Mikuláš

On the afternoon of December 5th, the normally stoic Praguers seemed more animated as they walked the streets and rode the public transit. Rush hour came early, and the grocery stores were crowded. Something was afoot. It was the eve of "Mikuláš", or St. Nicholas Day.

See this link that describes the holiday in the Czech Republic.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/czech-republic/

A Czech friend took me around the city that afternoon. We stopped at Christmas markets and other gathering places. At a small shopping center, we encountered Mikuláš, an angel, and a devil. I sang Jingle Bells to them and got a piece of candy, a coloring book, and crayons from Mikuláš. I suppose if I had sung "Good King Wenceslas", I may have gotten more. Oh well, next time. See the photo below.

 

Good and Evil in Mustek Station

The metro ground to a halt and the doors parted. I stepped out, in no particular hurry to exit the station. As I made my way through the crowd rushing to board the train, I looked around, as I rarely miss an opportunity to people-watch.

One man immediately stood out in the scrambling mass of humanity. Tall and thin, he appeared to be in his mid-30s. His hair, golden-brown with a slight wave, hung past his shoulders, in contrast with the short hair that almost all Prague men sport. A neat beard and mustache adorned his thin face. On his upper body was a loose-fitting, white, flowing garment. I didn't take notice of his dress beyond that; my eyes were fixed on his face. It bore a look of authority, but also of peace and serenity, something very out-of-place in the busy metro station. There was warmth and kindness in his eyes, and they calmly surveyed the scene in front of him.

The man moved slowly toward the train as if he knew it would not leave without him. The rest of the crowd was in front of him, giving the appearance that he was shepherding them onto the train.

By now you may have guessed the nature of the impression he made on me. His appearance and behavior evoked traditional European depictions of a certain significant religious and historical figure. My pace slowed as I took all of this in. I felt my body relax as I watched him, as if his tranquility were being transmitted through the damp air between us. The man must have felt my stare, for his head turned slowly toward me and his gentle gaze met my curious one. Embarrassed, I quickly averted my eyes and hurried past him as he moved to the open door.

Unable to resist one last look, I waited to hear "Ukončete, prosím, výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají" (indicating the doors were about to close) before nonchalantly turning for a discreet peek. I looked through the open door of the train and gasped in shock. The man, who stood just inside the door, facing out, had been transformed. Awash in the reddish light from the top of the doorway of the train car, the aura of serenity was gone. His face was a relief of glowing red and black shadow, his whole body radiating scarlet. His two glowing eyes glared at me across the now-small space. His facial expression was one of fury, mixed with a hint of triumph. I backpedaled unsteadily, but was unable to look away. After what seemed an eternity, the doors closed and the train moved slowly off. Unnerved, I stumbled up the steps to the street, gratefully gulping breaths of the fresh, frigid air.

After a few moments I regained my composure and started off briskly toward my destination, thinking about what I saw. How easily I was taken in! What is to be learned from this? Perhaps I should be less quick to make judgments based on appearance. I could spend many undoubtedly dull paragraphs discussing its possible significance or meaning, but I prefer to leave that to the reader if he or she so chooses.

Prague Autumn

1. Prague Castle and environs after an early snow.
2. Petrin Park on a misty day.
3. Christmas Market on Wenceslas Square.
4. Old Town Square - the astronomical clock, the Christmas tree and market, and Tyn Church.

The Old Man and the Sausage

This story comes from an American, whom we will call "Bob". He related this story to me over a cup of cappuccino in a dark cafe on a quiet side street near the city center. I asked him to write it up and send it me. Here it is:

"Firstly, let me say I'm sure I was justified in throwing the old man with the cane to the ground. Well, pretty sure. Sure enough that I'm not wracked with guilt. And I didn't throw him to the ground so much as let him fall. I know that justifying my actions is going to be a tough sell, but please reserve judgment until you hear the story.

I was headed back to my house and emerged from the metro at Andel a bit hungry. Andel is one of the shopping meccas in Prague and a transit hub, but not a place you would find many tourists. It is a very busy place all day and evening. Before I caught my connecting bus, I decided to have a bite to eat. The smell emanating from a nearby street vendor drew me over, and I procured a large steaming sausage in a small baguette. I strolled slowly past a tram stop on the way to my bus, stopping every few steps to take a bite of this artery-clogging Czech staple.

As I passed in front of a small tram-stop shelter, an old man with a cane got his feet and began to shuffle toward me on an intercept path. I stopped to let him pass in front of me, but he veered slightly and came right up to me. As he reached me, he started to fall forward, and as he did he grasped my arm and jacket to support him. I tried to hold him up with my right arm as I held the mustard-smothered sausage in my left hand up and out of the way like some sort of Czech Statue of Liberty.

My brain, which seconds earlier was occupied with daydreams and plans for later, processed this unexpected spike in sensory input. What did it mean? Memories from a lifetime of experience were accessed, analyses performed, correlations made. An explosion of neural activity as the conclusion neared: ...the man veered toward me....falling just as he reached me...both of my hands are occupied...where is my wallet?... Conclusion reached. A little push of adrenaline, heart rate up, respiration up, pupils dilated. All of this in a tiny fraction of a second.

I pulled my arm away and stepped back. The man fell sideways to the concrete, slamming his head against the side of the shelter. Aghast, I thought "What have I done?". The man looked up at me with surprise, spreading his hands as if to say "what the...", but also looking much more alert now. Two women, one young and one middle-aged, sprang to his aid, the older one scolding me in Czech. I blurted out "He ran into me!". Not a very convincing argument, I know, especially since I had about six inches and fifty pounds on him. But it was probably better than saying "M---r tried to rob me!".

The older women looked surprised to hear English and responded "Oh, I'm sorry". She and I helped the man to his feet, with me still stupidly clutching the sausage. As we got him vertical, he started to fall onto me again. I put the sausage on the ground and held him up until he stood unaided, all the time looking around for his accomplice.

After I was convinced he wasn't going to take a third dive I picked up the sausage and walked toward a trash can. I deposited my snack and decided to keep walking. I passed a policeman walking with purpose back toward the shelter. Nothing good could come from sticking around. The man was up and seemed none the worse for wear. I was a foreigner who just threw an old man to the ground. "He was what? Trying to rob you? Him? And you're not carrying your passport, as required by law? Please come with me." I kept walking and disappeared into the throng.

Which leaves me with the obvious question in my mind. Was he really trying to rob me? I'll never know of course, unless I see him putting on the same act with some other unsuspecting victim. I know I won't be getting another sausage at Andel, and I walk pretty quickly past the tram stop now, head down."

Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player

On my first full day I decided to explore the area around my home. I walked uphill for about 10 minutes and found myself at the enormous Strahov Stadium. This massive concrete edifice was built and renovated from the 1930s to the 1970s. It is the largest stadium in the world, according to that Internet source of absolute truth, Wikipedia. It has a capacity of 220,000, and has been used at various times for massive displays of synchronized gymnastics, performances celebrating the glories of the socialist state, motor racing, and rock concerts.

As I gawked at the stadium and enjoyed the views of Prague from this high ground, I noticed a piano sitting in the middle of an open plaza outside the stadium. A group of men milled around nearby, seemingly waiting for something to happen. Was there a concert today? Not likely on a weekday morning.

After exploring the area a bit more I came back to the site of the piano on fire. Yes, on fire. Wait, there was someone playing the piano while the piano's insides burned. Then a car appeared and drove in tight circles around the piano and it's undoubtedly warm player. Two men were hanging out of the car windows, one spraying fog at the car, while the other took video or photos. Ohhhh, a music video, or promotional stills. That explained why the piano didn't make any noise.

Welcome

Welcome to Big Bold Prague Stories!

I will relate some the strange and wonderful occurrences I and others have witnessed or been part of. Most of the odd events happened in my first few days here. Perhaps the dreary Prague autumn has dulled my senses and I'm not noticing my surroundings as much.

Coming up in future posts: a flaming piano, good and evil embodied in the same person, an old man with a cane being thrown to the ground (he had it coming). Also a few pictures.