Prague

I have fallen in love with Prague. It took just 24 hours, which kind of dents my long held theories about the nature of true love. It was, or rather it took, a walk in the park. A walk just before sunset on a glorious spring afternoon. The birds were singing, the flowers were in bloom and the trees were in lush green spring leaf. Everywhere I looked there were teenage and not so teenage couples basking in the sunshine, with their mouths locked and their hands on or up each others’ tee-shirts. Even the occasional bottle of champagne and glasses. Some good citizens of Prague were exercising their dogs or perambulating their infants. A group was practicing sword fighting on the lawn – not the fancy French “en garde” stuff with spotless white suits and helmets and thin rapier like weapons – these were bare-chested young men wielding what looked like clamours! Reminded me of the movie Braveheart. Half expected them to turn round and lift their kilts. The old brick and stone buildings were bathed in golden sunshine, the river was calmly reflective and a beautiful blue, the sky was clear ... it was just perfect.

The conference has been well organised and is well resourced (presumably EC funds since the registration was only 50 euro) but doesn’t appear to be very well attended. They say there are 1500 delegates registered but I haven’t been in a session with more than about 500, even the plenary on the first morning. They had invited an American called Jeremy Rifkin as the keynote speaker. He gave a very thought-provoking address on the urgent need, given the economic crisis, global warming and the inevitable drying up of fossil fuel reserves, for what he called “the third industrial revolution” and told the mostly European scientists present that they were the ones to usher it in. Made me think about getting around to putting up a solar water heater and buying that hybrid. Somehow in South Africa these issues get eclipsed by the sheer business of survival, but it seems clear that if nothing is done, developing countries will bear the brunt of the consequences.

While we were occupying the back of the Prague Conference Centre, there were some high level political goings on happening at the front. Police cars everywhere, large areas cordoned off, TV crews, a helicopter and much excitement. Still have no idea what it was about but assume that it has something to do with the EC presidency now being a Czech responsibility. The Czech police look like they mean business. Young, fit, professional – ours could take a few tips. One thing that this country could do with is an Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to tighten up their smoking laws - their buildings stink, to put it bluntly. When it comes to smoking, Europeans are at the bottom of the heap, I am afraid.

By 6 pm I had had enough – I think it went on till about half past, but outside it was glorious sunshine and much warmer than when I arrived yesterday, so I went back to my room, shoved the laptop under the mattress, got into some comfortable clothes and headed for the Vyšehrad Castle.  The shape reminds me of the Cape Town castle, although it is not symmetrical and it has an extra protrusion, like an amoeba’s pseudopod. The walls are higher than our castle, maybe by 10 or 20 feet higher, and it is built on a hill overlooking the river, unlike ours which was basically built on the beach! I found that there is a well used path running just inside the wall at the same level as its top and the views this affords in almost all directions are superb. Inside the ground slopes gently down and there is a lot of open parkland, trees, an old well, and a good number of attractive old buildings, including the church. I spent about an hour just wandering around, took about 60 photos and finally wandered back to my room when the sun was almost set.

Have done some research on Vyšehrad Castle, courtesy of Wikipedia (where else?). Turns out that it was built in the tenth century, on a hill over the Vltava River. The church I mentioned is called the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, and the cemetery I mentioned contains the remains of, amongst others, the composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana and the author Karel Čapek. I found a Dvorak grave but am not sure it was the right one. Vyšehrad only became part of Prague in 1883. It may be the location of the first settlement which would later become Prague. Sounds like there were 2 seats of power for about 200 years – Prague castle, where the Přemyslid dynasty ruled, and Vyšehrad castle. It was only in the early 1300’s, when Charles IV enlarged Prague Castle to its current dimensions  that Vyšehrad was abandoned as a royal home. It was captured by the Hussites at the beginning of the Hussite Wars, underwent renovation in the 17th century, when the Habsburgs invaded after the Thirty Years' War and it served as a training center for the Austrian Army. So clearly a bit of history here.

Supper was a ham and egg baguette from the 24/7 downstairs again – just haven’t got the energy to go and eat in the restaurant. Washed it down with a 500mL bottle of Cambrinus beer, which I think is Czech. Interesting that I could buy it at the supermarket – why can’t I buy beer at Pick ‘n Pay back home?