been a major stop for classical and modern music giants and boasts some of the best concert halls in Europe, including the Rudolfinum. The Czech Republic's own Antonin Dvorák was of course a Prague favorite, and we enjoyed some of his music at our concert. And the City of Prague Philharmonic is world-renowned for producing the music you'll recognize in soundtracks from The Lord of the Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Citizen Kane, The Duchess, and more. But in addition to a strong and enduring music scene, the city pays homage to Franz Kafka, who was born in Prague and lived there for much of his life.

Tortured genius

On Easter Monday we crossed the Vtlava once again to explore Prague Castle, a stunning complex of government and historical buildings on a high outcrop above the river. From the top of the hill, one looks out across the orange and copper green rooftops of Prague and can fully appreciate just how beautiful the Czech capital has remained. Within the Castle area stood St. Vitus Cathedral, an enormous Gothic church with spectacular stained glass windows. As we drifted through the various buildings - including rows of tiny homes that used to house the Castle's servant staff (one of which was rented by Kafka for a time) - we learned the history of the area, which had first been inhabited in prehistoric times and was the seat of the local government for over a thousand years.

St. Vitus Cathedral, entirely enclosed within the Castle walls

The beautiful stained glass

The rooftops of Prague

Our trip to the Castle brought us a brush with Czech culture that wasn't entirely welcome but was nonetheless - after reflection - a story worth experiencing. I'd been warned about the bizarre and barbaric Easter tradition by my friend Tim, who had lived in the Czech Republic for a year in high school. In some echo of an ancient fertility rite, Czech men took braided willow branches and whipped women in the community in exchange for sweets, which one website assured us was "actually good for the girl" (go figure). After some feverish research, we determined that prime time for whipping was only Easter Monday morning, and that at any other time it was inappropriate. We ventured out nervously and, upon encountering no maniacs with branches, somewhat forgot about it once we reached the siren call of Easter markets. 

Looming above the Easter markets was the world's oldest astronomical clock

This was quickly remedied as we progressed toward the Castle when FWAP! I felt a sharp stinging sensation precisely on my posterior. Completely caught by surprise, I couldn't even warn my comrades to save themselves and run when FWIP! Megan was hit. THWOT! So was Katie. Summoning our best Saint Mary's abilities to take shit with some shred of sophistication, we steamrolled forward, trying (and failing) spectacularly to make it look like nothing had happened. We were Americans! We were strong, independent, partially-college-educated women! We could handle a little nip in the butt, right?

Enter, out of the corner of my eye, the culprit: Random Whip-Bearing Czech Man With Heavy Accent. "Ladies! Happy Special Day!"

At this moment, our pride was doomed to a slow, painful death by forced nervous laughter as we fled the scene with the best Roman-educated speedwalking we could muster. Once we were a safe distance away, we burst into real laughter over another cultural barrier smashed to a pulp by a skinny willow whip.

We spent more time in the Castle district afterwards and visited the John Lennon Wall, brightly colored with thousands of painted messages honoring the legend and promoting his campaign for peace. We added our own stamp with a nod, of course, to our adoptive home to the south. For dinner we paid more tribute to Prague's musical history by eating at Mozart's favorite Prague pub, still in business after several hundred years, before enjoying a nighttime cruise on the Vltava. 

 

John Lennon Wall

SPQR! (Just above the red paint on the plate)

Prague at night

As we prepared for our train to Berlin the next day, we enjoyed another nighttime walk through old and new Prague, well-lit and lively, still brimming with Easter cheer. Prague blends history and modernity with elegance and a lot of fun; it is beautiful, intelligent, and classic all at once, making it a good bet for any traveler. Since I have to compare them - everybody does - I'd still probably choose Budapest in a fistfight; to me, Prague seemed like the sophisticated yet slightly stiff sibling next to Budapest's good-natured, adventurous cheer. All that said, it was absolutely a delightful three days, worth every minute and every dollar, and a trip that I would wholeheartedly recommend to travelers ready to break into the beauty of Eastern Europe.