Thursday, January 26, 2006
Prague: 4th best in Europe, unless you're homeless
Germany's Manager Magazin has ranked Prague the fourth best place to live in Europe. The magazine cites a study conducted by the University of Mannheim, which interviewed managers (hence the name) about things such cost of living, career oportunities, etc. Paris topped the list, followed by Frankfurt and Luxembourg.
Having visited all three cities, I'd have to say that as far as culture and beauty go, Prague beats Luxembourg and Frankfurt, although I'd have to say the older EU members have a huge jump on ecological quality. Prague remains more polluted and dirty, like Paris. But that didn't keep Paris' ranking down.
For years Paris was my favorite European city. I remember spending the summer there the year of the bicentennial, 1989. The city never looked so clean. The dome of Les Invalides had been reguilded, dog shit was at a minimum, and terrorism was still something that happened somewhere else. July 14th I walked the city with my French "brother" Benoit, who was visiting from Besancon, near the Swiss border, where I had studied several years before. We drank beers lying on our back under the Eiffel Tower under an enormous full moon--so big I remember arguing with him for miles as we crisscrossed the city whether it was indeed the moon. I thought I'd never live in a place more beautiful.
Paris is a whore of a city, parading her beauties boldly to everyone who visits. Prague's charms are hidden behind (at least in winter) a seemingly inpenetrable greyness. But for the chosen, she will drop her veil, if only for a moment. My favorite moments are walking across the ancient Charles Bridge (built as a tribute to a king's exiled mother) in the grey morning mist. If I'm lucky, just as I hit the midpoint, the mist will part momentarily, leaving the sun to dance on the water, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors, and 500 years of buildings will simply glow. Then the clouds return and the this optical symphony is silenced again. There's something special about that kind of fleeting beauty, that I never felt during my times in Paris.
That said, her beauty can be a cold and unforgiving one. So far this year, the cold has claimed the lives of ten homeless people. A group of local charities have erected a tent city, equipped to house up to 100 homeless people in Prague 7's Letna Park. The city estimates there are close to 4,500 homeless in the city. Shelter capacity is a fraction of that.
I wonder which magazine will publish a ranking of best cities for the indigent? What criteria will they use? Generosity of citizens? Availablity of shelter? Of cheap booze?
Having visited all three cities, I'd have to say that as far as culture and beauty go, Prague beats Luxembourg and Frankfurt, although I'd have to say the older EU members have a huge jump on ecological quality. Prague remains more polluted and dirty, like Paris. But that didn't keep Paris' ranking down.
For years Paris was my favorite European city. I remember spending the summer there the year of the bicentennial, 1989. The city never looked so clean. The dome of Les Invalides had been reguilded, dog shit was at a minimum, and terrorism was still something that happened somewhere else. July 14th I walked the city with my French "brother" Benoit, who was visiting from Besancon, near the Swiss border, where I had studied several years before. We drank beers lying on our back under the Eiffel Tower under an enormous full moon--so big I remember arguing with him for miles as we crisscrossed the city whether it was indeed the moon. I thought I'd never live in a place more beautiful.
Paris is a whore of a city, parading her beauties boldly to everyone who visits. Prague's charms are hidden behind (at least in winter) a seemingly inpenetrable greyness. But for the chosen, she will drop her veil, if only for a moment. My favorite moments are walking across the ancient Charles Bridge (built as a tribute to a king's exiled mother) in the grey morning mist. If I'm lucky, just as I hit the midpoint, the mist will part momentarily, leaving the sun to dance on the water, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors, and 500 years of buildings will simply glow. Then the clouds return and the this optical symphony is silenced again. There's something special about that kind of fleeting beauty, that I never felt during my times in Paris.
That said, her beauty can be a cold and unforgiving one. So far this year, the cold has claimed the lives of ten homeless people. A group of local charities have erected a tent city, equipped to house up to 100 homeless people in Prague 7's Letna Park. The city estimates there are close to 4,500 homeless in the city. Shelter capacity is a fraction of that.
I wonder which magazine will publish a ranking of best cities for the indigent? What criteria will they use? Generosity of citizens? Availablity of shelter? Of cheap booze?
# posted by VMH @ 10:45 AM 
