The good thing about the rain in today's forecast is that it brought along some warmer temperatures. Even though the forecast was full of foreboding, we shrugged it off and decided to join a free walking tour regardless. I'm not sure if the bleak meteorological prospects frightened others away, but luckily we were the only two who joined the tour. A private free walking tour: hard to beat that!
Our guide Karla hailed from Czech Canada, an area located in the rugged wilderness of the southern part of the country. Untamed wilderness: our international reputation. Karla's tour dabbled in many areas of Prague's history, from the Protestant/Catholic tensions to the plight of the city's Jewish population to the Communist era. The great part of having a personal tour guide was that it felt more like an interesting conversation with a friend than being herded from site to site with a large group.
We also learned that although John Lennon never visited Prague, the wall pictured here is named 'John Lennon's Wall' because it symbolizes freedom of speech. During the era of strict Soviet control, the secret police tapped the city's phones to spy on citizens. In order to share important messages anonymously, people used the wall as their means of communication. The wall has become an important symbol in Prague because it reminds people to value the civil liberties that were severely curtailed under Communist rule.