CzechMate in Prague (fotos)

Charles Bridge



Italian Court
The small balcony with a small door built for a short king.



Leo, my business partner and friend



The Gothic five-naved Sta. Barbara Church

CzechMate in Prague (part 3)

CzechMate in Prague
17 years after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, I paid a visit to Czech Republic…


Our third day was scheduled for a visit outside the city in a town called Kutna Hora. This town experienced economic boom during the 13th century because of its silver mines. It used to mint silver coins for the monarch.

We woke up early for our three hour drive. The drive alone to Kutna Hora was already a treat. I marvelled at the beauty of landscapes and sceneries in springtime. The view was awesome.

We visited the Gothic Church of Sta. Barbara, the Italian Court where the royal family once resided and where the silvers were minted. It is also in this town where the Sedlec Ossuary can be found. It contains 40,000 to 70,000 human bones neatly piled, some were creatively arranged to form a chandelier, a cross, décors, and hangings on the wall.

Each of these places offered unique experiences. The Gothic Sta. Barbara Church displayed a peculiar charm because it has five naves. The small royal bedroom and the cute balcony, built for a short king at the Italian Court was amusing. Having an ice cold Czech beer in a bar near the Court was as good as the centuries-old silver coins displayed at the Court Museum. The bones at the Ossuary freaked me out. I never saw tons of skeletons like that. I started counting the skulls but after several attempts, I gave up. The guide informed us that scenes from the movie Dungeons and Dragons were filmed there. I can’t explain that eerie feeling inside that dungeon full of skeletons. After that Sedlec trip, it took me months to eat beef ribs or some boned-dish or that famous Filipino Bulalo soup with an abundant amount of cow’s leg bone for that matter.

We returned to the city past five in the afternoon. We got-off near Mala Strana, took some photos and ran like a wind to St. Vitus Cathedral to buy some rosaries and bambino pendants. The cathedral shop closes after six if I may recall. Leo bought a lot of religious stuff. He is a Catholic follower and he has two elderly aunts, both are nuns under the order of Sisters of Charity.

For him a cathedral visit serves two purposes. He goes there to pray as well to appreciate architecture and art . On my part, being a non-Catholic believer it’s more on the latter. He took time to pray, while I busied myself taking photos. We hurriedly went to the cathedral’s shop for the rosaries, pendants and other souvenirs. On the street going back to our apartment, he found out that he left his camera at the shop. He panicked.

He ran as fast as he could. I could imagine how he prayed so hard to all the saints for him to have his camera back. I can hear him say, “San Antonio de Padua…. “

His prayers were answered. He found his camera still lying at the counter of the shop. He must have prayed so hard!

Back in our Apartment, we took time to rest and prepared ourselves for our dates with the Czechs in the evening. It was not a usual kind of boy’s night out with hot girls ending in a usual question for the climax of the night, “Your place or mine?” It was different because our dates were all dead Czechs. We were going on a ghost hunting trip that night.

I needed extra energy and courage for that. So I thought, there can be no better answer save for two bottles of famous Czech beer and a steak. Czech beer is very good, one of the best beers I have tasted so far. I have to give it to them. They really make very good beer. But wait, “What’s this whip cream doing on my steak?” A sweet tasting steak. It was horrible! Okay, I said, “Beer for the Czechs and steak for the Argentines.”

Ghost hunting was never that scary after all. In fact I found it funny. Our tour guide took us to places where frequent encounters with ghosts happen. So there was this story about the headless soldier, the green man, the white lady and all those ghosts I can imagine. I expected to see real ghosts, but I ended up hearing ghost stories instead. What made it funny to me were the reactions of the tourists while listening to the stories. For instance, I saw how the story of a lady floating in the air frightened a young British girl. Okay, with her imaginations and all that, it was understandable. She is just a kid, so ghost stories can easily scare her. But wait a sec, “Why is this white man in his mid- twenties, with a body passable for a rugby player, can display a frightened look while hearing the story of a headless soldier?” I don’t understand it. Can any one give me a better explanation?

For the rest of the week, we were on our own. No more guided tours. I spent two early morning jogs, looked for a cyber café to check my e-mails and shopped for some clothes. Our last free day before hitting the road to the airport was such a perfect day, the sun was up and the weather was tolerable. We had some bottles of beer. The best part was when we came across this Argentine restaurant in Prague called El Gaucho. They served the perfect steak for me, just the way I wanted my steak should be. Saludos!

Leo and I parted ways at the airport. He was on the last days of his grand tour that time after visiting South America and other European countries. As for me, Prague was just my first destination. I was heading to Munich, Barcelona, Switzerland, Rio de Janiero, Miami, Chicago and New York.

Looking back in 1989, at the cross road of my life, I can say, I chose the right direction. Now, I am happy and hope that I forever will be. Friends come and go. Losing a good friend is a sad thing and finding a new one is a gift, a blessing worth keeping.

To the Czechs, "Your Velvet Revolution had inspired and led me to the right path, this I thank you. 'Till we meet again."

CzechMate in Prague (part 2)

Part 2
CzechMate in Prague
17 years after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, I paid a visit to Czech Republic…

Leo, my business partner and I, rented an apartment along the street of Soukanitzka. The building was very old, a silent witness I guess to the decades of political and economic events that shaped this country.

At present, Prague belongs to the Czech Republic. The Czechs and the Slovaks divided Czechoslovakia in 1993. As a result, the countries of Czech Republic and Slovakia were established. It is a charming ancient city. It is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe with 10 of UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

We joined a city tour. Our tour guide had a very good command of British accent. I remembered how he narrated that during the Communist rule, they had to queue for bread and grains for their daily ration. It was tough according to him. He said, a television set would cost them their annual leave pay so when his family decided to get one, they worked one year straight, forgoing their annual vacation just to have that box in their living room. He recalled that when the Communists left the country, they found out that Czechoslovakia has been producing so many grains, more than enough to feed the whole population. But the largest portion of the production was being shipped to Moscow, the capital of Russia.

The guide took us to the Astronomical Clock or the Prague Orloj located at the old town square. This clock is noted for “The Hourly Walks of the Apostles.” Moving figures of the Apostles and other sculptures come out every hour. It’s one of the coolest things I saw there. The Prague Orloj is a must see for every visitor.

Then we went to the famous Charles Bridge of King Charles IV. It is made of stone and was constructed in the 14th century. It crosses the Vltava River. We had a good view of the river and the bridge because part of the tour was a river cruise. It was in this cruise where we met two lovely ladies, a British blond and an Australian beauty. Cool girls. The whole tour could have been boring without their coquettish stories, gestures, and smiles.

Another interesting stop was at the Wenceslas Square. It is one of the main squares where businesses and cultural communities are located. We saw a lot of shops selling Swarovski Crystals. I can see how tourist ladies spent so much time looking at the crystals. Some were already busy doing their retail therapy on these shops.

Part of the whole day tour was a visit to the Jerusalem Synagogue. It is the biggest Jewish place of worship in Prague. Our guide mentioned some statistics about the Jew population before and after the Holocaust. He told us horrifying stories about purging the of the Jews. I was crying inside while listening to him. I wished that my college friend was there with me hearing his stories. Our friendship paid the price for our opposing political beliefs. However, we may have parted ways but I surely knew that we never lost our respect for each other. (With part 3- last part)

CzechMate in Prague (part 1)

(PART 1)
17 years after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, I paid a visit to Czech Republic…

I was a sophomore at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas in Iloilo City when the events that were unfolding in Central Europe brought me to a turning point. Those events influenced me in making a hard decision: of rejecting Communism, of parting ways with a very close friend who had completely embraced it and had persistently encouraged me to do the same.

It was in December of 1989 when the Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia had succeeded. A month before that, weeks of civil unrests in East Germany led to the fall of Berlin Wall. The reunification of East and West Germany followed.

I wished my friend understood me. How can I try this ideology when Europe had already rejected it? The Berlin wall had collapsed. The Czechoslovakians revolted and freed themselves. Two years later, the mother country of Communism collapsed when in December of 1991 the Soviet Union fell.

After we parted ways, I did not see my close friend in the University again. He became a full time insurgent, living in the mountains of Iloilo. I heard that he took the task of lecturing the recruits.

A year later, I graduated from the University. The UP College of Management proved to be effective in harnessing my business skills. I joined the corporate world. Six years later, I became a Capitalist, running my own logistics outfit. I partnered with a new found friend.

I worked so hard to make our business venture a success. Events happening in the world worked on our favour. Philippines has opened its doors to Globalization. I saw enormous amount goods coming in and out of the country. Good for our business. One day I woke up realizing that we are already running a company with 45 names in our payroll. Tough.

It was in the second half of 2006 when I decided to visit Prague with my business partner, the place where the Velvet Revolution took place. I have to thank the Czechs for opening my eyes, for helping me chose a path. For if not from them , I could be in the mountains now fighting for a cause or worse, I’m already six feet below the ground. (with part 2)