MOMS are from MARS
  • HOME
  • Things Your Mom Will Never Say: The Top 20
    • MOM'S BLOG
  • MY BOOK - Extraordinary: Light vs. Dark
  • Your Horoscope
  • Why does Mom DO that?
  • A Heartfelt Letter of Apology
  • MY BOOK: Moms are from Mars
  • What Type of Mom Do You Have?
    • Mom's Mish Mash
  • Cute Keyboard Characters
    • MY BOOK - Enlightened: Light vs. Dark
    • Cards for Mom
  • Contact Me
Follow me!

Lost in translation: Prague

11/26/2012

16 Comments

 
Picture
Prague's castle district
It’s been a long while since I talked about my travels overseas, a fact I’m sure has made you lose a lot of sleep. But worry no more. Today I'm bringing you the tale of our first trip to Prague in 1993. 

When we went, it had only been four years since the Velvet Revolution. To say the Czech Republic was still bouncing back after years of communism would be a big understatement. But I didn’t care. My husband and I had just been stationed in Germany and I was
(
still am) part Bohemian. And by "Bohemian" I don't mean artsy chic. I mean from Bohemia, part of the republic. I couldn’t wait to check out the motherland. We went right away.

You know that bit about making a good first impression?
The Czech Republic failed miserably. As soon as we drove past the border we saw dozens of (ahem) ladies of opportunity lined up along highway. And these ladies looked HARD. They were working for food, not a cute pair of Ferragamos. The country was in transition, all right. We feared we had arrived too early.

Many miles later, we made it to the outskirts of Prague. In order to get lodgings in the city we had to visit a shack right off the highway exit --and I do mean a shack. About ten feet square, it had clapboard walls and a concrete floor. Inside was an attendant with a bunch of binders filled with pages of make-shift hotels. There were also private residences available for rent while the tenants were away. We chose a private residence -- a one-bedroom apartment for only $30 per night.

We paid our fees, got the keys, then headed into the city. After a long search down many a broken down street, we finally found our apartment. Every building on the street was old and covered with the blackest of soot. Yuck. As for inside the apartment, we were lucky. The gentleman who resided there left us plenty of  entertainment. Right next to the 13" television was a stack of pornographic magazines.

No matter. We weren't there to stay indoors, plus by then we were starving. We needed dinner.
Minutes later, we put foot to pavement in search of a decent meal.

We didn’t find one. All we found were more blackened buildings, torn up sidewalks and burned out streetlamps. Not ideal. In fact, it was so bad when we got back to the apartment, I considered asking Rick if he wanted to leave the next day. Little did I know, Rick was thinking the same thing as me. THANK GOD we didn’t say anything to each other. Why?
Because the very next day Prague became my absolute favorite city in all of Europe.

Prague
One of many smiles in Prague.
It started the next day when our trolley -- a decrepit old thing with sparks flying everywhere -- dumped us off near the Castle District. Again, soot everywhere. I’m not exaggerating when I say the buildings were quite literally black. However, a few blocks into our walk we saw a city worker sandblasting one of them. What he uncovered amazed us. Underneath all that gunk was masterfully carved stonework -- beautiful! As we continued on our way, we saw more sand-blasted buildings, all of them absolutely gorgeous. We were inspired. Was there more to see in this town?

Abso-frickin’-lutely.

We walked down the Golden Lane at Prague Castle and explored the beautiful cathedral. We found a little café next to the Charles Bridge and watched the Castle District light up at twilight. We found a bakery off Old Town Square that sold chocolate éclairs for just five cents a piece. FIVE CENTS! The food was crazy cheap everywhere. It was tasty, too.

prague st. nicholas church
St. Nicholas church -- near the 5 cent eclairs!
The more we explored Prague, the more we loved it. We vowed to come back again and we did. In fact, we went often and each time we did, Prague got more and more beautiful. That wasn’t all, though. Even the grocery store shelves which, in the beginning, were only 10% full, slowly grew increasingly stocked. It was wonderful watching the city bounce back from communist rule and return to its former glory. Each time we visited, we got bolder, going further into the country and discovering cool, new places.

I often think about what would have happened if we’d turned around and headed home that first night. I’m so glad we didn’t. The Czech Republic holds such a dear place in my heart. One day I hope to go back.

Picture
Rick and my parents eating at famed restaurant U Fleku.
P.S. If you liked this story, check out my other tales from Germany and Italy. I act like an idiot in both. ;)
16 Comments
Dani Heart link
11/26/2012 02:13:58 am

wow. How fun. I have not been anywhere interesting. So maybe Prague will be added to my list of places to visit now. :)

Reply
Mom link
11/26/2012 02:16:49 am

It really is a magical place. It's been years since I've last been there. I bet now it's even better!

Reply
Helena Fortissima link
11/26/2012 02:49:51 am

I'm half-Polish with lots of family still living there. The first time I went was back in 1974. I was twelve, and I remember everything being very dark and colorless, from the exteriors of buildings to the clothes people wore. My parents told me that under Communism, everything and everybody had to look "the same." The next time I went was in 2001, and my eleven year old twins accompanied me, my husband, and my parents. It was SO different: flowers in the windowsills and apartment balconies, the cherry-red dyed hair that European women love, and vivid colors everywhere. That was a wonderful trip; I really felt my "roots." The last time I went was in 2004, to bring my father's ashes to be scattered at the confluence of the Dunajec and Poprad rivers, near where he grew up in southern Poland. Although that trip was bittersweet, it felt wonderful to honor his wish that a part of him remain in Poland. I hope to go back in the near future. Great post, Janene...brought back lots of nice memories.

Reply
Mom link
11/26/2012 03:04:10 am

Colorless. I'm so glad you used that word. That perfectly describes how I saw Prague in the beginning. Every time we visited, the colors got more vibrant, - the people, too.

I'm sure Poland's transition from 1972 to 2001 was an even sharper contrast. I'm sure the 1972 visit made your later ones that much sweeter.

Reply
Big D link
11/26/2012 04:05:28 am

Sounds like an interesting place to go. You have to admire the Czechs for putting their country back to rights like that.

Reply
Mom link
11/26/2012 06:02:39 am

It IS interesting, and full of such cool places to go. You're right. You have to admire the Czechs hard work and dedication. It really paid off!

Reply
AJ link
11/26/2012 04:45:26 am

Glad your trip turned around, I'm not sure if I could've stuck it out after that first night. It does make you think about how much we take for granted living here, tho...interesting stuff, e-mommy.

Reply
Mom link
11/26/2012 06:04:08 am

I almost didn't stick it out. Thank goodness we stuck it out. Imagine what we would have missed! And it does make you think about what we take for granted. We're pretty darned lucky.

Reply
nothingprofound link
11/26/2012 06:58:47 am

Janene, I've heard nothing but marvelous things about Prague. From what I hear, it's the new cultural capital of Europe, the new Paris, wonderfully free-spirited and bohemian. A close friend's daughter lives and works in Germany and visits Prague often and always raves about how exciting a city it is.

Reply
Mom link
11/26/2012 07:43:20 am

I'm so glad to hear it's still going strong. I'm not surprised at all, either. How wonderful for your friend's daughter. She must be having the time of her life.

Reply
Robyn link
11/27/2012 11:17:39 am

I loved the Czech Republic, but my favourite town was Cesky Krumlov. I guess I don't like big cities that much. I thought Prague was still sooty!

Reply
Mom link
11/27/2012 08:47:21 pm

You have excellent taste, my dear. I just looked up some images on google -- wow! Such beauty! It also looks familiar. That may be where I bought my china. Some of my memories are running together.

Reply
Nina Veleck
11/28/2012 09:12:12 am

I also adored Prague after initially feeling it looked bleak and barren. I especially enjoyed Golden Lane and Kafka,s Bookshop. Beautiful cathedral and gorgeous views of the Vlatava River from Karlovy Most or Charles Bridge.

Reply
Mom link
11/28/2012 09:24:09 am

You have good taste. Oh, the view from Charles bridge! One of the most beautiful views in the world, in my humble opinion. I loved watching it light up at night. It felt like Disney World, only the real thing.

Reply
ropcorn link
12/2/2012 07:17:40 pm

What a lovely travel post about Prague, so interesting to read your experiences. And I love the photos too. Thank you for sharing.

Reply
Mom link
12/5/2012 01:26:01 am

You're welcome. Glad you liked it!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Weird Author

    My name's Murphy, Janene Murphy, and I'm a weird mom.

    Picture
    MY BOOKS!
    For info, click on the covers.
    Picture
    Picture
    To SUBSCRIBE to my blog, just hit the 'Contact Me' button at the bottom of  the left hand column on this page and fill out the form to get my posts via email. You can also sign up to get it on your RSS or Networked Blogs feeds by hitting the buttons below. All of them are free and easy -- two qualities I like!

    RSS Feed

    NetworkedBlogs
    Blog:
    Moms are from Mars
    Topics:
    teen, humor, parenting
     
    Follow my blog

    Your Favorites

    What Color Season Are You?
    Cute Keyboard Animals
    Tattoos are Evil
    Worst Fictional Moms of the
        Last 50 Years

    Crushed by my Celebrity Crush's Height    
    Just  Letting Off Some Crazy Steam
    You Are What You Wear?

    Kids Say the Darndest Things
    Top Ten Most Iconic Teen Movies of the 1980s
    My Summer Vacation

    Craziest Book Titles on Amazon
    Teen TV 'Act Your Age': Part 2





    My Favorites

    Bad Boys 
    Keeping Up With The Joneses
    Noah's Ark: Terror Never Looked So Cute   
    Jeggings: Just Say No    
    Leave No Wild Child Behind
    The Gift of Reading 
    The Truth About Smoking 
    Lost In Translation: The Wall   
    Help Me, Bruce Willis 
    A Mother's Fear About Her Kid Being Queer  
    If You Don't Have Anything Good to Say  
    Chuck Norris Facts


    Categories

    All
    1970s
    1980s
    1980s Celebrity Hair
    2012 Iowa Caucus
    4th Of July
    Action Figure Jesus
    Alligators
    Amanda Bynes
    Anthony Weiner
    Arnold Scharzenegger
    Ascii Art
    Ashton Kutcher
    Asking Girls To The Dance
    Austria
    Back In The Day
    Bacon
    Bad Boys
    Bawls Soda
    Bayou Tour
    Beauty
    Beauty Queens
    Beetle Bailey
    Betty White
    Big Time Rush
    Birthday
    Blarney Castle
    Blog Catalog
    Blood
    Boardgames
    Bobby Knight
    Bon Jovi
    Book Review
    Books
    Book Signing
    Botox
    Brothers
    Bruce Willis
    Bullying
    Bunratty Castle And Folk Park
    Butt Cracks
    Camp Conestoga
    Canada
    Candy
    Candy Crush Saga
    Car
    Cards For Mom
    Career
    Cat Trouble
    Celebritiy Losers 2012
    Celebrity Losers 2011
    Celebrity Losers 2013
    Charity
    Charlie Sheen
    Chat Room Dream Date
    Chicken Breasts
    Christmas
    Christmas Gifts History
    Chuck Norris Facts
    Clint Eastwood
    Clothes
    Clown
    College
    Color Seasons
    Concerns
    Confidence
    Contest
    Cooking
    Cool Stuff
    Crazy Book Titles
    CSI
    Cute Animal Photos
    Czech Republic
    Dating
    Dating Older Guys
    Davy Jones
    Dear Make Believe Mom
    Dingle
    Disney World
    Doctor Who
    Dolls
    Dressing Like A Ho
    Driving
    Duck Dynasty
    Easter
    Egg Butt
    Election
    Ella March Chase
    Enlightened
    Extraordinary
    Facebook
    Farrah Fawcett
    Fashion
    Fashion History
    Favorite Songs From The 1980s
    Feminine Products
    Feris Bueller
    Fireworks
    Five Love Languages
    Flood
    Freaky Things
    Fungie The Dingle Dolphin
    Funniest Christmas Movies
    Funny Celebrity Photos
    Games
    Gaming
    Geeks
    Germany
    Gingerbread Men
    Girl Power
    Girl Scouts
    Glamour Shots
    Glendalough
    Good Enough
    Goodreads
    Go Set A Watchman
    Graduation
    Greeting Cards For Mom
    Hair
    Hair History
    Hair In The 70s And 80s
    Halloween
    Halloween Costumes
    Halloween Fun Facts
    Harper Lee
    Heights Of Young Male Celebrities
    High School Graduation
    Hobbit Gingerbread House
    Hobbit Hole Gingerbread House
    Holiday Shopping
    Holy Toast
    Homosexuality
    Honey Boo Boo
    Icarly
    Iconic Teen Movies
    Identity
    If You Dont Have Anything Good To Say
    If You Give A Teen A Tattoo
    If You Really Knew Me
    Internet Censoring
    Internet Dating
    Internet Safety
    Iowa
    Ireland
    Italy
    Jeggings
    Jersey Shore
    Jesus Action Figure
    John Travolta
    Judging A Book By It
    Justin Bieber
    Kanye West
    Kardashians
    Keeping Up With The Joneses
    Kelly Lebrock
    Keyboard Animals
    Kids Say The Darndest Things
    Kilkenny Castle
    Kitschy Kitschy Kool
    Kristen Stewart
    Lance Armstrong
    Laundry
    Laziness
    Leap Year
    Leave No Wild Child Behind
    Leslie Langtry
    Libba Bray
    Life Is Short
    Lindsay Lohan
    Loneliness
    Losers
    Lost In Translation
    Louisa Cast
    Louisiana
    Lying
    Lyme Disease
    Mail
    Maintaining A Boyfriend
    Marathon
    Matthew Broderick
    Meredith Viera
    Miley Cyrus
    Military
    Miracles
    Mitt Romney
    Moms Are From Mars Book
    Money
    Money Tips
    Morphing
    Motherhood Sucks
    Motherly Advice
    Mothers Day
    Movies
    Mr. T Baby Costume
    Muckross House And Gardens
    My Anniversary
    My Book
    My Favorite Movies
    Name Game
    New Kids On The Block
    New Orleans
    Newt Gingrich
    Noahs Ark
    Ode To Canada
    Olympic Games
    Osama Bin Laden
    Over Parenting
    Parenting
    Paula Deen
    Pet Names For Kids
    Phoebe Cates
    Photos
    Pms
    Poopys Tattoos
    Popularity
    Powerscourt
    Prague
    Quad Cities Flood
    Queer Fears
    Radical Parenting
    Reading
    Rebel Without A Clause
    Ring Of Kerry
    Rob Ford
    Rob Pattison
    Ronald Reagan
    Ron Paul
    Royal Wedding
    Safety Tips
    Santa Hat
    Saving Face
    Scarf Into Vest
    Scary
    Selena Gomez
    Self Acceptance
    Self Image
    September 11
    Seventeen Magazine
    Sex
    Shoe History
    Shoes
    Shopping In Ireland
    Signs
    Silly Stuff
    Silly Thoughts
    Skiing
    Slut Walk
    Smoking Is Cool
    Sopa
    Sound Asleep Pillow Giveaway
    Southern Illinois
    Sprained Ankle
    Spring Break
    Star Wars
    Strange Signs
    Stupidity
    Success
    Superhero Mom
    Susan Carroll
    Swan Towel
    Swim Suits
    Taking Her Time
    Tattoos
    Taylor Armstrong
    Taylor Lautner
    Teaching
    Teen Actors Ages
    Teen Actresses Ages
    Teen Dramas
    Teen Idols
    Teen Idols History
    Teen Mom
    Teen Tv Dramas
    Television
    Tershbango
    Texting
    Thanksgiving
    The Apocalypse
    The Big Ask
    The Gimmes
    The Monkees
    Theresa Guidice
    The Shirt
    The Sixth Sense
    The Wall
    Things Parents Will Never Say To Their Teens
    Thor
    Through The Ages
    To Kill A Mockinbird
    Toothbrushes
    Top 21 Things Teens Never Say To Their Parents
    Traveling
    Trix Rabbit
    Tv Dinners
    Twinkies
    Twitter
    Ugh
    Vacation
    Valentines Day55124088ef
    Vampire
    Vanity
    Veterans Day550af373ed
    Voodoo Dolls
    Vote
    Wacky Beauty Products
    Washington Dc
    Water Parks
    Wedding
    What Is Your Season
    Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
    Wisconsin Dells
    Worst Easter Candy
    Worst Fictional Moms
    Xbox Live
    Y2k
    You Are What You Wear
    You Read My Mind

    Still can't find what you're looking for? Search Moms are from Mars below:
    Google search engine code:
    Loading


    Archives

    January 2016
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    If you like my blog, could you click the brown 'vote for us' button below? You won't get anything, but you won't be asked to buy anything, either. It just helps my self-esteem.
    Thanks!
    Laughter Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
    Janene's bookshelf: read

    To Kill a Mockingbird The Great Gatsby Where the Sidewalk Ends Animal Farm Of Mice and Men Slaughterhouse-Five

    More of Janene's books »
    Book recommendations, book reviews, quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
    Top Mommy Blogs - Mom Blog Directory
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Monica Arellano-Ongpin, law_keven, NESJumpman, marcos_leal, YoAmes, cliff1066™, garymun, AJU_photography, busbeytheelder, seanmcgrath, gruntzooki, Elin B, The Paperclip, *saipal, ©HTO3, Neetesh Gupta (neeteshg), wonker, Nomadic Lass, englishsnow, landhere, garryknight, StarsApart, Edward Dalmulder, wwarby, cliff1066™, chadh, Yashna M, eamoncurry123, letsgoeverywhere