Long Walks and Avoiding Tourists in Prague
Prague is crawling with tourists like a town infested with rats. They spill from boats, bunching up in the streets and eating all the local’s corn. I suspect many of them carry diseases such as banality and plague.
While I’m ostensibly here for 5 weeks of work, the first few days have offered time to go on epic death marches all over town. I’ve even developed a routine: go to bed late, wake up early, eat breakfast, then be out the door and walking until my legs fall off and I need to come back to deal with work. Starting early has saved me from the glut of tourists, as has my natural desire to see the uglier side of things. While the rats eat their wieners and gawk at this amazing church or that historic wall, I’ve tried to stay off the beaten path.
On the first afternoon, it was raining pretty steadily. I went in a loop across the river and tried to keep my camera dry.
Sparkling clean statue on the Charles Bridge.
Looking east from the Charles Bridge at 7AM when only a single jogger spoiled the view.
Along the river.
Prague traffic.
Stoned.
Classy buzzer.
Hall of nudity.
Maybe if this man spent less time looking at tourists and more time looking at the tracks, we wouldn’t have this issue.
Church without chicken.
Tram stamps.
The second day, I ventured in a slightly wider loop, though the rain drove me back prematurely.
Rebellion and purse lady.
I do my little turn under the catwalk.
No parking.
High security crops.
Silver handles.
Tyn Church.
Crumbly.
Crossing back over the Manesuv Most.
Well funded hedges.
Valdstejnska Zahrada.
Despite all my owls I’m still just rage in a cage.
Our hard-working director.
Corny big time!
The view from the 4th floor of our hotel.
Empty stalls at the old slaughterhouse district.
On the third day, I walked north along the river and took the Havkuv Most Bridge across to my ultimate destination: Zizkov Television Tower.
Stefanikuv Most.
Orthodox power plant?
Flats.
This lane is for men holding hands with Dora the Explorer.
Gushing.
Commerce.
Kayaking run.
Man at a bus stop.
Do you have a permit for this.
Storage under the tracks.
The flats on the way to the TV tower.
Detail.
Zizkov Television Tower.
Corpse stones.
An unused motorcycle is a sad motorcycle.
Neither the right nor wrong side of the tracks.
Inside Praha Hlavni Nadrazi.
Art nouveau.
Tree dander.
Balcony.
Decorative door or fine purse.
“That is the sky.”
On day 4, I walked up the hill behind the hotel to near Prague Castle and Mala Strana’s Petrin Park. From there, I walked south along the river to check out some industrial buildings we had passed by car.
Lookign upon the town from the castle.
Petrin Tower.
Stoicism means safety.
Man at a marble tossing tournament.
An opponent flicking his eyes into the hole.
View down the funicular.
Lovers.
That church is going through a gothic phase. It’ll get over it.
Praha.
Pervert and Lady McTits.
Since 1911.
Beer factory.
Man separate by lifetime supply of beer.
Boat houses.
Abandoned factory.
On day 5, a coworker and I got an early start by heading northeast then looping back along the river. That walk was a leg buster.
Carbonite house.
Eyes on the prize.
Quaint.
Septic pumper.
Man versus the world.
The Tesla Stadium.
A dance club shaped like a pyramid.
Under the bridge and blocked.
P. on the wrong side of the tracks.
A Wolf in prefa’s clothing.
Station ramp.
Electric snakes.
Scenic Peesmellrapemugging Tunnel.
On Monday, days will get full with work responsibilities. My walks will change meaning as I walk people through ideas, drink Johnny Walker, and walk off short piers.