ode to czech republic

today, it’s early autumn in the heart of europe on the verge of the weekend. many leaves are now shades of yellow and orange, it’s sunny with warm breezes at 22 ˚C. when i walk along the cobblestones to the old town square and and gaze around at all the architectural beauty and the rolling bohemian hills in the background, i can’t help but imagine all the great people who have lived here before me and walked the same streets.

nowhere is this feeling of history in the air more pronounced than in the hlavní město of prague, especially on a wander on charles bridge, heading east towards old town. the city doesn’t look so different than it did centuries ago, but it’s fun to imagine the prague of franz kafka, antonin dvorak, or alfons mucha and how they took in the same vast views from the bridge of the city that you are seeing right now. i wonder if they ever dealt with crowds of tourists too. and maybe they too knew that the best times to wander on the karluv most was late at night, early in the morning… or when bohemia is graced by a swirling, nose-stinging january snow storm.

two hours south in the region of south bohemia, the pace of life is slower. the weekends are my favorite because the small city of české budějovice is virtually deserted: only a scant group of german-speaking tourists milling around in front of masné krámy, the famous centuries-old traditional restaurant in town that used to be a meat market. i love these easygoing weekend days because the city streets are anyone’s for the taking, and why not me? the few outdoor cafes left open in mid-october are full of people enjoying the warm golden autumn afternoon.

when i have a free hour, i take in some time in the main square. it’s the most perfectly “square square” (as in, not a rectangle or some other shape) in czech republic, if not the european continent. what a luxury it is to read a book on a bench with the lovely, colorful and oh-so-czech architecture surrounding me on every side. children running, diners at the surrounding cafes…. even if i am just passing through, the town square remains a constant reminder of how lucky i am to be here today. especially if the bells of the town hall are tolling, cheerfully announcing the new hour.

(it’s too funny that as i’m writing this, my landlord is drilling loudly, renovating the flat right above mine and i can hear a loud street demonstration for the regional elections and children shouting out the window. but come tomorrow–saturday– i will get my peace and quiet!)

so things may not be absolutely perfect in my bohemian paradise, but it’s undoubtedly the #bestplacetobetoday.