Fenomén v České Republice

It was a solo travel for 14 days. Why did I choose Prague, not any other cities? Firstly, it was quite far yet still affordable, I also have a penchant towards Eastern European countries, and, everybody says the city is stunning. Hence it provokes my inner curiosity: Is Prague really that stunning?

Some people might think it is a little bit sad that I would spend my December holiday alone in a strange country. Actually it is fine with me. I have been travelling alone since 4 years ago, far from my

homeland, and I am doing fine. I love to experience living like a local, not as a tourist. I never look up to any touristic guide books. I want the city to surprise me. I want to be the blank page.

The Phenomenon:
1. I stayed in a student dormitory in Chodov area, pretty far from the city centre. I had to use the bus from dormitory to metro station, then take metro to the city centre. The metro station in Prague are always decorated with coloured tiles. Each stop has different colour combination. I think that was nice, because those tiles and pleasant to see, while you are waiting for the metro train to arrive.
2. In the dormitory, there is a separation. The last 2 floors on the top (9F and 10F) were made for international students, while the rest down are for Czech students. The interior for the international students is bigger and nicer with fully-equipped kitchen. I don't know why they did this.. In my opinion, it creates a gap between the

majority of Czech students and the international students.
3. The city is indeed stunning like any other pictures on those postcards that we see too often. But somehow, beyong its beauty, it feels so melancholic. There are some elements in the city that contributes to creating this melancholic atmosphere. The pavement, those dark cobblestone. The statues... I did not notice before how statues could contribute to the whole atmosphere. They are just barely there. Static. Staring. The lightings in the street.. The streets are pretty wide, but not so many street lights were lit. Those lights mostly come from mono-frequency lamps which emits in such a melancholic sephia color.
4. I went to a bar that was once just a normal typical Soviet building. but this bar was completely decorated with spare parts, metals, and other machinery parts. And it was not only for a room or just a little part of the bar. But the whole bar was decorated with that. It really helps creating the atmosphere, together with the industrial club music. I believe that design and music go hand in hand.