Riffs from A Train

On the train from Prague to Vienna. . .Rolling through the Czech countryside. . .”Czech it out,” I exclaim, but the girls are not amused. . .Carol laughs in her tolerant way. . .the hillsides are dotted with homes as Maddy naps, Torie/Carol both read, and Julia plays on her iPad. . .Prague is expensive. . .You even have to pay to use some of the water closets (that’s toilets to the rest of us) in historic places. . .I feel like Larry King. . .maybe I can write this all in ellipses. . .Czech beer is really, really good (now I sound like Larry King). . .I chickened out of trying Czech wine. . .Carol had some. . .it was pretty thin. . .I had been to Bulgaria in 1989 to train opposition party members before their first elections. . .little remains of Communism here in the Czech Republic. . .a proud name for a people proud to be free. . .

The conductor did not bark, “papers please!” in a harsh East German accent like I imagined he would. . .communism really is dead. . .although apparently London is burning because some people don’t want to pay for what they have. . .there’s a decent amount of graffiti noticeable outside the train window, but it’s not angry graffiti. . .

The taxi ride to the train station was neat. . .we went through parts of town that weren’t Disneyified. . .and it was still a beautiful ride (for the most part). . .not criticizing Prague. . .sometimes it didn’t feel real. . .just saw big wind turbines off in the distance. . .reminds me, no recycling in Prague. . .everything gets tossed into the same trash. . .but it was a relatively clean city. . .rolling through Czech forests now. . .back to the taxi ride. . .seems like the city is in good shape. . .Czech beggars (remember, there are no homeless under Obama, they are only covered when GOPers are Presidents!) prostrate themselves on the ground with their hats out. 

Prague is a delight for the eyes. . .every turn is something amazing. . .glad we went over the same ground more than once in Old Town. . .saw new sights each time. . .I’d put Prague on the list of the greatest non-big foreign cities (non-big?, wow, Glen, now you are cutting it finely) I’ve been to. . . Seville, Perth, Athens, Barcelona, Venice, Edinburgh, York, Siena, Istanbul, and Quebec.  (Look, London, Paris, Rome all have it rather easy). . . 

I know it doesn’t make sense unless you’ve been there, but Prague reminds me of a cross between Siena and Venice. . .Old Town Square reminds us of St. Mark’s Square. . .and the outdoor cafes are everywhere. . .nice to have to wear some long sleeved pullovers. . .but it was funny to see people wearing coats and even gloves in August. . .while Carol and I were walking around in short sleeves and shorts. . .wonder when we’ll hit Austria – will there be a big sign or announcement (that we can’t understand). . .too many people smoke here. . .one of the best changes is our country has been the no smoking in public places movement. . . 

Non-scientific survey: 80% of the tours. . .given in German. . .can’t learn much history by eavesdropping on a language I haven’t spoken since 10^th grade. . .and not well then either. . .the sight of massed Germans marching resolutely down European streets is not as scary as it once was. . .btw, highly recommend my current read – Erik Larson’s new book on the American diplomat/his family in Berlin during the rise of Hitler. . .

Now in Austria – train announcements have switched to German, and the country towns seems slightly nicer.