December 30-January 2
Hello everyone!
After a lovely Christmas back in Wales, my first in three
years, I opted to bring in the New Year in my newly adopted home of Prague. It
wasn’t entirely a Czech affair, however, as I had British visitors accompanying
me.
My friend from university, Carl, was visiting with his
girlfriend Sandy. If you are a regular follower of these blogs, you will be
aware that Carl also came to Kazakhstan, and possibly remember that he almost
didn’t make it, got arrested, and almost got frostbite from not having
appropriate shoes for -30’C weather. Though who does, really.
Prague was not nearly as cold as the harsh Kazakh winter.
Indeed, the temperatures have rarely dropped below zero; it seems to have been
a mild winter thus far. We are lucky, however, to live in an era when we have
surplus money which can buy us warm clothes, mulled wine or spicy sausages to
make the colder months more bearable.
It wasn’t always thus in the Czech Republic, particularly
when the place was hidden behind the Iron Curtain and known as Czechoslovakia.
Any initial hope derived from the end of Nazi occupation quickly dissolved into
fear as a Communist takeover occurred in 1948.
The darker history of this part of Eastern Europe is
remembered in Prague’s Museum of Communism. Many people were arrested. Well,
that’s an understatement. Over 200,000 people were cuffed and had their names
taken. Why? Once again the parallels with the situation before the war are
evident. Political affiliation, treason, crimes against the state. Did they
have proof? The main question is probably more along the lines of whether they
needed it. It wasn’t as if there were mechanisms in place to stop them.
The museum charts the stagnation of the Czech nation during
this time. A weak
economy led to workers remaining in poor housing and leading the most basic of
lifestyles. The country suffered greatly, and discontent started
to rise in the 1960s. Eventually the party leader was replaced and his
replacement, Alexander Dubcek, started to attempt to reform the country. The
result of the ‘Prague Spring’ was a demonstration of Soviet military might,
with tanks and thousands of troops marching through the country and ruthlessly
dealing with any protests.
Freedom eventually came through the Velvet Revolution in 1989,
and the Czech Republic has not looked back. Economic growth has accelerated
over the last 25 years, which has left many (not all) better off and happier
than under the old regime. What’s more, they’re willing to show off this new
happiness and confidence to the world.
We took a taxi up to the entrance to a bleak, black Petrin
Hill. After wandering around the steep side of the slope for a decent viewing
point, we stumbled upon an excellent viewing location with only a few French
tourists or locals for company. Through the naked twigs and branches dotted
along the grass lay the resplendent Charles Bridge, from which we were told
fireworks would illuminate the gloom and bring in 2014.
With hindsight, that was a foolish thing to believe. One of
the oldest bridges in the world, Prague’s most famous attraction…as a
detonating site? What transpired was that the fireworks, which seemed to come
from all angles (including right behind us) and at all times from 11:30pm to
about 12:15am, often exploded over
Charles Bridge. A spectacular sight it was to.
Another spectacular sight comes from the top of the
Astronomical Clock, which can be scaled for a mere 50Kc if you are a student (I
knew I was doing a PGCE for a reason) and with a bit of effort. Or in a lift,
if you want a more pleasurable ascent. All of the main sights, with the obvious
exception of the clock itself, can be seen from the top of the tower. Going in
winter, with the markets bustling below, is especially charming, though be
careful: it gets mighty crowded up there.
Prague remembers and honours its past, whether it be the
positive medieval times when clocks, bridges and castles were built or whether
it is a museum reminding the place of a darker age. However, Prague also looks
to the future, and seems excited by what 2014 has to offer. It was a
spectacular first day of the year; I'm looking forward to seeing many more.
Love you all
Matt