Prague is timeless. People have been calling her cobblestone streets home for thousands of years and somehow, despite all of her history, despite all that there is to see and immerse yourself in, she still feels comfortable, feels like home.
I felt welcome in Prague like I was happy addition to her family. I wasn't there terribly long, 10 nights according to the hotel bill, but it felt long enough to begin to understand the Czech way of life. I soon knew how to get from point A to point B without the desperate need to clutch my map. I was proud to be able to find my way when the taxi driver would drop me off at the wrong hotel, wrong street and wrong historical monument (it happened more often than you'd think). I had gotten myself into a routine there, so I'd pass by, nestled cozy warm in my scarf to protect myself from the bitter cold winds, and the same puppet shops and beautiful buildings would hold me comfortably in their streets as I walked by them every day.
In America, we are much more hustle-bustle than even we can tell. Mealtime in Bohemia is an event. Eating was just a detour to good conversation, funny stories and quality time with friends. It was difficult to have a "lunch-hour" there unless you went to fast-food or a street vendor. Even our tour guides wouldn't charge us for the time the spent eating with us. For them, it was a time to get to know one another a little better, learn about each other, discuss our differences and celebrate our similarities. To feel so similar when separated by oceans, mountains and continents, language and history is a great feeling. America has celebrated its 200th birthday, Prague, it's 2,000th. And still, life ticks on, the same; celebrating family, tradition, religion and pride.
Go to Prague. Walk the streets, smell the smells, see the sights and soon, she will call you hers and you will call her yours.
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