The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
Over Your Shoulder
Brno is a city that nearly evaded all vowels. You can see the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul straightaway upon arrival. It leaps up and towers above everything.
From my bus, I watch an old man at a tram stop taking tiny, tiny steps to weave around girls wearing headphones. He will need a straighter path to the doors when the tram finally arrives. The girls are unbothered by him and he is unbothered by their scattered positions on the sidewalk. He moves like it’s an afternoon ski-less slalom. He has quite impressive speed given the minute, shuffling movement he manages.
In a labored circle to the bus station and back onto the highway, I saw ceaseless advertisements, billboards. Nearly every surface seems commercial. There’s Hornbacher home improvement store that looks like a circus–people wander from small cars through a stream of flags and into the tent-like doors and floors. Next to the perfect teeth or happy people enjoying toothpaste, I felt and sometimes spotted the shadow of the Cathedral.
Coming and going, the Cathedral can see all visitors. I catch the gaze of the steeples in the reflections of store windows. It peers over the goings-on, the commerce, the waiting, the shuffling daily lives. It evaded my attempts to get a clear photo as well.
–Brno, Czech Republic.
I must admit this is Prague, not Brno. I’d take reader photos, though!
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
When I was in provence, my daughter and I rode our bikes to the cafe and would site and watch people meander by. A lady went into a store, and left her tram to be watched by two ancient men playing chess outside.
Your story reminded me of that moment.
I love people watching. It’s a great way to see a city, to find the differences and the similarities among all people. I haven’t done a bike ride abroad, though. It may be a good way for me to get to know the pavement… 🙂
Paige
Another post that painted a picture for the reader
Thank you, Joanne! 🙂
Paige
“Brno is a city that nearly evaded all vowels.”
One of the best opening lines to a blog (or book) ever.
Thank goodness it made sense to someone other than yours truly! Thanks, Jeff! I’m delighted!
Paige
Growing up I had a friend whose last name was Srb (pronounced “serb”). We dubbed him “He whose name has no vowels”.