Ariel and I were in Prague for some meetings. Like many places in Europe, the Czech Republic is ancient and uncommonly beautiful.
When I travel there are two things that I study closely. First the people, their dress, styles, grooming, behavior tell me so much.
At Monkey And Snake we make it a point to carefully study lifestyle choices, buying habits and the retail environment wherever we go. This is why consulting is such a large part of our business.
The next thing and perhaps as important in understanding a culture is the architecture. Homes, government buildings and monuments tell you a lot of the things that a people’s outward appearance leave unspoken, mainly history.
Prague is full of history, obviously. But the thing about this city, for me is that the architecture is overwhelming. The Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rocco influences are evident yet blended beautifully. It’s different from Paris in that the architecture stands in such a stark contrast to everything but the ‘medieval Czechoslovakian night’. The look from one structure is unpredictable and unlike the next. And the people almost disappear against such a grand and diverse backdrop.
The air and the feel here is, well…eerie. The streets are convoluted and defy our GPS maps. A short walk down a quiet street can take you back a few hundred years. I now understand why of all places Franz Kafka chose this place to live and to write.
So I leave this place reluctantly. There are things for me here. I can feel it. Late one night I got up and walked for some time around the city. I stood against a wall looking down the cobblestone street. I could feel the ghosts of many ages whisking past me. I was by myself but not alone. I have to come back here.
“Prague never lets you go. This dear little mother has sharp clawsâ€
-Franz Kafka