Castles in the Fog

Due to rail maintenance, the trip to Praha (Prague) from Dresden required a bus that would carry us to a small town just over the Czechia, where we would board a train that would carry us the rest of the way. As a first taste of Czechia, I feel I could have done a lot worse than Ústí nad Labem, the town where I waited for the train. The morning was covered in a light fog that gave the surrounding hills a mystical feeling. Ústí is nestled in the Elbe river valley where it cuts through the Bohemian Uplands. I didn’t see much of the town other than the path to the train station, but already the differences with Germany were readily apparent. The baroque architecture that dotted the town was distinct from that of Germany. It’s something that is hard to describe in words, but somehow in the 60 or so kilometers that I’d come from Dresden, the world had changed around me. And now, I stood on the train platform, waiting to travel deeper into the fairy tale world in which I found myself.

The train ride through Czechia was gorgeous, enhanced by the atmospheric fog that floated over the countryside for the length of the journey. The train eventually broached Prague over the top of a hill from which the bulk the city lay spread out below, waiting to be discovered.

Notes on Praha

• This was not one my favorite hostels, on the top floor of a five story building, my room was in the attic above even that. The room itself was fine, but was situated above the common area so that I could hear everything that was happening below. The roommates were mostly ok, though I did have a conversation with one that led to a bit of incredulity on his part that I hadn’t tried smoking opium.
• My first night in Prague, after settling into the hostel, was rather magical. The fog from the day seemed to peak in the early evening as I was making my first explorations around the town. With everything new and the buildings so styilized and unique, I couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere to introduce me to the city. I slowly made my way to the sight that I was most looking forward to seeing, the Charles Bridge. A 14th century gothic stone footbridge over the river Vltava lined on both sides with statues of religious figures, and guarded on both ends by imposing towers. On the river, the mist intensified so that I could see nothing of the opposite bank. As I approached, the Old Town Tower revealed itself first in silohuette, looming overhead like a giant standing astride the road. It was wonderfully dramatic. Even more so as I walked along the bridge and the way ahead would slowly reveal itself to me, statues materializing out of the heavy air, and finally the towers of the Lesser town casting enormous shadows in the sky, backlit by spotlights. Magnificent, a memory to last a lifetime.

• Prague is probably my favorite city that I’ve visited, aesthetically speaking. Rather than having just a core area in the Old Town that preserves the gothic architecture of the previous centuries, a huge swathe of the city is consistently adorned. It makes the city feel romantically fairytale-esque in a way that I’ve yet to experience in another large city. There are a number of areas that amplify the gothic character, like City Hall and the surrounding Old Town Square, the massive Prague Castle complex standing high on the hill over the city, Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, also high on hill over the river, on the grounds of a former medieval fortress wrapped in an enormous wall. Everywhere you turn, there is some historical wonder waiting to be discovered. Cohesive and complete, Prague feels like a place untouched by the world outside, despite centuries of being a cultural crossroads.
• Prague was quite cold in a humid sort of way, it made my long walking days rather draining. I ate lunch while standing in the nook of a garden, because sitting on a bench would be too chilly. This, of course, was pain of my own making. I could have easily used the subway to get around or gone into shops or museums to get out of the weather. But I’d acquired, or already possessed, a certain stubborn pride that drove me to make my way on foot as much as possible.
• I took an admin day midway through my Prague visit. This turned out to be a fairly important day, as I planned the next two months of my trip. Following Prague, I would travel to Vienna, where I would spend my final days in the cold. Then, I would hop down to Greece for a couple of weeks, before I would leave just short of my allowed 90 day allotment in EU. From Greece, I would go to Bangkok where I’d take a month to rest, recuperate and adjust to a whole new continent. And finally, after a month in Bangkok, I would join the bike tour that would take me from Thailand, through Cambodia, and leave me in Vietnam, where I would pick up my solo travel again.
• The city is littered with art, statues everywhere you look. A giant metronome sits atop a hill overlooking the city, ensuring the pace never rushes or drags.
• They’ve got a weird thing for creepy, baby statues.