photo: Koichi Futatsumata

Berlin to Prague

The vast, glass-covered Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), also known as Lehrter Bahnhof, was completed to coincide with the World Cup. It's Berlin's largest station, replacing Zoologischer Garten Station. From here, it takes about five and a half hours to reach Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, via Dresden.

photo: Koichi Futatsumata

Perhaps about ten minutes after Dresden, the locomotive changed at a small station near the Czech border. The train immediately slowed to a crawl. Yet, the scenery unfolding along the gently flowing Elbe River from the train window was exceptional, making the slow pace not entirely unwelcome. The landscape, with its sunset and contrails, felt almost mystical.

Prague Historic Centre

Just before arriving at Prague's main station, a Japanese woman I'd met by chance on the train warned me, "Be careful around the station. I've heard stories of people being chased with syringes. It's really dark..." The sun had already set, and I hadn't booked a hotel, so a sense of urgency began to set in.

photo: Koichi Futatsumata

The Prague Historic Centre is said to be one of Europe's most beautiful cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the gloomy station and its surroundings were, as the woman had said, quite dark. Perhaps a remnant of the communist era, only about a quarter of the old, dust-covered ceiling lights and external lamps were functioning.

Following my map, I walked for about ten minutes from the station through the dark night streets to a hotel within the historic district. The night view that unfolded was stunning, a stark contrast to the station I had just left. A full moon hung over the Charles Bridge.

photo: Koichi Futatsumata