The Heart of Yearnings

~Majestic & Magical 

I am sure you have romanticized cliché towns and cities all across Europe and America and yearn to visit them all, one day. 

Speaking from my personal experiences in Europe— which holds a very special place in my heart because of majority of my early and late childhood summers spent there at long stretches; I would say that certain places you may have heard not much about showcase such uniqueness and beauty of a peculiar kind which I never saw in France, Belgium, England, Holland, Luxembourg, and even Germany– to some extent. No doubt the above listed is wonderful and even more spectacular than what one sees on media or through another person’s eye, but there is one place that sets apart. So much that it was even spared by Hitler because of its rare aestheticism. You may even have heard much about it but not on an overrated scale and that is the city I can describe accurately in two words— majestic and magical!

It is none other than Prague– Czech Republic. 

Words fall short of my memorable visit there back in August 10, 2017. It is a memory that would always relive and remain immaculately vivid whenever my mind fetches to three things over there– architecture, people and the weather. Many people say, “Walking around the Prague is comparable to being in a fairytale: except for one minor detail: it’s real.” And I cannot describe how accurate this was for me. It is the city of alchemists and dreamers. If you are a person who is visually sensual to surroundings and highly appreciates and loves beauty of diverse people coupled with rich history, then walk with me down my memory lane of this place! 

One thing, which is worth noting is that as soon as I crossed the border into Czechia, instant disappointment ran over me at first sight– to be quite honest. You might ask why, it is because it did not present itself to be artificially dreamy or splendidly glamorous like how touristy visitors expect out of European countries nowadays because of pressed marketing. It presented cracked roads; overgrown nature, flawed walls and poverty reeked on streets in some spots. But in no way does that mean Prague itself can not beat the beauty of Paris or Berlin and any other popular city you can think of. Paris no doubt has its charm, but only the excessive extravagant kind. Prague, on the other hand, proved to be modest and less showy but I feel as if its value surpasses in great abundance. 

Walking through a dim-lit cobbled alleyway in New Town while carefully scrutinizing people I saw from afar, beside and even those with whom I unconsciously shoved shoulders, one could say that several natives seemed to be of Russian descent– plum pink cheeks, puny eyes and of moderate height. If I had to describe them in two words, it would be— different and murky. Some might be compelling and talkative; others might look at you with a teasing expression and a smirk. However they are, I concluded the people to be of a very interesting kind— the kind I would find intriguing to interact with on a minimal level. 

Bicycles eagerly wheeled below the Old Town Bridge Tower, snow-white pigeons pecked upon the ancient bronze glass lamps hung on every consecutive lamp post, and the turquoise clouds floated about in the whitish Czech skies– such were candid little moments of people and nature I felt lucky to witness while my eyes wandered in the lost grey water currents below Charles Bridge. I then look up at a prominent, perennial structure ahead of me— the Prague Castle; encircled by other ages-old cathedrals, arched halls and pointed towers. The stunning view was one of a kind— simply timeless.

After missing a subway and catching three other later while drenched in freezing cold rainwater, I scurried past the Royal Garden and entered St. Vitus Cathedral– making my way to the centre of the Prague Castle, which dates back to the ninth century founded by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty. I had also later on learnt that it is the largest coherent castle complex in the world. As soon as I reached the foot of the Castle, my eyes ran from the bottom up till it’s tip and it felt as if it were a puzzling gothic mystery with a multitudinous of Romanesque unsolved pieces yet to be explored and taken in with appreciation of its unexplainable brilliance. Even if one had ample time without commitments just to observe every dimension and convolution, it would result in a head spinning because of its exclusive magnificence. Even the inside was inviting in its own courtliness with completely stark geometry spread evenly on the internal walls compared to that on the outside with a multitude of bright paintings and embellished works on its arched windows– each giving off its individual loveliness and unusual sinisterness. And when I squeezed out through the scrummage at the opening of the Castle, immediate intense ache rippled through my body as raindrops gracefully engulfed my eyelids while the pink skies blurred alongside the complex towers. I had found myself on the ground of the sheeny argentine slope that led out. As I felt a bunch of people grip me, holding me mid-air with their mixed murmurs of “hey, are you alright?” The beauty of the Castle spiraled around me while the sun kissed its tip and all I could think of at the very moment was— can there be anything more magical and majestic than this edifice in a city with so much depth and wonder? 

“The ancient splendor and beauty of Prague, a city beyond compare, left an impression on my imagination that will never fade.” – Richard Wagner

Prague―the heart of Europe

Ilsa Tariq