Prague
Prague.
The mother of cities, they call it, after Kafka's famous line. One of Hitler's favorites, too, and so it was largely untouched by the last war, except for the Jewish quarter. There wasn't much left for them to come back to, but then there weren't many of them to come back. I found myself wondering if the same tracks under our train had carried children to be gassed, sixty-five short years ago. And history rolls on.
But there were much more cheerful ironies in our visit as well. On Sunday we went to church in a hotel conference room that used to host Communist Party meetings while the Czechs were under the Soviet thumb. Someone told us the national motto - since long before the Russians came - has been something like "the truth will triumph." Looks like it did, at least this time. And it was easy to see why people fall so absurdly in love with Prague. Not my favorite city, but a city all its own. There aren't many higher compliments than that.
So it was a fine time. Mainly - yet again - due to the wonderful hospitality of a friend. Same here in Stuttgart. When we got off the train from Prague we were looking for our friend Manuela, or possibly her boyfriend Tommy, with whom we've been staying. Manuela was there - and so were Markus and Ester, come all the way from Switzerland to surprise us, just to hang out for one evening. Another hello; yet another goodbye. We'll be in Holland tomorrow.
The mother of cities, they call it, after Kafka's famous line. One of Hitler's favorites, too, and so it was largely untouched by the last war, except for the Jewish quarter. There wasn't much left for them to come back to, but then there weren't many of them to come back. I found myself wondering if the same tracks under our train had carried children to be gassed, sixty-five short years ago. And history rolls on.
But there were much more cheerful ironies in our visit as well. On Sunday we went to church in a hotel conference room that used to host Communist Party meetings while the Czechs were under the Soviet thumb. Someone told us the national motto - since long before the Russians came - has been something like "the truth will triumph." Looks like it did, at least this time. And it was easy to see why people fall so absurdly in love with Prague. Not my favorite city, but a city all its own. There aren't many higher compliments than that.
So it was a fine time. Mainly - yet again - due to the wonderful hospitality of a friend. Same here in Stuttgart. When we got off the train from Prague we were looking for our friend Manuela, or possibly her boyfriend Tommy, with whom we've been staying. Manuela was there - and so were Markus and Ester, come all the way from Switzerland to surprise us, just to hang out for one evening. Another hello; yet another goodbye. We'll be in Holland tomorrow.
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