Prague Revisited: Sounds and Visions
Experiencing the Czech capital as an older, seasoned traveler 21 years after my last visit is like experiencing it for the first time.
Appetite. Albert, Lindl, Tesco… self-checkouts, dour ladies slowly scanning purchases… halušky, pastry, yogurt… beep, beep, beep
Bridges of sighs… sigh
Castle in the air. Up up up…
Down down down. Drip… drop… drizzle… downpour
“Extroverted”… Polish… reconstructed jaw… razor-sharp cheekbones… soft sandy-colored hair flopping down over soulful blue eyes… handshake… hugs… letting go
Faces — heart-shaped boxes, solemn, avoiding direct eye contact
Gasping at architecture — Gothic, ghostly, gargantuan, Gregorian
Hands to mouths…
… inhaling, exhaling… breathing their nicotine… “out, in, out, in, out, in, out, in, out, in”
Justified and ancient
Kennedys, KKK, Civil War, Civil Rights — falling asleep to YouTube documentaries
Lights before dawn. On, off, on, off, on…
MH Apartments, Nové Město to Smíchov, sprawling, luxurious, tastefully appointed
New Nike running shoes with insertable arched pads inside
Overheard: Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, English
People walking, trams lumbering, cars waiting, sun shining, visitor smiling
Quintessentially European
Sculpture as theatre, telling stories…
… terrified, terrifying — emblems of torturous, tumultuous history
Under a red sky
Views from above, Vysehrad, Vinohrady, Vlatava, St. Vitus
Water…running, flowing, falling, drinking
“XXX?” “Sex?” “Fun?” “Into?” “Now?”
Youth and vintage, merging, complementing, clashing
Zipper repair, tailor, cobbler… Cobblestone streets and sidewalks. Paved walkways. Muddy inclines. Don’t scuff. Don’t trip. Don’t fall… Look! Over there… up there… down there… everywhere.
