Any preconceptions I may have had concerning Prague suggested that its atmosphere would have been very much on the dark side, Kafkaesque even; a place where only the sardonic survive; a city with relatively recent memories of Nazi and Soviet oppression and older memories of wars involving French, Swedish and Prussian armies. All that depressing subterranean Mittel Europa angsty stuff. It was also the place where Boleslav the Cruel murdered his muchloved brother, Good King Wenceslas (yes, my friends, Santa Claus).
Well, was I in for a pleasant surprise. Just 10 minutes after checking in we were strolling down from the Pyramida hotel towards the Vltava river which divides the city. The breathtaking views from the steep downhill walk utterly dispelled those foolish misconceptions I had harboured. To the left and right, every house and building we passed flaunted the most exquisitely ornate design features; each different yet in harmony with the others.
In the distance, the panoramic view across the city provided a delightful tapestry of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture, which fairly stopped us in our tracks. An orgy for the eye. An urban vista to challenge the hegemony of any pastoral one. Inspiring. Small wonder that Vaclav Havel, the Czech Republic's president and a Prague native, is a also poet.
But then I suppose all this beauty is only to be expected of a city that was once the royal residence of the Hapsburgs and, earlier, the capital of the Holy Roman empire.
Just before reaching the Charles Bridge, looming hugely above and to the left stands Prague Castle itself. Here, in 1618, a seemingly minor outrage took place which eventually led to the Thirty Years War. The event in question was the Second Defenestration of Prague. (An intriguing concept this, defenestration, it involves flinging people one disagrees with from high windows.) Bohemian protestants, complaining of a lack of religious freedom, threw Catholic officials from the highest windows of the Bohemian Chancellery. Incidentally, according to Tim Porter's delightful publication, Prague - Art and History, the defenestrated ones survived the fall because of a rather fortuitous accumulation of excrement on the street below the windows, which at the time I'm sure they regarded as somewhat of a mixed blessing. Onwards and downwards, in a lane off Mosteka Street we noticed a sign for an Irish bar, Scarlett O'Hara's. Here in an old-Irish style wooden pub we talked to two very pleasant barmen, one a Montenegran and the other a Croatian, while listening to a bearded German singing along to Irish songs with his Japanese wife and their very understanding teenage daughter.
On leaving O'Hara's, if you turn right and continue down Mosteka Street, you are confronted with the dramatic cobblestone walkway of the 600-years-old Charles Bridge which bestrides the majestic Vltava and links the Lesser Town Quarter to the old town, over 500 metres away. As you stroll across Charles Bridge's magnificent "avenue of saints", huge medieval religious statues set in marble and bronze brood down on you from either side.
Competing with the statuary for your attention are the various artists busking or selling artwork from the walls. Here, a ringing symphony from a person touching glasses of water; there, a classical violinist straining against a scenic backdrop that at once seems to inspire and compete. Elsewhere, puppeteers and watercolour artists allow the senses some more indulgence. Competing even further for your attention is the view from the bridge itself - and even then, the fingers of the spires from the Old Town on the far side seem to beckon with the promise of yet more.
Yes, there's beauty, but of course you also need to eat and drink. On our first night we actually came across an honest taxi driver - a rare bird indeed (See Panel) - who put us right. We had walked around for hours, mouths agape, eyes akimbo and minds agog; and, unsurprisingly, got lost. Given that my companion's (alleged) gout was acting up, we were forced to hail a taxi. Well, not only did the good driver put the meter on but he suggested places to go and in particular to eat. One such place (which many other locals later endorsed) was the stylish but relaxed restaurant Belle Epoque, on Krizovnicka St, not far from the Charles Bridge on the Old Town side. Here we quaffed and gorged for hours and found ourselves with a total bill of just £30. Unlike the Americans, the Czechs seem to know the value of everything and the price of nothing.
A must on any visit to Prague is to the delightful Staromestske Namesti (The Old Town Hall Square). Here you can watch the world and its mother go by while admiring the majestic twin spires of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, the Old Town Hall Tower (don't miss its Astronomical Clock), the National Gallery (Convent of St George), or the Baroque Church of St Nicholas. The person responsible for the First Defenestration of Prague was executed in this square in 1422. What is it with Prague and this windows thing?
Another highly recommended restaurant/bar is the Kozicka on Kozi St, which is three minutes' walk from Old Town Square. Standing at the bar is not allowed. Fine Czech beer here is a laughable 50p for just under a pint. The difference between the joy of Kozicka's civility and the vulgarity of the pig-trough culture of many bars in Dublin could hardly be more stark.
PART of the great fun of Prague is to go exploring to locate your own little treasures such as a sweet restaurant/bar; an arts and crafts shop; or, in any of the great churches or gardens, daily concerts featuring a dozen or so classical masters, from local lad Dvorak to outsiders like Mozart, whose Prague Symphony was inspired by his love of the city and its people. It is just not humanly possibly to take in even a fraction of what Prague has to offer in a long weekend and we were more than happy to take our time and savour what we could, certain that we would be back again to sample the sights and sounds that we missed. Major sites we didn't see included all of Josefov (the former Jewish ghetto) and the massive Prague Castle itself, whose St Vitus' Cathedral dominates the city skyline.
And, if only for my mother's sake, I would like to have taken a peep at the church of the Child of Prague. But on such a short visit, these were simply out the window.
Prague - Art and History is available at Blue, Male namesti 14, Prague 1. Telephone 24216717.