Dateline, July 12, 2022

Rarely does a sequel outperform the original.

Then again, rarely does the sequel contain the sequence of events that was supposed to be filmed in the original.

Yes, my triumphant return to Petřín Park went fantastically well. I do the tram in the correct direction this time, and arrived at the park so early that I didn’t even have to wait in any lines when I arrived. Or to put it another way, the only person was me, because I arrived at the tram line on the base of Petřín Hill even before the visitor window was open for business!

I waited patiently in the lobby for five minutes, then purchased my ticket to the top. Yes, I knew I could make the hike, but I wanted to get to the top of the tower before it was flooded with tourists.

The purpose-built tram departed right on schedule at 9 am. There was only one other person who braved the early morning sunlight to ride to the top with me. The tram slowly but surely made its away atop the steep slope situated on the outskirts of Malá Strana. It was a short, sweet ride to the top, and when the tram came to a full a stop, I quickly exited and made like a bee to the main entrance of Petřin Tower.

“Dobry Den.”

“Dobry Den, mluvite Anglicky?” I was in a hurry. No need to attempt to fumble through whatever limited Czech I know, I just know I need a ticket asap!

“Of course,” he said.

“Oh, thank goodness, I said. “I have this ticket.”

“Yes,” he said, examining. “This is your tram ticket, and it’s only one-way, you will need to purchase another ticket if you want to ride down, and you still need to purchase another ticket if you want to walk to the top of the tower.”

“No problem,” I said, “how much is the ticket?”

“150 crowns.”

I reached for my wallet and fumbled through my various coins so that I was able to pay exact change.

“Here you go,” I said. “You speak very good English, by the way.

“Thank you,” said the man behind the counter, smiling so much that he blushed.

With that cheerful interaction, I was merrily on my way. I took photographs periodically as I climbed the 299 steps to the top. It was a sunny clear day, and I could see not only Prague but much of the surrounding Bohemian countryside as well.

As I walked up the steps, I thought of the history of the tower and its marvelous architecture. Constructed in 1891, it is a smaller scale model of its much more well known older sibling in Paris, the Eiffel Tower. Whereas the much larger Eiffel stands proudly at 300 meters tall, Petřín stands at 60 meters. However, since Petřín stands atop a hill, its observation deck is 378 meters above sea level, so those who visit Petřín Tower in Prague actually get a more majestic view!

And this view did not disappoint! The early morning light was just perfect. Before the the midday sun overwhelmed the optical senses, I could see the old city of Prague in its true colors, along with the vibrant green of Letná Park and the muddy blue of the Vltava River.

That wasn’t all I could see. I also looked straight down at the people 60 meters below me. As I did so, I marveled at how the literal and metaphorical height of humanity illustrated how small we humans really are.

While I was taking photographs, I spoke with the guide at the top of the tower. She was reticent to speak at first, insisting that she didn’t much English, but I kept persisting with what little Czech I knew. This must have boosted her confidence, because she understood right away that her English was better than my Czech. She shared stories of her time at Spartica, a giant coliseum that the USSR would fill with young athletes every five years to boast the superiority of Soviet-inspired athleticism. “It was a joke,” she said, with a nostalgic smile. “Just something for the kids. The real stadium is over there,” she said, pointing the other large, nearby stadium that has hosted numerous “decadent West” musical performances since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

I thanked the woman for sharing her stories with me and bade her farewell as I walked down the 299 steps to the base of the tower.

Next stop, Vinohrady!