Poland: John
Paul II's
Hometown | John Paul II in
Krakow
| Lino's
Extras
Prague: Charles Bridge
| St.
Wenceslaus | Lino's Mustache
The Charles Bridge
How cool would it be to have
a bridge named after you?
I guess that's why it's good to be the king. You get cool
stuff named after you.
This is the Charles Bridge,
named after King Charles IV. He's got a bridge, a square, and a bunch
of other things named after him. So to quote a beloved Willie Ames TV
show, he definitely was "Charles In Charge".
The bridge is this huge
tourist attraction. And as one guide book
wrote: "Although it is now
pedestrianized, at one time it could take four carriages abreast".
(I say insert your own joke here.)
There's lots of religious
monuments along the bridge, but this is the
one that struck me as odd: It's a depiction of the martyrdom of St.
John Nepomuk. He was tortured, died, and his body was thrown off the
Charles Bridge.
And what do tourists do?
They rub the saint's body for good luck. And
it's been done so often that it's now polished bright from all the
people.
Rubbing a tortured man's dead body for good luck? Hey, I'll rub anybody
for good luck.
But because I'm not actually superstitious - and because I'm not a fan
of thousands of other tourists germs - I always have the anti-bacterial
stuff at the ready...
Hey, I'm all for the intercession of saints. But I also need some
protection on earth. Thank you, Purell!
