By Laura Burgoine
Inspired by the Woody Allen flick “Midnight in Paris” I decided to make Prague my muse and allow myself to wander its streets at midnight on a Saturday in the vague (albeit misguided) hope that this could possibly lead to the kind of prolific observations that would effortlessly translate to sparkling prose on a blog page. Either that or I’d witness some kind of shady activities outside the brothels, which would work equally well for our news section. All bases were covered.
So I set out, excited by the faint possibility of a metaphysical adventure, like the kind Owen Wilson repeatedly encounters throughout the movie. Unlike Mr Wilson, I wasn’t transported to a different era in which famous literary characters drink cocktails, attend lavish parties and never pick up a pen, but there was still a glimmer of the bizarre to be seen.
I wouldn’t describe Prague as a city that never sleeps but, like a hospital ward after lights out, there’s always someone who’s awake, not to mention a healthy handful of individuals in need of medication roaming around aimlessly. That said, you can very comfortably wander around Wenceslas square on your own, and there’s always enough normal people milling about for the whole “safety in numbers” rule to apply.
A walk just up and down Wenceslas square in the dead of night is quite varied in itself. Of course your global chains are buzzing and awake. Starbucks, possibly hopped up on too many Venti lattes, is the first insomniac you’ll meet, and surprisingly it’s always busy, night and day.
Insight #1: Not everyone here is off their rocker on absinthe and Pilsner; some people drink coffee. Who knew?
The next night-cat is the Thai massage and beauty parlor. That’s not a euphemism for something more sinister, though I could understand why a Thai massage parlor that’s open late might invite such assumptions. Late at night there were still people to be seen, sitting in the window, with their feet in fish-tanks with fish nibbling at their feet.
Insight # 2: Some Thai massage parlors actually offer health and beauty services. Late at night. Again, who knew?
The next item is something every city has their own version of, but I think Prague does particularly well here. Those little kiosk/stands selling deep-fried anything seem operate round the clock, serving up sausages and every possible variation of a deep fried potato. The ingenious part is that they’re licensed and sell beer and basic spirits, so they’re not just the late-night spot people hit up after a big night out, they’re where a big night out continues after everything else closes.
Insight # 3: The entrepreneurial vendor lives on in Central Europe.
The end of the strip is where it gets a little seedier, though despite Prague’s reputation I’ve yet to witness a single stag-do taking place. Perhaps that’s due to the winter weather; we all know English tourists aren’t going to travel for rain, cold and darkness when they can get that at home. There are plenty of bars catering almost exclusively to bachelor parties though. I can’t offer an explanation as to what’s behind the doors of “the gate to hell” bar, but from the looks of it there’s definitely some really messed up mannequins in there. This place could probably reconsider their approach to luring in walk-in customers since this looks less like a place you’d walk into and more a scenario you’d flee from after making a pact to take whatever just happened to your grave…
Insight #4: Something seedy is always just around the corner.
And to cap off our midnight tour of the city we have one of Prague’s many casinos, lit up like Vegas, oblivious to time, with only the street cleaners lingering around.
I can’t promise an after-dark walk through the city will transport you to another world by Woody Allen standards, but you will get a glimpse into some strange nocturnal activities, which is always a good way to see a new city.
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