close ups in prague

I squeezed myself onto a bench in Old Town Square next to an old guy from New York who had Buddy Holly glasses and was puffing away on a big fat cigar. We watched a tourist stop in front of us with an absolutely ginormous zoom lens attached to his camera. The lens was aimed at the statue behind us. He could've probably got the moon with the thing (that's maybe an exaggeration). Cigar Guy said to his wife, "Can he get any closer with that thing?"Almost on cue,  Zoom Lens guy took one photo, looked at the screen with disappointment, and walked even closer to the statue for another shot. Cigar Guy nearly fell off the bench laughing. "I guess not!" he chortled. So maybe that is Prague. It is so so beautiful you want to bring your biggest zoom lens, get up close, cut out the crowds so you can focus on the details. It is a photogenic city full of magic and special moments. But no matter what you do, it's a tourist amusement park, packed full of old-fashioned garnet rings, marionette shops, and sightseers. You can only ever try to get closer and closer and closer to all the stunning things spread out before you, glittery and gorgeous. You're left searching for the perfect, quiet detail. Searching for a Prague that maybe just maybe no tourist has seen before. It makes me wonder what little cities like this lose when the tourist dollars flow.

Next Stop: Dubrovnik, Croatia