Some Interesting Things About Prague/Czech Republic.

I think Steve and I are about walking-tour-ed out.

We went on a free walking tour today, which was still loads of fun, we learned tons of things about Czech history, most of which we've already forgotten, and took a bunch of pictures of this beautiful city, some of which you can see RIGHT NOW, YAY!

One of those interesting things we learned about Prague today that I didn't expect was that it was one of the few major cities in Central/Eastern Europe that didn't get destroyed. In fact, it is really the ONLY city to remain as intact as it is today. All the buildings in Prague are orginials - whereas in Berlin, Warsaw, and various other major cities in Europe have only replicas of the original buildings that once stood. All the buildings in the pictures above are originals - original churches, original mosques, etc. In the followng picture, you can see that the building is sort of cut off - see where the facade on the left is made of darker stone and in Gothic style, whereas the wall on the right side is plain and white - like the rest of the building was chopped off, and they added a wall to the part that remained. This is the only building in Prague that suffered damage in World War II.

Why? Interesting fact about Prague #2 - err, Part #1a, since this is really still part of the fact that Prague was never destroyed in WWII: Prague was one of Hitler's favorite cities. Apparently Hitler intended for Prague to be the arts and culture capital of Nazi Europe and thus ordered it to be kept intact. I don't remember why that building in the above picture got destroyed - rogue fire or bomb or something I suppose. But who knew - Hitler loved Prague! Prague is one of the oldest, still-standing-in-original-form cities in Europe. Way cool. No wonder architecture majors are encouraged to study abroad here.

Speaking of studying abroad, Interesting Fact #2(real#2): Charles University was founded by King Charles IV, and is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the Czech Republic. Its acceptance rate is *drum roll please* 1 in 400.

ONE IN FOUR HUNDRED!!! That means that only 00.25% of the applicants get in. To put it into perspective: Stanford's acceptance rate last year, for the class of 2015, was somewhere around 7%. MIT's acceptance rate was around the same. Most of the Ivy League schools ranged from 3-10%. Charles University accepts <1%! That's insane. Interesting Fact #3: Billy made a friend!

I don't really know what the story is behind the statue, because I was too busy swapping animals-around-the-world stories with the girl in our tour group that has a squirrel that she travels around with! Hilarious. At some point earlier on in the tour, I saw someone plop this squirrel on a statue, take a picture, and put the squirrel away all in the blink of an eye - I didn't even notice who did it because I was so excited that someone else has their own version of Billy! So when I put Billy into this weird giant-with-no-head-or-hands statue, this girl comes up and says "Wait, don't take the picture yet; I have a squirrel"; squirrel gets put in the sleeve, Billy looks at the squirrel funny, and we are all instantly bonded for life.

Interesting Fact #4: In the following picture, you can just barely make out the tombstones in a Jewish cemetery - this cemetery was the inspiration for the design of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (aka Wondermaze) in Berlin.

The tombstones are set up like this because the cemetery is actually made up of many layers of graves of the Jews who lived in Prague - the oldest tombstone dates back to the 1400s. As Jews are not supposed to alter Jewish graves nor remove tombstones, but the purchase of additional land for the cemetery was impossible back then, this cemetery holds many, many layers of graves - when a new wave o' dead people needed burial, soil was added on top of the current layer, the new graves were added, and all tombstones were moved to the top. It is estimated that there are up to 100,000 graves in this cemetery, though there are only around 10,000 tombstones at the top.

Interesting Fact #5: The Czechs were apparently master inventors - among the long list of things that our guide said the Czechs invented but I don't really remember are tanks (important for the war effort, but for whatever reason the French or British or someone took the credit); soft contact lenses, which I greatly appreciate; and pilsner beer, which I appreciate only on hot days and not every time I'm trying to order a beer in Europe (seriously, people. Drink more dark beer.)

Interesting fact #6: To protest the Soviet suppression of reform in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, a student named Jan Palach climbed up a hill facing Wenceslas Square, one of Prague's main squares, and set himself on fire.

What a painful way to die.

In the 1960s, Czechoslovakia's leader Alexander Dubček allowed for liberating reform, such as more freedom of speech, in Czechoslovakia. The citizens of the country were all for it; the Communist Soviet leaders were not. To make a long story short (mostly because I don't really remember the details...), Dubček was thrown in prison and the Czechoslovaks were not down with that. A group of students in Prague made a suicide pact, declaring that one student would commit suicide each day until.... I don't remember, until the Soviets quit suppressing their people? Until Dubček was freed? I don't remember.... *checks Wikipedia, which only says that it was done in protest* Anyways, Prague-born Jan Palach was the first of the students in line to do this, and he set himself on fire, in view of thousands of Czechoslovaks watching in Wenceslas Square.

The poor guy apparently took three days to actually die, and pleaded for his fellow students to come up with a different method of protest because lighting yourself on fire is way too slow and painful a way to sacrifice yourself.

A few other students still did it, but not very many. And to commemorate Palach, there are memorials to him, streets named after him, etc.

I seriously can't believe he set himself on fire. Can you imagine being so passionate about something that you would do something so crazy? What a time it was back then... It makes me more grateful to be living in the era I live in. Things in the States may be screwy, but at least my friends aren't lighting themselves on fire....

Interesting Fact #7: Czechoslovakia basically liberated itself.

I don't remember the details. Something about how they had an uprising, they took over all the major Nazi points of control on their own, they were winning... And then the Soviet army marched in saying "We're here to liberate you! We're going to free you!" and the Czechoslovaks were like "Erm.... thanks, but we've already done that..." to which the Soviets responded, "That's cool, makes our job easier.... And as a congratulations, we give you the gift of COMMUNISM!"

Something like that, anyway.

Wikipedia it if you want all the facts. Or better yet, visit Prague and go on Kathryn's walking tour, because she's hilarious.

Interesting Fact #8: Czech onion soup is wayyyyyy better than French onion soup. At least... traditional onion soup in Prague is better than the French onion soup I had at a French restaurant in San Francisco once. I may have to amend this statement after I visit France. But as it stands.... Czech onion soup? Delicious.

Czech food in general is delicious. Look at this beef goulash with dumplings and spinach! Mmmm......

Interesting Fact #9: Bils loves pils!!!

Bils is, of course, short for Billy Bronco; pils is short for pilsener, the light beer that allegedly originated in Plsen, which is a Czech city about an hour outside of Prague. Look at Billy, thinking he's so sneaky, trying to drink Daddy's beer when he's not looking....

Okay, I know those last two facts were really not that interesting. I was trying to stretch my list out to ten things, and I really don't remember that many of the interesting stories our guide Kathryn told us on the tour. That's what I meant about Steve and I being toured-out: all the facts kind of run together after hearing so much about each city's historical events that are all fairly similar (WWII, fall of Nazi regime, Communist rule, liberation, etc)... it's harder to remember who did what when and where.

But now on to Interesting Fact #10 - I saved the best for last!

Here is the story of Gaston the Sea Lion.

About ten years ago, Prague was flooded (as happens sometimes in these parts, apparently). The restaurants, hotels, etc along the river were severely damaged, and all the animals in the zoo next to the river died (so sad).

All except for three sea lions, which saw this tragedy as an opportunity to escape.

Two of the sea lions were caught right away, but the third, Gaston, kept swimming and swimming and swimming.

They eventually found Gaston.... IN DRESDEN, GERMANY!!!!

THAT'S LIKE 120 KILOMETERS AWAY!!!!!

That is quite a swim, especially for an animal that probably hasn't had that kind of exercise in a long time, unless he did many a lap around his little pool in the zoo.

However, on the helicopter ride back to Prague, Gaston died of a heart attack.

Note to self: Do not attempt any extreme athletic events, such as ultramarathons or swimming the English channel, without proper training first.

120 KILOMETERS! THAT'S CRAZY!!!!

Also, I thought of another interesting fact that isn't on this list, so....

INTERESTING FACT#11!

If I was European (or anything other than American, for that matter), I would adjust the list so that there are only ten items (like the measurements in the metric system), but since I'm an American and we already have tons of silly measurements like 12 inches per foot and 16 ounce to a pound, etc, I will leave the list as is. (Plus 11 is Steve's favorite number.)

Some of you may remember Czech President Vaclav Klaus. A few years ago, President Vaclav Klaus was in Chile on an official visit, and while on international television during the press conference that followed their meeting, Vaclav Klaus decides he likes the commemorative pen sitting on the table and while the Chilean president is talking, Klaus pockets the pen! He stole a pen! And not very sneakily, either... About as sneakily as kids trying not to get caught texting in class. Look it up on YouTube. It is so silly.

This event embarrassed the Czech people at the time, but as a joke, a year or two ago the people declared "National Pen Day", and on this day, the Czech citizens mail their president a pen. Our tour guide Kathryn also mentioned that she had a couple Chilean guys on her tour a few months ago, and at the end of the tour, they presented her with her very own Chilean pen.

Oh, the sillyness. :)