Prague

Popped over to Prague last weekend, as one does in Europe. The ease of travelling between countries is something every Australian must take some time to get used to. A 5 hour train journey through green, lush countryside is another. Prague is, as everyone who has been there will tell you, beautiful. She boasts an exhausting but sublime array of churches, cathedrals, palaces, squares and towers and is divided by the Vltava River over which stretches the famous Charles Bridge (Karluv Most). The city has a symmetry to it, which for me was especially ascetically pleasing, and also easy to enjoy due to the existence of numerous elevated look-out points. However, Prague also emanates a distinctly melancholic air*, typical, perhaps, of cities where everything impressive, everything worth celebrating, is from the past. Despite the swarms of tourists, the stillness and inactivity of the city were obvious. At least in the areas I visited, which were mostly very touristy, many of the locals seemed worn out and bored (due largely, no doubt, to dealing with tourists all day everyday). I left having enjoyed the beauty of Prague, but also feeling a little sad. Living to such a degree for (and from) the past must ultimately be a little unsatisfying.   

*This is obviously only a first impression gleaned from a very brief visit.