Connecting with mystery

A huge juxtaposition exists in the streets of Eastern Europe. Monumental churches stand guard at every other corner, yet fewer Europeans attend church than Americans go to drive-in movie theaters. Most of these baroque superstructures -- erected by the Jesuits long before Communist-imposed atheism settled over the Eastern Bloc -- no longer house worshipers. They may charge 50 crowns for visitors to peek inside. At some, passers-by walk in to light candles in the adjoining chapels.

Conversely, given this indifference to institutional religion, the Easter Festival in Prague's Stare Mesto (Old Town) is ardently celebrated for two full weeks before Pascha. Scents of sausage cooking over wood fires waft through the sprawling plaza from midmorn till dusk, while pivo (beer) and mulled wine can be had throughout the square. During the rule of Communism (which ended here only 19 years ago), religious observances were discouraged, so this Easter festival was really celebrated as a harbinger of spring.

We will endeavor to sample a tangible sense of the sacred tomorrow morning by rising before dawn to attend daily Mass at St. Vitus Cathedral, which overlooks the city from within the walls of the Prague Castle.

Despite what might be described sociologically as its nominal religiosity, Prague -- and much of Europe, I suspect -- inspires a sense of awe. While here, I have discovered while preparing for the Easter sermon that the text comes alive in different ways when one's context is a place so historical, so foreign, so grandiose and stark at the same time. It lifts one out of the Western historical-critical constraint, freeing the Word to become embodied in the depth of all the senses that a place such as this evokes.

It is a reminder of something I recently read from H.B. Swete (from The Two Greatest Miracles of the Gospel History):

"A rejection of the fundamental miracles which the Church has from the first learned to connect with the Incarnate Life, if it takes a firm hold upon the thought of our time, cannot fail to issue in a widespread loss of faith in the central mystery of Christianity, and a corresponding loss of the higher life which that mystery inspires."

Macroeconomics

"Booming economy, strong banks: It's a matter of perspective -- and place." See today's post on MinnPost.com.

Sun, signs and steeples

From top: 1) Signs in Nove Mesto. 2) The photographer is photographed; Jason at Vysehrad. 3) A statue of Ann and I. She is the one standing and preaching. I am sitting, tending to the housework. 4) Overlooking Praha from Vysehrad, the first seat of Czech royalty. Below) A video of the tram riding past St. John On the Rock. Photos by steve 7-9 mar 08.





For professional photos, see Jason's Travels and More (linked at left).

Kafka and Friends

"One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug."

That's one of the great leads in the history of writing, from the pen of Prague native son Franz Kafka in The Metamorphosis. If legend is to be believed, he wrote from the old quarter of Prague in a building we came upon yesterday that now houses the Franz Kafka Cafe.

We went in for a lunch of soup, cheese and bread. Upon sitting at our table, a familiar tune by The Rembrantds was playing on the radio: "I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour ... I'll be there for you, like I've been there before ..."

Such is the anachronism of the 21st century: The theme from Friends playing in a cafe dedicated to the 19th-century-born Bohemian whose stories dramatized alienation in an increasingly impersonal world.

Saturday in Prague

An aptly named flower shop, above, and today's beginning of the Easter festival in Old Town Square, right.




Photos by steve, 8 mar 08.

Patience

One of the most prominent landmarks in Prague is St. Vitus Cathedral, surrounded by the Prague Castle. It overlooks the city from a high perch on the city's northwest side. Construction of the cathedral began in 1344. It was completed in 1929.

Another city icon is the Charles Bridge. Jason the historian informs me it is one of the five most historic bridges in the world. I assume he is referring to the London, the Golden Gate, the Brooklyn and the Stillwater Lift Bridge. As we and hundreds of visitors strolled across it yesterday, we came upon a huge section undergoing repair. The reconstuction began this year. It is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

Apparently the Czechs are patient with the evolution of their architecture and infrastructure. Tell that to the Minnesota legislators who in their fretful panic are seeking to have the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis rebuilt by next year. There is a European sensibility that suggests endurance and aesthetics are higher-order virtues than commerce and expediency.

Cheers from a land of endurance and beauty.

Pictured: A sculpture of the Crucifixion, one of dozens of sculptures lining the Charles Bridge in Prague. The Hebrew inscription reads, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord." Photo by Jason Tetzloff, 6 mar 08.

Anglos in Prague

Hello from the Bohemian Bagel Cafe in Praha, located down a winding cobblestone street from our apartment in the Jewish Quarter. It is a beautiful, crisp, sunny day in Prague, all the better to help keep us awake. The cappucino is helping, too. Pictures of Hillary are on the front pages of all the newspapers following her victories in Texas and Ohio, but I can't find the Badgers-Penn State score anywhere. It's almost embarassing how everyone speaks and understands English. I can't even converse with the bus boys at Cancun's Mexican Restaurant in Chippewa.

It's time

I just finished my last midterm paper for school at 6:30 a.m. I'm jet-lagged even before leaving! Now it's time to go. Speaking of time, don't forget to spring your clocks ahead on Saturday night. There's no time change in Prague til the end of the month, so when I get back, I'll be an hour older than you. Or something like that. Peace.

Pictured: The 15th century Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, Prague. (Internet photo)

Stage flight

Congrats to Jackson, who made his singing-and-playing debut Friday night at The Space.

Exchange rate? What exchange rate?

So why go to the Czech Republic? That's what most people ask. The better question is, why now!? My traveling companion Jason called the other morning from his car, where he's listening to NPR. "The dollar has just fallen to an all-time low against the euro and the Czech crown. Aren't we savvy travelers, deciding to go now?" That means a good beer in Prague may cost 70 Kc. But it's still cheaper than any other major European city. Besides, this morning's Today show reported gasoline has hit $4 a gallon in southern California. Given that we won't be driving for 9 days, traveling abroad may be cheaper than staying home.