By Jennifer Ciotta

Today the Old Town section of Prague piles in herds of tourists, even in the coldest months.  Utilizing a Czech student as a tour guide provides a cost-effective and unique perspective on the city.  The student comes prepared with handmade books of laminated historical illustrations and newspaper clippings, which coordinate to the sites on the tour.    Visitors can find students waiting to conduct tours under the astronomical clock, Orloj, the most popular attraction in Old Town.  The best view of Orloj can be seen from Cafe Milena, however, the restaurant changed hands a few years ago thus it has lost the name.  Now it is simply the cafe on the second floor.  Every hour, when the clock chimes, one can see a complete gothic show of animated statues, including the walk of the apostles.  Also at the former Cafe Milena, named after Kafka's first love and managed by the Franz Kafka Society in its day, a hungry tourist can munch on light snacks and desserts, all the while observing the writer's strict vegetarian diet.

His father, Hermann, pushed young Franz to drink.  Even though Kafka resisted his father's wishes in his early years, he eventually gave into the temptations of Czech ale.  Tourists pack the pubs to sample cheap and tasty brews.  Besides the famed golden pilsners, one should try the award-winning Bohemian Black Lager since Kafka spent many hours roaming through the gardens of Bohemia.  Another favorite of the Czechs is the half light/half dark beer, equivalent to the American black and tan yet much more satisfying.  The best way to obtain this beer is for a tourist to simply ask the server or bartender for half light/half dark since it doesn't go by any other name.  It is essential to partake in the Prague nightlife culture if visitors want the true Kafka experience, since the writer himself was known to socialize often, even with the likes of Albert Einstein. 

An appropriate last stop is The Franz Kafka Museum, which sits in the Lesser Quarter of Prague in a tiny, yet modernized space.  It contains letters, diaries, manuscripts and photographs which belonged to Kafka; all situated in round, glass display tables.  First editions of the author's works can be viewed as well as 3-D installations.  An audio-visual presentation highlights Kafka's life in Prague.  Attached to the museum is a souvenir shop which holds everything that a Kafka fan could want or need. 

Advertisement: