Sarly goes to Praha

Carly and I wore skirts and sandals to church today, and with no time to change before hauling our packs to the train station, we made quite a picture of Sunday-school backpacking. But what a sweet fellowship of believers! Members from at least 5 continents: Dubai, Swaziland, Fiji, Poland, Holland, Ohio, Brazil, Ghana, east Asia - and those are just the few I met.

It's been a few days because the only time I have for blogging is during our beautiful train rides...and even then, I am distracted by the passing rivers, villages, fields, villas, and often random eccentricities of the countryside. It's late spring and everything is green and blooming. Poppies and periwinkles dot the track side, interspersed by bursts of small white or yellow flowers. We're leaving the Czech Republic on our way back to Germany, this time to stay a few nights at the Arthotel in München (Munich) while we tour German castles and partake of more sauerkraut and beer (I can't wait for Italy).

Praha (Prague) is beautiful in a powerful way. Even though we are only a week into our trip, I think my number one recommendation for all you readers is that you plan a trip to this historic city, and soon. It is the only major city in Europe to escape the bombings, and so the old twelfth-century buildings from the Holy Roman empire still exist, restored and maintained. A giant monument in Old Town Square memorializes Jon Hus, burned at the stake for challenging the Roman Catholic Church long before Luther or Calvin. Hus is such a presence in Praha's culture that the Communists used his words for their propaganda: "Truth will prevail" (they censored it from "God's truth"). The struggle between Protestants and Catholics is woven into the ornamental fibers of the city; a memorial for a Protestant martyr here, a statue for a Catholic martyr there. In one story, the invading Catholic Austrian lords were thrown from a window (an act so common it has its own name: defrestration), but landed in a pile of manure and survived. The Catholics erected a monument and called it a miracle; the Czechs laughed and noted the lords landed where they deserved.

Czech humor is an entire post of its own - but I'll indulge. A famous king mounted on an upside-down horse; statues missing a hand or foot (or both); giant plastic cars nailed to the side of a building and seeming to melt down the side. No one really has an interpretation of them except that the joke's on you. In place of the pre-cold war, twelve-ton concrete statue of Stalin stands a strange, upside-down pendulum that looks like a giant orange needle tracing back-and-forth across the city's skyline. Interpretation? Up to you. We saw so many bizarre things that we just started saying "Czech humor!" at anything that seemed quirky, odd, or indecipherable. Adventuring through the city became somewhat of a "Where's Waldo" experience: I doubt Germany will continue the game. :-)

What is missing?

Praha, compared to Germany, is a little dirtier and a lot less fashionable, but comfortably unrestricted and artistic! Germans don't dream of crossing the street if the little man is red, even if there isn't a car in sight. But in Praha, we were glad to find it is culturally acceptable to occasionally cross against the light. I have a passion for the wildness of third-world countries, but Praha seems to strike the perfect balance between development and earthy flair. Safe, efficient, and nice when you want nice, it also has holes in the cobblestone sidewalks, dirt in the corners, and Roma (gypsies) performing in the squares. Large dogs wear cagey muzzles; young lovers seem to particularly enjoy making out on escalators and in metro stations. Czech food consists of bread, meat, potatoes and beer...although I did eat half a duck with cabbage and white wine. Carly and I cheated last night and had some really delicious Italian...not that the sauerkraut and sausages aren't good, but I think we have enough weight in our packs without packing it on. We're having a great time getting to know each other: Carly points out that I speak English in weird and improper accents to the locals, and I've learned not wait too long between meals. 

I won't try to describe the beauty of the buildings: you will have to look at my pictures on Google+ for that. All I can say is that I felt as if I was walking through an ornate doll-house town, what with all the differently painted facades and sculpted roof ornaments. Czech it out, I'm telling you! You won't regret the thousand dollars you spend getting here. But do it soon: it won't be long before this European secret is discovered and as overrun with tourism as Venice and Paris. Prague is better.

Our hosts in this city were Kelly and Fred Prudek, and they MADE our trip. Fred took us on a tour of the city, and Kelly allowed me to come with her as she ministered to the women of Praha. Seeing the body of Christ work in front of my eyes was humbling; our group consisted of a Texas woman, a Czech lady, a Slovak girl about my age, and a Catholic nun all working together to bring hope to women in desperate situations. Oh, that God would give me the faith of these Godly women!! Kelly and Fred made our experience three-dimensional: I was impacted mentally, emotionally, and spiritually by their guidance through our visit to Praha.

Already the train is filling with Germans as we travel closer to München. We have little six-seater compartments, but the walls aren't thick enough to cut out the sound of the German boys drinking beer, carrying a boom box, and linking hand to shoulder as they  do a train on a train (haha). I will say this; I am glad to be seeing well-dressed and fashionable people again. Taken as a whole, Czechs aren't really my type. But that's a personal stereotype, I suppose. Hehe - if I'm looking forward to seeing Germans, I'm really looking forward to seeing Italians. :-) 

I miss you all. Sorta. Not really. Europe is awesome. :-P