We’re back on the train from Prague after the intervening bus connection. A gentleman who rides the route frequently took us under his wing and led us through the process. Kathryn passed it on to a Chinese woman who had been sitting across from us, and I helped a newlywed couple from Vancouver.
There are so many languages being spoken on this train that everyone feels obliged to help everyone else out. Which reminds me a lot of my early backpacking days, when there was no internet, and a phone call home cost a dollar a minute.
I have had a very romantic notion of the Charles Bridge in Prague ever since I saw the INXS “Never Tear Us Apart” video on MTV back in the ‘80s. So I very much wanted to see it again with Kathryn.
We arrived in Prague Wednesday after dark, and after a big lunch in Munich, we weren’t immediately hungry. We called for an Uber to take us to our hotel, dropped our bags, and went straight to the bridge, which was only a few minutes away from our hotel on foot.
I was at a different point in my life 25 years ago when I was last on the Charles Bridge, so although it was as charming as I remembered, I hadn’t remembered how religious many of the statues were. Kathryn and I spent a lot of time stopping at the statues to interpret them. Between statues, we took in the beautiful views of both sides of the river after sunset.
I also had movie scenes filling my head, in particular Mission: Impossible and XXX. Over the 36 hours we spent in Prague, I took a lot of photos in which I could imagine catching a glimpse of Jon Voight, Tom Cruise, or Vin Diesel.
After a good night’s sleep, the first sight we wanted to see Thursday morning was the Infant of Prague at the Church of Our Lady Victorious. Again, it was within walking distance, on the other side of the river.
Our parish pastor has been asking us to pray for years for the success of our capital campaign, and he has often appealed to the Infant of Prague as an intercessor. So this gave us an special reason to make this pilgrimage.
We arrived during the sermon of an unscheduled Mass for a group of Korean pilgrims who had come with their own priest. Kathryn and I have never shied away from inserting ourselves into another group’s private Mass, so we stayed through the dismissal.
After Mass, we spent some time with the Infant, followed by a visit of the museum. There we saw some of the intricate seasonal vestments, as well as a selection of gifts to the Infant from all over the world.
Without a doubt, the Infant and the bridge were the highlights of a very short stay in Prague.
We also saw the Prague Castle, which was impressive, but considering the price of admission, I was expecting to get a better feel of the day-to-day life of the rulers, or the court, or the servants, at least. I feel like I just saw some really cool architecture devoid of any context. Your mileage may vary.
In the afternoon, we strolled around the old city and saw the Astronomical Clock and Wenceslas Square. In between sights, we managed to take in some questionably authentic Czech meals. My doubts come from the fact that we spent most of our time in Prague in the most touristed areas.
