A Little Old Lady from Prague

I first visited Prague in 2003.  I had been invited to speak at a conference in Munich.  Rudolf, a young sales rep from Bratislava, contacted me to see if I would also be willing to speak at an event he was organizing for his customers in Prague.  Of course!  I'd never been to Prague.  I'd be delighted.  And even better, the event was on a Thursday morning, so I could spend time exploring the city and fly home on Saturday.  Prague and Munich are very close, wrote Rudolf.  I'll give you a ride...

Rudolf and I clearly had different definitions of "really close" and I'd been too busy to research before the trip, so I chalked that 5-hour drive with minimal options for sustenance up to cultural learning.  In the U.S., being an IBM sales rep was a "good job," with a pretty flexible expense account.  In my travels, I was gradually (and sometimes painfully) learning that expense accounts were carefully managed and time was valued far less than in my world.  I arrived at my hotel on the outskirts of Prague hungry, tired, and ignorant of the delights the city had to offer.

Things looked brighter in the morning.  The customers at the event were welcoming and enthusiastic.  And after the short and sweet event, Rudolf set off to introduce me to Prague before he headed home to Bratislava.   He decided, rightly, that the best introduction to this incredible city was the hike up to St Vilnius Cathedral.  The view was breathtaking, and I was utterly enchanted. That view of red roofs and church spires will be forever etched in my mind as the image of Prague.

Left to my own devices after Rudolf headed home, I made my way back down the hill, across the iconic Charles Bridge, and into the heart of the old city where I discovered shopping bliss.  Wherever my travels take me, I seek to bring home something representative to put on a shelf or on the wall.  But in Prague, how to choose?  The shops were filled with gorgeous crystal and lace.  I acquired a few small pieces as gifts.  

What really intrigued me were the marionettes that are one of Prague's hallmarks.  I was particularly enamored by a little old lady and a little old man. I kept coming back to the shop where they were displayed. They were a bit large and a bit pricey, but my inner voice kept saying that if I was repeatedly drawn to the same souvenir, then that was the thing I should buy. Eenie, meenie, mynie, moe.  I chose the little old lady.  With a little creative packing, I fit her into my suitcase for the journey home and presented her to Jim for Father's Day.  She's been hanging from our family room ceiling ever since, and I continue to be entranced by her quirky little-old-lady expression, a fond reminder of my first visit to Prague.

Serendipitously, I found myself back in Prague in November of the same year. Fighting off the chill, I eagerly explored the Christmas markets. Many lovely things called to me, but I couldn't resist the pull of the little old man, eager to be reunited with the little old lady. Jim's quirky Father's Day gift was matched by an equally quirky Christmas gift. Our family room is permanently enlivened by these delightful marionettes from Prague.