A spirited bridge in Prague

It was our last night in Prague. We always seemed to end up on the lively Charles bridge at the end of the day. The bridge had a great energy. We would meet up with other travellers and soak in the vibrant scene of musicians, street artists and overall boisterous crowd. On this last evening another spirit was present in the air. A clairvoyant type of energy. The lines on my palm apparently stored clues to my future.

I documented what the fortune teller told me in my travel journal.

Prague was not on my radar when we planned our backpacking trip. In fact, I had removed the section for Czechoslovakia (and all of Eastern Europe) from my weighty Let’s Go Europe guidebook. In 1992 it was Czechoslovakia, a mere months before the country would peacefully separate into Czech and Slovak Republics. I needed to purchase a visa to enter the country, an additional step and expense I had not anticipated.

But over the course of our travels, we kept hearing “you gotta go to Prague”. The testimonials were hard to ignore by the time we were in neighbouring Austria.

So we went.

We travelled to Prague with Kathy, who we met in Vienna. We shared a room with her for three nights. With high expectations, we explored Prague to see for ourselves if it lived up to the hype.

The statue lined Charles bridge was the centrepiece to our days. On one side was the old town and the hourly performances of the unique Prague Orloj (astronomical clock). On the other side was the imposing Prague Castle. From atop a bridge tower we had a fantastic view over the Charles bridge and the city’s red rooftops. The intricate stain glass at St. Vitus Cathedral was impressive. The tiny colourful houses along the Golden Lane adorable.

There was a lot to like about the city. Prague was full of atmospheric bars and restaurants with good food and beer. I sampled the typical Pilsner as well as a more adventurous (for me) dark beer. And the city was cheap. A real backpacker’s dream.

How did my destiny turn out in reality? Well, much of the information can be interpreted in different ways so it depends on your perspective. One specific item foretold the number of kids I would have (which turned out to be incorrect). While my fortune teller suggested I was not lucky, I have made it this far in life, so I would tend to disagree.

There is one piece of good fortune I can confirm. I was fortunate I followed the advice of other backpackers to take a detour to Czechoslovakia. Prague was truly enchanting.

This is one entry from my 1992 European backpacking trip with my friend Sarah. If you want to start at the beginning, please check out The journey starts in Nice.