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Prague Taught Me How To Enjoy The Present Moment

A morning walk through the Czech capital transformed my relationship with time.

Matt Lillywhite
Digital Global Traveler
4 min readDec 26, 2024

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A man with black glasses and a blue polo shirt smiling at the camera. In the background, the a bridge with multiple arches and a river is visible. The sky is blue.
I’m standing next to the Vltava River in Prague. Photo taken by the author’s girlfriend and used with permission.

The first light of dawn slips through the curtains of our hotel room. I glance over at my girlfriend, already awake, her eyes tracing the soft glow filtering in. Neither of us know why we’re up so early. It’s not jet lag or the faint hum of the city outside. So maybe, it’s the anticipation of wanting to see a side of Prague that most visitors miss.

We step outside into the cool morning air. The cobblestones feel damp beneath our feet. Street lamps cast soft halos in the mist, and somewhere in the distance, a bird begins to sing. The city feels quiet, almost like it’s waiting for something to happen.

An street in Prague. The sky is blue, and there aren’t any people about. However, this photo was taken in the city center. The buildings are of various colors such as yellow and pink.
The streets of Prague were empty just after sunrise. So, it felt like we had the entire city to ourselves. Photo taken by the author’s spouse and used with permission.

We turn the corner together and spot the Old Town Hall. Its underground played a pivotal role in the Prague Uprising against Nazism. Attached to it is the Astronomical Clock, a medieval wonder that shows the positions of the Sun, Moon, Earth, and Zodiac constellations.

Humanity has tried to measure time for millennia. From the Maya in Mesoamerica to Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in the UK…

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Digital Global Traveler
Digital Global Traveler

Published in Digital Global Traveler

This publication is dedicated to learning about the world around us. The topics covered here range from travel and geography to languages and cultures.

Matt Lillywhite
Matt Lillywhite

Written by Matt Lillywhite

Full-time storyteller, part-time procrastinator. Writing to inspire, entertain, and avoid doing laundry. Substack: https://mattlillywhite.substack.com/subscribe

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