Prague Journal

Saturday, September 11, 2004.

In the US, September 11 is a day of remembrance and mourning, but in Prague today is the last Saturday of most people’s holiday, since school starts in another week. There was a sign near our bus stop advertising what looked to me like a children’s festival, put on by the Friends of Šarka , with a drawing of Šarka herself, for whom the park is named, tied to a tree. The time and place were clear – start at 8:30-10:00 a.m. at the playground behind the tennis courts not far from our flat. There was a registration table and a few booths set up with refreshments. Families were given maps and directions – for what I thought might be either a scavenger hunt or simply directions to the main festivities – and a 6-station checklist to be stamped at each of the activity areas. I decided to follow one of the groups for what became a four-mile hike! Some of the trails were clearly marked, so I could proceed on my own, but others branched off so I had to wait for a group behind me unless I could see another group ahead. There were several times that I felt totally lost, since I had no reference points (and no map) and was too low in the Šarka to see any building spires for landmarks. The route crossed three streets, each with two policemen stationed as crossing guards. At the third street crossing, with no other hikers in sight, I asked the policemen where I was (wrong question, really, since the answer was obvious: the Šarka) and then had the presence of mind to ask the direction to Hanspaulka, the area where we live and close to where the hike began. To my relief, they pointed at the path going up the hill and said it was only 2 kilometers away.
I got home with little time to spare before heading out again, this time with Rick to meet our dear friend Charlotte and her new husband Bruce for lunch. Charlotte claims that she and Bruce are one of only two couples they know where both are American. So here we were, four Americans, chatting in English and sharing amusing anecdotes. We also met Bruce’s son Brad who, with wife and young daughter, is now living in Prague and working as an IT director. Charlotte and Bruce are in the process of purchasing a building that they will renovate for housing units, one of which will become their new residence next summer. Bruce claims that the rental market is soft, but the market for home purchases is quite good right now. We can see evidence of this in the many real estate brochures and areas of development not far from where we live.

posted by JWinn @ 8:36 PM