Czechia 03: Prague, Part II

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Today was our last day together. The honeymoon had flown by so quickly and we could hardly believe that it was coming to an end! However, the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday was taking place in the upcoming week and it was important for Thinh to be home. It’s the most important holiday in Vietnam where everyone returns home to spend the holiday with their family, often going to their ‘hometowns’ to celebrate. There was little reason for me to be in Vietnam for Tet though: since his family doesn’t know that he is gay, and thus they don’t know about us, I wouldn’t be able to join them or see Thinh during Tet. Thinh and I would love for me to be able to join his family at some point, but we both know that his dad is so vehemently against gays that it isn’t the right time to tell his family. I’ve always told Thinh and I will support him no matter what he decides to do with regards to his family. I would love to have a relationship with them at some point, but the decision to come out to them is entirely his own. The cultural stance on gays in Vietnam is slowly changing and becoming more accepting, but there are still people like his dad who cannot accept it at all.

Thinh would be flying home to Hanoi tomorrow, while I would continue traveling for another five weeks. When I first met Thinh, I explained to him how important travel is to me and that it’s my biggest passion. He is fully supportive of my desire to travel and agreed that it was okay for me to travel without him over these upcoming weeks. Obviously we would like to travel together, but we realize that it isn’t always practical or feasible to do so, especially with the long trips that I tend to take each year.

Our plan for the final full day together was focused on sightseeing more around Prague. We planned to have brunch together this morning and found a lovely café near to the hotel that specializes in waffles. It was very busy when we arrived, and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. Once we were seated, we ordered right away since we’d looked at the menu during the wait. Thinh ordered a waffle with fruit, while I ordered one with peanut butter and Nutella. Both waffles were delicious and well worth the short wait this morning.

Energized after breakfast, we set off to explore the old town part of Prague. We walked over to the old town square, which was packed with tourists – probably the busiest touristy area that we’d been to during the trip. Around the square were several food stalls selling all manner of snacks, including chimney cakes! In the center of the square is the large Jan Hus monument, dedicated to a famous martyr. The Church of Our Lady before Týn dominated the square, with his two tall Gothic towers. The church dates back to the 14th century and has served as the primary church of the old town ever since.

At the opposite side of the square was the old town hall, which is where the astronomical clock is located. The central tower of the town hall was built in the mid-1300s and the town hall itself was expanded over the following centuries. Rather than simply building onto the town hall, the city simply acquired the smaller neighboring houses. The result is that the town hall is a bit of a strange bit of architecture. We went around to the astronomical clock to watch the performance at noon. The crowd was significantly larger than the one a few nights ago, but we still managed to get a good spot to watch the show. We were also able to get some much better pictures in the daylight than we were at night.

Next to the town hall is the House at the Minute, a 15-century home where Kafka once lived. The intricate, detailed paintings on the exterior of the building were particularly striking, standing out from the rather austere exteriors of the surrounding houses. The house was just adjacent to the town hall and we could get some great views of the entire area: town call, the clock, and the Church of Our Lady before Týn in the distance. Everything in this part of Prague is so well preserved and historic.

After watching the astronomical clock show, we took a meandering, aimless walk throughout the streets of old town. We stumbled across a beautiful fountain surrounded by an intricate metal grate, in front of one of the more beautifully decorated buildings in the area. It was nice being able to just walk around the town without any specific destination in mind because it let us see so many unique and impressive buildings. One cannot go a single block in Prague without seeing something stunning – the city truly is a shining jewel in Europe.

We eventually ended up behind the Church of Our Lady before Týn, and we then stopped in at a few souvenir shops and chocolate stores. Thinh ended up buying a few small boxes of chocolates to take him for Tet, but I didn’t find anything that particularly caught my eye. I had hoped to find some chocolates to take back as a gift for my landlord, but everything was dark chocolate, which isn’t always well-liked by everyone. Rather than risking it, I just skipped buying anything.

Leaving the shops behind, we walked over to the Powder Tower. This massive stone gate is one of the original city gates of Prague and was built in the late 15th century. Rather than being used for defense, the tower was intended to be a beautiful entrance to the city. The Gothic-style tower is now closed in by homes and other buildings, with none of the old city walls left to be seen. It is an imposing tower all the same and Thinh was particularly captivated by the views of the tower as we walked down the street. The top of the tower is covered with dozens of statues, along with small spires at each of the four corners.

I led us over to a nearby street that was unremarkable except for a sculpture that I wanted to visit. The Vink Sculpture, also known as the “Ukraine Mothers”, pays tribute to the Ukrainian mothers who have been affected by the Russian invasion. It’s a haunting sculpture of a woman suspended above the street. To me it looks like a wailing banshee. As we left the Vinok Sculpture, we continued to walk through random streets in old town and found so many unique houses.

Thinh and I returned to the old town square and visited St Nicholas Church. The 12th century church has a beautiful interior, with a really spectacular chandelier suspended from the tall bell tower. The ceilings throughout the church were covered with religious paintings. We then walked over to the Church of Our Lady before Týn so we could go inside, but there was a wedding taking place when we arrived, so we could not see the interior.

We then walked back over to the hotel so we could drop off the chocolates that Thinh had bought. Near to our hotel stood the Rodolfinum concert hall, right on the banks of the river. We made a brief stop at the hotel before heading back out to walk along the riverfront. The weather today was much better than on previous days, giving us clear views across the river to the castle. We headed off in the direction of Charles Bridge, walking through a small park along the way.

Thinh and I both wanted to walk along the Charles Bridge again today to take advantage of the good weather. Unfortunately, the bridge was packed with tourists today – a far cry from a few days previously. We pushed through the crowds to stop along the bridge at several points to admire the city. There were several boats out sailing on the river today, which Thinh enjoyed photographing from the bridge. I’ve never enjoyed being in large crowds, but it was worth suffering through on the bridge because we got to take some really amazing pictures.

About halfway across the bridge was a small shine that several people were praying in front of before laying their hands on the shine. Thinh went over to take a look at the shrine and I took his photo while he placed his hand on it – though neither of us could figure out the significance of the shrine. We ended up crossing over the bridge to the other side of the Vltava River.

I had found a Starbucks located near the castle that was supposed to have some of the best views in the entire city. It sounded interesting to the both of us, so we set off to walk to there before it got dark. As we walked, we went past the Mala Strana (another church for St Nicholas), a massive Baroque church with a large dome. We didn’t stop to go inside, but we pushed on and began the long, steep climb up castle hill. The path was up a steep road which then led to a long flight of stairs. We were both exhausted and out of breath when we reached the top of the stairs, but it was definitely worth the effort. The stairs climbed up to the exterior of the castle and the Starbucks was nearby.

The Starbucks is perched on the hill, with a rooftop patio without any buildings nearby to block the views. Thinh went to get us a seat on the roof while I got our drinks. When I joined him, the patio was crowded with customers. There was one group of tourists who were climbing up on the walls of the patio to take pictures – getting in the way of people as they did so too. The view overlooking the city was rather pretty, though we couldn’t see many of the towers in the old town area because they were just slightly behind the hill.

At 17:00 we left Starbucks and decided to walk through the castle to take the easier, less steep, route down to the river. By chance we reached the Gate of the Giants at the start of a changing of the guards ceremony. The gate has two large statues on either side of it, with guards stationed at the base of either statue. We watched the short ceremony as the new guards marched out and relieved the ones who had been standing on duty. It was a simple changing ceremony, but Thinh enjoyed watching it (it was the only such ceremony that we had seen on the trip).

By the time we started walking back through the castle it was getting dark, so we were able to see the various buildings illuminated at night. Night had truly fallen when we reached the bridge and it was nice to see the city sparkling and reflected in the river. I was so glad that Thinh had thoroughly enjoyed Prague – and that he’d been able to see so much of the city. As the sun set, our tour of Prague came to an end.

We both decided to return to the Czech restaurant that we’d eaten at on our first night in Prague. This time, though, we would be wiser about how much food we ordered! For an appetizer, we shared a garlic cheese spread with some fresh bread. For our entrée, we once again shared the pork knuckle which was just as delicious as the other night. It was the perfect final meal for us to have together to wrap up our honeymoon.

Full from dinner, we walked over to a nearby Starbucks so we could use the Wi-Fi there to send photos to one another. The Wi-Fi at the hotel was decent, but not strong enough for us to send dozens of photos back and forth. We stayed at Starbucks until they closed at 21:00 and then returned to the hotel.

I helped Think pack his bags this evening, making sure that everything fit and wouldn’t be overweight. I was sending quite a few things back to Hanoi with him that I wouldn’t need during the rest of my trip (primarily my winter clothes). He was taking a large checked suitcase and a backpack as his checked luggage, as well as his normal backpack for carry-on. Everything fit perfectly and there was even some space left!

We were both in bed by midnight tonight. We had to be up early in the morning to take Thinh to the airport, so we wanted to get to bed as early as possible.

 
Sunday, January 26, 2025

Our alarms went off at 06:00 this morning. While Thinh showered and got ready, I laid in bed, struggling to wake up. At 07:30 we went outside to order a Bolt car (similar to Uber) to take us to the airport. We could have take public transit, but it would have been cumbersome with the large bags. The drive to the airport took roughly 30 minutes and we arrived in plenty of time to get Thinh checked in for his flight.

The check-in process went smoothly and his bags were both underweight, which was a relief. The queue for passport control was quite long, so we decided it was best for him to get in line rather than waiting around together. I stayed with him in the queue for as long as possible though. We were both very sad this morning – it is difficult to be separated for an extended period of time.

The queue eventually reached a point where only ticketed passengers could proceed, so we gave each other a final hug and kiss before Thinh entered that area. Happily there was a glass window looking into the passenger-only area, so I could stand there and still see Thinh and he made his way through the queue. We kept looking at one another, smiling, blowing kisses to one another, etc. I was struggling to hold back tears – I knew that the next several weeks would fly by while I traveled, but I didn’t want to say goodbye to Thinh.

He eventually went behind a pillar and I could no longer see him in the queue. I walked over to a Starbucks and waited there until he messaged me that he had made it through passport control without any issues. Once I heard from Thinh, I finished my coffee and headed out to catch the bus into town. Thinh still had some time before boarding his flight and we messaged back and forth as I rode the bus. He tried to call me via WhatsApp, but I had forgotten my headphones at the hotel, so it was difficult to hear him.

While still in the outskirts of town, I changed to a tram so I could head to the northern part of Prague. When I got off the tram, I was in a quiet area without much around. Nearby was a small footpath that I followed until I reached a small monument. This was the assassination site of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most prominent and evil Nazis. As head of the Reich Security Main Office (ie. Gestapo, etc), he was the principal architect of the Holocaust. He also served as the acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, based in Prague.

In late 1941, Czech resistance fighters were dropped into then Czechoslovakia. The fighters spent the next several months planning their attack, codenamed Operation Anthropoid. On 27 May 1942, aytrdxzs Heydrich began his daily drive to Prague Castle, the assassins were lying in wait. As his car slowed at a tight curve, they attacked. One of the guns jammed, but a grenade was thrown at the car, exploding behind the rear wheel. The blast seriously injured Heydrich, though he was not killed outright. He jumped out of the car and fired his pistol at the assassins, who then fled the scene. Heydrich soon collapsed and was taken to hospital, where it was discovered that several fragments of the grenade and car upholstery were embedded in his abdomen. Despite improvements in his condition, Heydrich went into shock in 3 June and did early the next morning. As a result of the assassination, thousands of Czech people were murdered and arrested. The village of Lidice was massacred. The assassins themselves took refuge in at the Cathedral of Strs Cyril and Methodius, where they were tracked down and killed when the SS attacked.

I visited the cathedral several years ago, where a moving memorial to the brave resistance fighters is located. One can still see the bullet-ridden walls of the cathedral from when the Nazis attacked and killed the fighters. I was now visiting the location where the initial attack upon Heydrich took place. There was a small stone monument to the brave men who took part in Operation Anthropoid. Nearby was a large triangular monument with statues of men at each of the three points. The figures themselves were based on da Vinci’s drawing “Vitruvian Man”, which is an allusion to the name “Anthropoid” (meaning ‘human in form or appearance’). A flag pole with the Czech flag stood next to the monument. A small information booth was erected nearby to explain what took place in 1924, with photos, diagrams, etc all in Czech. While a simple memorial to the resistance fighters, it was very moving and stands as a testament to their bravery.

I then walked back to the tram station so I could head back into the old town area. Across the street from the station was a long sound barrier wall that had several paintings on it depicting the attack upon Heydrich. The paintings were simple silhouettes and helped to further memorialize the Czech resistance. The tram arrived soon thereafter, which I took back towards the hotel.

Thinh was still at the airport and we continued to message one another. I was already missing him very much, wishing that he was still there with me. As I reached the hotel, it was time for him to board his first flight. He was flying from Prague to Taiwan, and then from Taiwan to Hanoi. We sent some final messages before he had to turn his phone onto airplane mode. I felt so bad that I wasn’t there with him to keep him company during the long flight home, but I knew we would be back together soon. It’s never easy being apart from Thinh while I travel, and the long we’re together, the more I miss him.

Part of me was starting to rethink traveling solo. I’ve traveled alone for years, often taking extended trips around the world, and I’ve loved the experience. Now that I have Thinh though, travel is much more fun when he is with me. However, it is not as simple or easy for him to join me on these long trips, primarily because of the hassle of getting visas to all of the countries that I visit. As an American, the visas are more of a formality for me, but as a Vietnamese, the vises are never guaranteed for Thinh. Due to this, we’ve decided to just have him travel with me when we don’t have to jump through a million hoops to get his visas – and the rest of my trip would have been a pain the ass for him to get all of the necessary visas.

I returned to the hotel to rest for a little while before going out to get some lunch. I struggled to find somewhere that appealed to me, walking to several places I found on Google Maps only to find them either too crowded or not as appealing in person. I eventually had a sandwich and then returned to the hotel. I was very tired today and had little energy to walk around the city.

This evening, I took the tram over to a nearby shopping mall so I could head to the cinema. I had purchased tickets to see Wicked again this evening – I was eager to see it again on the big screen before the movie was no longer at the cinemas. Finding a showing in English was difficult, but thankfully this cinema wasn’t too far away and had good reviews. The movie began at 18:30 and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this amazing movie again.

When the movie ended several hours later, I took the tram back over to the hotel, where I relaxed before bed.