It’s a few years since I visited Prague. I had a few days there over the Easter holidays and managed to pack an awful lot in. Although I know Western Europe fairly well, I’ve spent very little time in Eastern Europe. Probably because when I first travelled in Europe all those years ago, I avoided Eastern European countries because they all required visas. Since then, they were never really on my radar.
Prague was a great introduction. As well as being a beautiful city, I found it easy to navigate and reasonably priced. I discovered some great museums, gorgeous architecture and a fascinating (and ultimately horrific) Jewish history.
Memories of communism are never too far away, but it struck me how quickly people had moved on. The huge McDonald’s outside the Communism Museum being one example of ‘then and now’.
My short sojourn is Prague whetted my appetite for Eastern Europe, but it’s now several years later and I still haven’t done anything about it. Looking back through my photos and reliving my memories makes me realise how remiss of me this is.
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The tower is easy to get to – Montparnasse Bienvenue Metro Station is right outside. There was only a short queue to buy a ticket (another advantage over the Eiffel Tower) and then we passed through airport style security to get to the lifts.
The roof terrace covers the entire roof and although there are glass walls around the sides, there are gaps which make it easier to get clear photographs.
As the sun went down and the city’s lights began to sparkle the Eiffel Tower started to twinkle.
A short walk led along the seafront to the Venetian Harbour, so called because it was built by the Venetians in the 1300s. It’s lined with restaurants and tavernas, an old fort, a lighthouse, a mosque that was being renovated and the maritime museum. Tantalising glimpses of the distant, appropriately named, White Mountains drew the eye just as much as the harbour did.
Many buildings were covered in graffiti which I put down to mindless vandalism. Later, someone translated it for me and I realised this wasn’t ‘I woz ‘ere’ or ‘Shaz luvs Wayne’ type graffiti, but rather political slogans. I saw it in a new light, and although I still thought it spoilt the buildings, was impressed by how politically engaged people seemed to be.
The following morning, I drank in the views from my balcony for the last time. I may have arrived feeling disappointed, but it was nothing to the disappointment I felt at leaving.
