In July of 2019, Padma and I travelled to Prague with our son, Joshua, and daughter-in-law, Shereen. I didn’t write a story or take notes and I hardly shot any photos.
It was hot. And it was busy. And I vowed never again to plan a visit a European capital city in the height of the summer holidays.
Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time. We downloaded Rick Steves Audio Walking Tour of Prague and let him guide us through the city. It was an excellent way to visit the city at our own pace and for free. Rick brought us to places we wouldn’t have ventured to on our own.
Rick brought us to see an upside-down horse statue. It’s is a satirical sculpture officially titled “Kůň” (Horse) by Czech artist David Černý. It hangs in the Lucerna Palace near Wenceslas Square, just a short walk from the statue of St. Wenceslas on horseback that it mocks.
And we stood in Wenceslas Square and let Rick tell us about the Velvet Revolution. It wasn’t on Rick’s tour but we bumped into the Franz Kafka Monument (Dušan Dvořák, 2003), which shows Kafka riding on the shoulders of a large, headless suit.
And, of course, we did what ever tourist does and saw the theatrical performance at Prague Astronomical Clock at the top of the hour. It’s one of the oldest and most fascinating timepieces in the world.
