Petřin Hill is a beautiful place. Legend has it that if you get kissed under a cherry tree there on May 1st, you will have plenty of love and romance in the coming year. If not, tough luck.
We’ve been there the last couple of years and we observe the tradition, but in the manner of a long married couple rather than young lovers whose passion is fueled by uncertainty and mystery.
The exchange went something like this:
Me: Here?
Her: No, wait.
Me: What?
Her: Those people are sitting right there.
Me: So what?
Her: O.K., but be quick about it.
(quick peck on lips)
Me: O.K., we got that out of the way.
When I first came to Prague, the hillside was sprinkled with saplings, covered with tape and surrounded by wire fences. Just a parade of sticks, really. Now, they are real trees, and cherry trees in the springtime are a little bit of extra special beauty. That is, all trees and flowers represent the miracle of life, the mountains and oceans and lakes and rivers make this a magnificently beautiful world, but the cherry blossoms are a bit of icing on the donut, they are an extra ribbon on the package, especially when they fall from the trees in an extra gentle pink spring rain. That’s probably in another week or so.
The night before May 1st is witches‘ night, and that was a blast, but next year I definitely plan to go in costume. The witches were having the best time, we were just spectators like everybody else.
Both events had one bad aspect. Too many people. At witches night, the kids were upset because they didn’t get to go into the bouncing house, because the line was too long and when we went back they were closed.
At Petřin on May 1st, it’s just hard to find a nice, private tree.
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