May 24, 2011
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| Class walking downhill from the Castle on a warm summer evening in Prague |
Generally, this is the view I have of my class: walking ahead of me while I'm making the world my jungle gym, climbing all over the place to capture an interesting photo. Captivated by the lighting, I took this to illustrate what a warm and welcoming glow the city has at night. In addition, I wanted to depict the lengthiness of the buildings soaring above, so high that you are almost closed in. In many cases, the city can swallow you whole.
The class ate dinner at a brewery on top of "the hill" post-orientation on Monday. After dinner, we walked down the hill, our eyes bedazzled with new glimpses of the Prague cityscape at every corner. It was a pretty long trek, but on this beautiful evening, I deemed it perfectly acceptable. Traipsing down cobblestone roads at steep inclines proved to be more difficult than I thought. Similar to a Seussical wonderland, the cobblestones wound around every bend until they reached the illustrious castle. With each step, I felt the presence of the many people that had walked those streets before me. I honed in on the great and tried tirelessly to dull down the fanny-packed.
Every square inch of Prague, or centimeter as seems appropriate, is jam-packed with unimaginable history. From kings and queens to communism and Nazis, the city streets of Prague hold more history in their pinkies than the U.S. holds in the whole country. The city pulses with culture of past and present, and yearns to continue to be cultivated. Although a very old city, Prague feels much younger than other European cities, and much younger than I expected. It is fairly fast-paced and a hub of cultural influence.
Even in just a few days, Prague has shifted my paradigm of expectancy for "eastern" Europe. I am thoroughly impressed with the city, and can't wait to see what each and every aged cobblestone has in store for me.
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