The HaberDongs' Praha

“Prague never let’s you go. This little mother has claws.”

In the early 20^th century, Franz Kafka wrote this about his hometown. He was a pretty depressed man, so I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I totally agree with the sinister undertone in this quote. But I think there is some truth in the idea that once Prague has gotten a hold of you, it doesn’t leave you. After a wonderful but exhausting trip back to the US for the holidays, our adopted city really feels like home. I guess Prague has already take hold of us.

That got me thinking about what it is that I love about this city. Perhaps more importantly, what are the everyday things that I love about living in Prague? It surprised me that the question I was asked the most from family and friends in the US was about my regular day. I wasn’t asked about the history of the city or the architecture I've been trying to learn more about. People that were interested in my life wanted to know about the everyday things that made my day happy…so this leads me to the question, “What are some of the little things I love about Prague?”

Caveat #1: This is certainly my list, not Phil’s. Maybe I will persuade him to add to this list, but for now, you can take these opinions as solely my own;)

Caveat #2: I decided to write this list this morning. Perhaps if I had taken a few days or weeks to think about it, I may have come up with more. But hey, these things were the first ones to pop into my head, and there is something to be said for first impressions…

Kazdy Den (Everyday):

Mikulándska 3 – Our flat in Prague. I had to start with the place that we actually call home. Through an incredibly lucky series of events, we found our flat with relative ease when we arrived in September. Our street is relatively quiet, but the neighborhood is incredible, located in Praha 1, on the border of Old Town and New Town. We have a cool vinárna (wine bar) in the basement of the building called Na Šikmé Ploše (On the Slippery Slope) and lots of fun restaurants within walking distance. We decided that since we live in a small town in Virginia, we might as well spend our year living in the middle of Prague. The flat is on the fourth floor of a building built in the late 19^th century. It has high ceilings and big windows to let the sun in. It came furnished (with funny orange decor throughout!) and is perfectly suited for our life here. Not without its quirks and imperfections, (no oven, only a gas range; a walk up, no elevator; German satellite cable, always funny) we love it anyway. One last funny note about where we live: hilarious neighbors. Upstairs, Jan hooked us up with cheap wireless internet because he “owns a lot of businesses involved with the internet” (we don’t ask questions); Jiří, our next-door neighbor, is a Versace-wearing, pimped-out, middle-aged man who is an art appraiser with multiple 20-something blonde bombshell girlfriends (we love him), and “the Russians” downstairs who one neighbor warned us weren’t very friendly (we have never seen them). Home sweet home.

Café Ebel and The Globe – our home(s) away from home. Phil and I spend a lot of time in coffee shops. We always have and likely always will. A great afternoon for us is packing up our laptops or books, finding a corner table and camping out for hours of work/reading/writing. I know, we’re nerds at heart, but if you are reading this, you probably love us anyway;) Our Prague favorite coffee shops are Café Ebel (the Týnská and Husova locations) and The Globe. Ebel offers a great Americano (espresso with hot water) and a delicious pot of zelený čaj (green tea). The Globe is an English language bookstore and café. Phil particularly loves Globe because of free coffee refills, almost unheard of in Prague. Both locations have the downside of being smoky, but that is a necessary evil in most public places in Prague. Both cafes are ex-pat friendly, but will happily muddle through my “functional” Czech as I try to order with minimal English. I can spend hours in these cafes and usually do a few days a week.

Running the Vltava River – A few years ago, I discovered a new love of my life: running. In college, at the prompting of my incredibly impressive roommate Julie’s running habit, (Thanks, Jules!) I started running in Chapel Hill. It was fun, but certainly not a passion. Over the years in Boston, Baltimore, and Charlottesville, I began to find a real love of hitting the road and finding my stride. In all of those cities, I have incredibly fond memories of favorite routes through the cities, along rivers, or out on country roads. Some of these routes have served as places I found happiness and solace in times when life was overwhelming. Running for me is a great comfort and way to find balance in my world. In Prague, I have again found incredible places to run. Our flat is about 2 blocks from the Vltava River. The first thing I see when I cross the road at Legii most (the Bridge of Legions) is the Vltava, Petřín Hill and Letna ascending on the west bank of the river, and Prague Castle on the hill to the northwest. It is the defining view of Prague for me. Some days when I’m feeling adventurous, I climb the hill to Letna and can run in a park with a view of the entire city below me to the east. Just amazing…Not every day is so picturesque, mind you. There was the day it was sunny when I left home and 2 miles later I was battling driving rain and wind, and the day I got lost and ended up in an extremely touristy section of the city with 80-year old German tourists looking at me like I was a moron for trying to run through the crowds, and another day I got lost and ended up at a soccer stadium running through a swarm of police in riot gear. “Pardon me, Mr. Scary Policeman in SWAT team gear with guns and helmets!” I may not have the best sense of direction, but it does provide for some interesting stories!

Libi se mi ceska kultura (I love Czech culture)

I get uncomfortable with sweeping generalizations ascribing habits and stereotypes to “Czechs” or “Czech culture”. People do it all the time to describe Czechs, Germans, Austrians, Americans, etc. and I’ve heard lots of derogatory comments that make me angry. On the other hand, there are social norms and behaviors I’ve noticed that really seem to be specific to just one country or culture or group of people. I just want to lay out the caveat that it is very difficult to say that all people do this or that just because of where they live. So while I ascribe these things to “Czech culture”, I’m positive lots of other places do similar things. I just so happened to notice them here!

Flowers (Kvetiny) – You cannot walk the streets of Prague without seeing a flower shop or stand every few minutes. Seriously. Almost everyday, I see people walking in the streets with bouquets of flowers. Men and women, on their way home (I assume) with fresh cut flowers. This is incredible! Americans, take note!

Shoe etiquette – This is an incredibly important lesson to learn early in a visit to the Czech Republic. There are strict rules about inside and outside shoes. Woe unto the person who crosses the line. Shoes are considered dirty. When you enter your home or another person’s home, you must take off the shoes you wore outside. You never walk around in an indoor space with outside shoes on. For example, when Phil goes to the gym, he must either change his shoes at the door before entering the gym or put on plastic booties to cover the soles of his shoes. When I go to my yoga studio, you must leave your shoes in the “shoe cubbies” at the door. When children go to school in the Czech republic, they have indoor shoes or slippers that they wear while inside. It is tantamount to an offense against humanity if you break these rules. I learned this lesson when I put my feet up on the seat across from me on a train ride. When an old man walked by, he yelled quickly and loudly at me and hit my feet with a book he was holding. I’m not kidding. I learned fast that shoe etiquette is serious! The more and more I thought about it, I totally understand. The streets of Prague are really dirty. It make sense that you don’t want to track the city’s grim into your home or anyone else’s home. I just wish someone had told me about it before the old dude taught me this lesson on the train…

Dogs – I would guess that there is a 1:1 ratio of people to dogs in the Czech Republic. Everyone has a dog! Interestingly, no one in the Czech Republic spays or neuters their dogs. This might add to the reason why there are so many dogs here...We see tiny dogs, (the smallest dog we have ever seen weighed in at around 2 lbs.) mid-range, and even some big guys. There is a pair of huskies that live in our neighborhood who are enormous. (I’d guess they outweigh Dawkins and Rugby, our favorite big labs, but none as good-looking as they are. That’s impossible, Steve.) One slight downer: the habit of picking up after your dogs is, shall we say, optional? Big positive: no matter how young or old you are, you have a companion by your side. My personal favorite owner/dog combo live near Kampa Island. I see this man and his dog out for a walk at least once a week when I run through this park. I’d guess he is in his 80’s, uses two canes to walk/shuffle to the park. Yet there he is, making his way around the park with his scruffly little dog slowly keeping up and watching over him. I’ve never talked to him and have no idea what his story is. But I imagine that he and his dog have seen a thing or two in their lifetime…at least that’s the story I like to believe…

Trdlo – not a cultural statement, but a delicious street food I am obsessed with. Trdla (the plural) are rolls of sweet dough cooked by being wrapped around a hot metal rod and “roasted”. They are covered in cinnamon sugar that forms a sweet crust on the outside of the dough. My Czech language teacher once told me that Trdlo are made from an "ancient Bohemian recipe". She was intensely proud of all things Czech, so if she says they are Bohemian, I've chosen to believe her. For 40 kč (a little over $2), you can pick up one of these cylindrical pieces of heaven on the street. Luckily, the nearest Trdlo stand is around the corner from our flat. MMMmmmmm.

Just a few of my thoughts about why I love this city. Prague’s nicknames include Magic Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires, and the Golden City, but for now, I’ll just call it home.