The magic of Prague

Praha, Checia. Saturday, 20th May, 2023.

The penultimate day of our trip! Our seventh trip to Europe together! Woke up five minutes before the alarm could ring, at 04:40. Brushed our teeth in a jiffy. The other morning jobs, tea, breakfast could wait.

Dressed, left the hotel by 05:15, after purchasing the 24-hour Prague transportation tickets on-line on the ‘PID-litacka’ app, which is really very useful. Prague, which is great throughout the day, is sublime early morning. Enough daylight; a clear, blue sky; a cool breeze; and stately buildings hugging the spic-n-span roads on either side. Clicked pictures at every turn, as we made our way to the Bruselska tram stop! There were very few people around and that contributed greatly to the charming ambience.

Tram no. 6 – sparsely populated- took us to the junction of Karlovo Namestie with its huge gardens. Absolutely serene! The gardens were inviting us but our agenda was different – one that we had been planning since last Sunday! Boarded tram no. 18 and rode comfortably till the stop of Karlovy Lazne. The early morning views of the Vltava, Charles Bridge and the Castle in the background were divine! Walked up to the iconic structure we had come to see especially at that time of the day; and were on the bridge at 05:48, approximately half an hour after sunrise.

The Charles Bridge – Karluv Most in the local language – is a well preserved medieval stone arch bridge across the Vltava, completed in the early 15th century. The statistical data of this bridge can be looked up on Google, so I won’t get into it. It is protected by three bridge towers, two on the lesser quarter side and one on the old town side, from where we approached. This beautiful structure is decorated by 30 statues, most of them baroque style.

The bridge uncomplainingly bears the burden of swarms of tourists throughout the day, till late night. Though the colourful crowds lend a human dimension to the bridge, I hate crowds. Hence, this special visit (we must have visited this bridge at least 15 times over the years!) at this time of the day when most of the tourists would just be getting out of bed after a late night at a pub. The most memorable visit, overshadowing the visit at night to see the bridge lit up, on our 2019 trip. The bridge looked pristine! I could truly appreciate the structure and its surroundings, with the early morning sun gently projecting its benevolent rays on the slumbering city, awakening it to a new dawn, a fresh day; with the gentle roar of the flowing river which is otherwise drowned in a cacophony of human noise; constantly serving a reminder of its potent power.

The stroll from one end of the bridge to the other and back, punctuated by halts to capture memories in my camera, was one of the best ever undertaken by me! Even the statues looked at peace, undisturbed as they were, with human interference. Especially the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, because it is believed that touching the base of this statue will ensure that you return to Prague. I confess I too have been guilty of doing so. Did this a couple of days ago! This visit introduced me to areas around the bridge hitherto unseen, hidden as they always were by human walls clicking selfies, thronging the structure.

For once, the guidebooks did not exaggerate – the Charles Bridge at dawn is certainly a surreal experience.

And yes, if we visit Prague yet again, the blame should fall on St. John of Nepomuk!