I Wonder What "Prague" Means in Ojibwa

The longer I live here the more convinced I become that Prague is the Milwaukee of Central Europe. Midwestern in all the ways I described earlier, hard-working, and sensible. Prosaic, surprisingly, less than poetic. Hockey-loving, cold and serious in the winter, but green and playful in the summer. 

From Wikipedia: "[Milwaukee's] history was heavily influenced by German immigrants in the 19th century, and it continues to be a center for German-American culture, specifically becoming well known for its brewing industry."

Sounds familiar.

Oh, it's not exactly the same, of course. People are much thinner and healthier here than their American counterparts — though Americans living in cities, of course, tend to be healthier than those living in rural communities — and few people would confuse the famously magical Prague Old Town for downtown Milwaukee. This being Europe, there's an approximate ratio of one cafe per person, and you're much more likely to see someone reading an actual book on the tram or bus here than you are in the US.

And I can't find someone to clean my apartment in American for $15 an hour, as I can here.

Still. As I watch people trudge past the window of the Miner's coffee shop this early Wednesday morning, bundled in winter clothes, exhaling steam with each step, I'm reminded that for most Prague residents, this is a Wednesday morning of work, obligation, and effort, not of 19th-century romance and magical thinking.

That's true everywhere, of course. All the cities that travelers dream about exploring — Bangkok, Oslo, Edinburgh, Marrakech, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Melbourne — are, in fact, working cities, filled with accountants and plumbers, IT guys and bus drivers. 

Listening to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! last week I was struck by the panel's surprise at the news that one New York Times travel expert had recommended that one of the best places to meet locals in Paris was at McDonalds. Because, clearly, the panel assumed it was only Americans who go to McDonalds, whether in the US or abroad. Forgetting that people go to McDonalds, in Paris, Beijing, and Vancouver, and that these cities are not, in fact, designed to be romantic getaways for wide-eyed tourists, but are, for the millions of people living in them ... home.

And those people watch reality shows and Friends, soap operas and Succession.

This is Milwaukee. But with red-clay tennis courts. 😎

Man, I'm ready for spring. 

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The lunch special at Spravovna yesterday was butterfish, plaintains, and mashed potatoes. Yum!

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Finally, after almost three months, my stuff arrives from America tomorrow morning! I'll have my clothes and my dishes, my pictures and my bedclothes, my hiking shoes and my coffee-maker! Yessss.