Precerpt from In with the East Wind: A Mary Poppins Kind of Life - Czechoslovakia: Second Trip
The second trip to Prague came well after the turn of the
century. The elapse of 20 years had allowed much modernization and
westernization. Gone were many of the visible reminders of life behind the Iron
Curtain. The city was brighter, cleaner, and far more prosperous. International
stores, modern hotels, and bustling cafés now occupied spaces that had once
felt distinctly local and understated. English was heard far more frequently,
and the flood of tourists from around the world had transformed the atmosphere
in the historic center. Yet for all the changes, Prague had retained its
essential character. The Gothic spires, Baroque facades, winding cobblestone
streets, and the timeless beauty of the Vltava River remained as captivating as
they had been in 1990. The city felt less mysterious than before, but no less
enchanting. And, of course, Karlův Most (Charles Bridge), still lined with
artists, musicians, and visitors from every corner of the globe, remained as
captivating as it had been in 1990.
As an outsider, I may have noticed the transformation more
readily than many of the city's younger residents. During a conversation at the
airport, I remarked on how completely the old Soviet-era atmosphere had
vanished. The young man behind the ticket counter seemed baffled by the
comment. Having grown up after the Velvet Revolution, he knew only the Prague
of open markets, foreign visitors, and European integration. Older Czechs, on
the other hand, needed no explanation. They remembered a different city, and a
different country. The contrast between those two reactions reminded me that a
generation had passed. What was history to me was prehistory to him.
The second trip, like the first, came about as a work
requirement, in this case, a meeting of foreign language education specialists
from NATO governments, a group of wonderfully talented, innovative, and
supportive individuals I had the pleasure to interact with annually in various NATO
locations (and, in some cases, outside of those constraints). While we shared
academic, bureaucratic, and leadership experiences and proposals over the
better part of a week, we did have time here and there to visit the city.
The Czech Army provided housing—and that was just a tad
reminiscent of Soviet hotels, but clean and well appointed. As far as Army
barracks go, they top my list. They were centrally enough located to make excursions
into the city easy.
Having been in Prague before, I became a de facto excursion
leader for a number of my colleagues. I showed them how to ride the metro, read
the signs for them, and interpreted for conversations with other metro riders.
Of course, we visited Charles Bridge, and I shared the practice of rubbing the
dog’s nose—and they all took turns rubbing. By that year, the dog’s nose had
become quite shiny from all the rubbing.
I did not just repeat the tourist portion of my earlier trip.
I actually got to see some new sites. The one that left the greatest impression
was a very famous church, Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné, the Church of Our Lady
Victorious, home of the famous Pražské Jezulátko (Infant Jesus of Prague). The
church itself is beautiful, but what made the visit memorable was the
atmosphere of devotion surrounding the small statue. Pilgrims from many
countries arrived not merely as tourists but as worshippers, pausing to pray
before the elaborately dressed image of the Christ Child. The contrast between
the modest size of the statue and its worldwide reputation was striking. In a
city renowned for grand cathedrals, palaces, and bridges, this small religious
shrine left one of the most lasting impressions. The experience served as a
reminder that the significance of a place is not always measured by its size or
architectural grandeur, but by the meaning people attach to it.
Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to have seen
Prague at two very different moments in its history. In 1990, Czechoslovakia
was only beginning to emerge from four decades of Communist rule. By 2010, the
country I had visited no longer even existed, having peacefully separated into
the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 (the "velvet divorce"). Yet the deeper continuity remained.
The historic lands of Bohemia and Moravia, whose cultural traditions reach back
many centuries, had not disappeared; rather, they had found a new expression
within a modern democratic Czech state. To witness that transformation over the
span of twenty years was a rare privilege. History is often something we read
about in books, but in Prague I was able to see it unfold in real life: a
nation reclaiming its place in Europe while preserving the character, beauty,
and resilience that had always been its own.
Volume 1: ABC Lands
by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver
For more posts about and from this book, click HERE.
For more posts by and about Betty Lou Leaver, click HERE.
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