Good Morning,
It’s one of those winter days when the air feels heavy, and even if you’re inside, the air is heavy. Like snow is imminent. Which I sure hope it is because this headache from the heavy air is killing me.
Sven and I went to Prague roughly ten years ago. He had worked with someone who grew up in neighbouring Hungary and had spent a lot of time in Prague in the Czech Republic. She was younger than us, as are most people Sven works with. I will call her “Peta”
She shared with us some of the history of the Czech Republic, like the Velvet Revolution which had happened in her lifetime. (Nov. And Dec. of 1989) The history and politics of Europe is so much more that WWI and WWII. Although that’s really interesting, too. At this time, the country was still known as Czechoslovakia and was under communist rule. I think students started to protest the politically repressive one party government , which was in charge of a stagnant economy. Then thousands of people took to the streets demanding the end to the communist government, the change to a democracy with free elections, civil rights and economic reform. The communist government was ousted and with it came the above mentioned changes. In 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two sovereign states, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. That’s it in a nutshell.
Anyway, Sven and I were in Prague and Peta had told us some good restaurants to try, not the touristy one, but the ones Czechs go to. One that stick in my mind was what a person would call a “hole in the wall.” We seemed to be walking forever, but it was snowing and I love that. We weren’t looking for an address, but rather a building that fit the description that was given us. We found it and followed Peta’s directions: “Ignore the old men sitting at the bar smoking cigars. Walk right past them to a stairway and go downstairs.” She said most tourists were intimidated my the men at the bar and don’t know about downstairs.
There were old men sitting at the bar smoking cigars. They turned to look at us as we stepped in the door. Sven and I smiled and luckily saw the stairway right away. We had a great meal, with a local beer and a pleasant conversation with our waiter who was eager to practice his English.
So I have a big thank you shout out to Peta. We had a wonderful trip. Now , if only it would snow.
Adios.
Musings over 50 