I’ve been living in Prague a month now. Most of that month was spent in class learning how to teach English as a foreign language. And while that may seem like a walk in the park for someone who writes for a living, that would be OH SO WRONG. I can drive a car. I cannot so easily tear it down, label all of the parts, and put it back together while explaining to a non-driver why it goes back together this way. The English language is a lot like a city bus with lots of moving parts. I now have my teaching certificate and an increased appreciation for the mechanics of English. Oh you poor Czechs and Russians, far too many of our rules have the “you’ll just have to learn it” explanation attached. But don’t you worry my dear future students, I will be under the hood with you. We can curse English together as we try to rebuild the carburetor of verb forms and idiomatic expressions.
While working on the engines of English, I managed to acquire more official paperwork: my Prague public transportation pass (litacka). For about $150 US, I have unlimited travel on the metro, the buses, the trams (yes, my new city is so cool it has trams), and the funicular. Maybe you don’t know what a funicular is: it’s a type of railway that uses cables and counterbalances. I’m pretty sure they’re always on hillsides/mountainsides. And they’re fun. I mean, “FUN” is embedded right there in the word. And Prague has one. Happy me.
I’ve taken all of the transportation options available in and around Prague. Mostly because I like to use all possible features of everything I have. There is only one funicular, so that was easy to check off. The buses and trams still have me checking routes almost every time I use them. But they’re straightforward. And the metro…oh, the metro. It’s clean, and safe, and so easy to use. The stations themselves vary in quality, but so far all of them that I’ve used have been between great and good enough.
There is one curiosity though. The escalators from the track lines up to the upper tracks or to the stations themselves, are not all alike–some are set to “Soviet Speed.” The entire system is Soviet designed. And since the Soviets left after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, changes continue to be made. The escalators are one example. Most have been set to a civilized pace. You don’t pay any attention to those, they’re like escalators most of the world over. But some…some you better have your balance established before attempting to hop aboard because those babies M.O.V.E. Beware people escorting young children. Beware older travelers. The up side is that you get where you’re going lightning quick. Just hold the handrail so you get there with all your parts still functioning.
Sometime soon, I will check out the transportation options outside of Prague when I head to some of the surrounding villages and cities in the Czech Republic. And if I encounter any escalators, I’ll let you know who seems to be in charge of the speed. Because no matter the conveyance, it’s never a bad thing to have a sense of just how fast you’ll get somewhere.
Ellen Czechs It Out 