The Czech Republic's beautiful capital, Prague, is now a hot spot on many tourist itineraries. Prague is many things to many people, but to me, my first visit will always be memorable for my experience of the Old Town Hall's Astronomical Clock.
Sitting in a first floor café at the edge of Prague's picturesque Old Town Square, the friends who'd invited me to spend the weekend with them in Prague urged me to have low expectations for the experience we were awaiting.
I stared across at the Astronomical Clock on the brown-grey Old Town Hall. It was a complicated combination of discs and arrows that had warranted a full-page explanation in my guidebook, yet even after studying everything down to the detailed descriptions of the calendar wheel and sun and moon arms, the simplest calculation of just telling the time was beyond me. Giving up on understanding its complex callisthenics, I hoped at least to see the extra bells, whistles and strange moving characters which apparently accompanied the on-the-hour chime. Over the past couple of days I'd had ill-timed luck, passing through the Old Town Square at 9:06 or 4:03, in time only to see the chattering crowds dispersing. But this café had put us at eye level with the clock, and I'd finally get to see the show: even if it was with the disclaimer to lower my expectations.
With eleven o'clock just moments away, a tourist swarm had gathered underneath the clock. They say that in recent years you can hear English, Japanese, German or Chinese spoken in the Prague's main square, but Czech is a rarity, and I could certainly believe this now. At exactly eleven, the commotion began. I kept my expectations low. The three of us giggled helplessly, me in anticipation of a very played-down spectacle and my friends in preparation for my reaction. Bells rang and a parade of small figures circled in and out of the clock. One of the many clock hands moved. Within thirty seconds all action had ceased. My friends looked back at me, mouths half open, waiting for my verdict.
"It's cute!" I said. "Worth the wait!"
They sank back in their seats while I continued assuring them that the clock's performance had surpassed my low expectations. I tried to change the subject by suggesting we order some cake. One friend looked at the other with some despair. "Yes, of course, we can have some. Only it's not very famous cake, there's another café which has tastier cakes ..."
"It's okay," I interrupted. "I'll have low expectations."
