Prague...The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Hi All,

As promised, a more substantive Prague report. Let me start off with the good. Many of the old historic parts of Prague have been restored and are beautiful. The architecture is amazing and really different. It feels very Western European here, but is also has a very very old world feel to it. Thus far I have crossed the famous Charles Bridge a couple of times. I took pictures o St. Anthony and St. Francis of Assisi for the benefit of my grandmother in particular. I have also been to Prague Castle, but I need to explore it more thoroughly later this week. In addition, I have been to the Dvorak museum, he is loved here, and today I went to the Mozart museum. The Mozart museum is superior to the Dvorak museum. In fact that leads me to another point about Prague. If you love the arts, Prague is pretty fantastic. Everyday at the Mozart museum they have concerts...really everyday. You can purchase tickets, but it's really not necessary because you can sit in the garden, on the patio, or at the cafe and listen seeing as they keep the doors open duirng the concerts. It was pretty nice, and very peaceful. I have to say the Mozart museum may have been my nicest stop so far in Prague. In addition to the musuems, I have also been to Jan Pollack (spelling?) square. Pollack was a graduate student in Philosophy at Charles University when the Soviets rolled there tanks through Wencelas Square in 1968. The Soviets rolled in to put down a rather popular movement described as "Socialism with a human face." Interesting, the Soviets rolled in and thought they were going to be heralded as liberators of Czechoslavakia. Well, the Soviets and the other Eastern Bloc forces were not met happily (sound familiar). Anyway, the Soviets overthrew the president and put in a hardliner and the rest is history. Anyway, Pollack lit himself on fire in protest of the Soviet repression. Pollack diied a few days later but he is herladed as a martyr and a hero. On the wall outside the Charles University Philsophy Department is a plaque commemorating Pollack. Another interesting place I have been is the mural in honor of John Lennon. On a wall across from the French Embassy there is a mural of John Lennon. Lennon was a bit of a folk hero here in Prague. All you have to do is think of the lyrics to "Imagine" to understand why. Anyway, the mural was painted to honor Lennon's message of peace and love. During the old "communist" era around Lennon's picture would crop up protest graffiti and then the wall would be whitewashed, only to have the mural and the protests be repainted a short while later. In the end in 1989 the wall was going to whitewashed again until the French embassy contacted the new Czech government and asked that the mural remain. Now everyday people come and pay homage to John Lennon. I have to say, I was really moved to have done so myself. In a neat ironic tidbit, Lennon when asked about the lyrics to "Imagine," said "it is a song about communism." It is just another example of how the old Soviet system was not communist at all. One last thing about the good in Prague, for beer drinkers Prague is a paradise...it is truly a culture here.

The Bad...
When I visit someplace I want to understand the people and try to become familiar...at least somewhat...what the people really feel, think, and how they live in general. Prague is a strange place in that respect. Going to the historic areas of the central city is c\kind of like entering an amusement park. The average Czech citizen cannot afford the stores and restaurants of the historic center. In fact, while every dollar converst in something like 25 korun (pronounced crown), the prices here are very close to the prices you have to pay for goods in the States. For the economists out there you get a definitive sense of purchasing power parity here. In any event, going historic here means hanging out with tourists, not Czechs. So there is a kind of fake element to historic center. I guess the best way to describe it is that if you go to NYC or Paris the locals and the tourists are kind of thrown together...you at leats get a sense of the real NYC or Paris. Here, you could conceivably hang out in the historic area and never actually experience the Czech Republic. I guess it just feels a bit contrived.

Another issue, while the arts here are abundant, there are questions about the quality. After 1989 the most talented artists, musicians, and ballet dancers left and went to the West. This talent flight is still an issue here and it will probably be an issue for sometime.

Now for the Ugly,
Wencelas Square is where the Nazi tanks rolled in in 1939 and where the Soviet tanks rolled in in 1944 and again in 1968. In a bit of sad irony, since the fall of the old regime in 1989, Wenceslas Square has taken on a new form of oppression and subjugation...unabated capitalism in its crudest form. The Square is is filled with strip clubs, casinos, and McDonalds. At night the square is overrun by prostitutes as well as tourists trolling for prostitutes. It is sad and a commentary on life here in Prague.

About 10 years ago the Czech Republic was in a severe depression, comparable to the depression the States in the 1930s. Today, they are definitely in a recover, you can see it with the amount of general commerce and activity in the city. Yet, the average Praguer is not very well off. In fact, you see a lot of Ukrainian construction workers, clearly being paid very very little, rebuilding infrastructure here, using antiquated technology. Prague today embodies a world of haves and have nots. You see extreme wealth and then extreme poverty. Big beautiful homes down the street from large apartments in disrepair. For all of the economic buoyancy of recent years there is also a sense of deprivation.

One final thing, so like I said for the beer lover this place is definitely a paradise. At the same time, it is actually sad how much beer is consumed. Beer is cheaper than water, than coke, than pepsi, than any other option. The result is that people here drink, and drink, and drink. In fact, per
capita more beer is consumed here than any other country in the world. The one thing I know is that it is too much and that is not a good thing.

Okay, those are my Prague thoughts. I am having a good time. It is kind of like being in college again. I am staying with my friend Dan, he is studying all of the time. It is funny, we hang out and talk and live very
simply. I keep trying to buy him lots of dinners in thanks for putting me up. He is a good guy, just really stressed out about his upcoming exams...very understandable. Anyway, I am having a good time all in all but by the end of the week I will definitely be ready to leave...I have done the college thing...it is good to relive for a bit, but getting back to reality will be nice as well. In the meantime, I hope all is well and I will write again about some upcoming adventures. Take care everyone.

Justin