My Literary Escape to Prague—and the book that held me captive

I packed a small bag and a tote when I traveled to Prague, Czech Republic. In addition to my Kindle, I carried a paperback—I try to include a paperback on my trips. It was a novel I’d read 10 years ago, but I had started my Reading Prague Challenge, where I read four books from Prague in the month of August, so I added the novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, to the list.

With literary travel, you can’t plan too incessantly. At a minimum, you want to plan to travel well: plan a decent flight, plan a hotel that nurtures contemplation and thoughtfulness (since you may spend nights and mornings reading) and plan a tour to turn your reading into an experience that invites learning about the local culture. 

So, I planned to stay at a quiet and chic boutique hotel (Boho Prague) on the outskirts of Old Town Prague. Fortunately, I had hotel points that made it a free stay. I knew I wanted to stay in Old Town, which is Prague’s historic center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For literary travel, this hotel is perfect. It has a library where silence is encouraged. The library is equipped daily with lattes and cappuccinos, and water flavored with lemon.

I didn’t know what to expect on this trip. Frankly, it hadn’t been a good health month for me. I was anxious about the 9-hour flight plus a layover, and anxious about flying alone. I almost canceled my trip. Then I remembered the purpose that propels me, the deep understanding of what reading means to me and how gratifying it can be. It is that feeling that continually accompanies me around the world.

When I travel solo, I am never alone with books as my companion.

My travel journey has shown me how each city offers a unique feeling.  The moment I step out of the airport of a new city, I inhale and wait for the feeling to emerge. For example, in Buenos Aires I felt festive: I was there with my hubby, and we were celebrating my birthday. In Edinburgh, I was a walking observer. In Monrovia, I was nostalgic. In Vatican City, I was spiritually motivated. In Paris, I was wistful. In Barcelona and Sitges, I basked.

In Prague, I became a voracious reader open to meeting other readers and travelers. I carried Milan Kundera’s Unbearable everywhere I went. I bought three new paperbacks—one of which was Kundera’s short story collection. During my travels, I usually buy only one book from an independent bookstore’s selection of local writers, so this was new for me.

I read Unbearable in my hotel room and almost missed the free breakfast hour the hotel offered.

I also read Unbearable at a crowded public square. Between page breaks, I observed the crowds and had conversation with a few Europeans who seemed very interested in an American reading a famous Czech writer. 

For lunch, I chose a restaurant on a quiet street off Haštalská Street, an area known for its beautiful medieval architecture. There, I found another reader. A French student joined the table opposite me, with his copy of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.

This was my second read of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and this time I was hooked. Why? I detail my reading experience with the novel here.

To summarize, my fascination with the novel is less about the love story and more about the novel’s themes and how they exemplify life’s paradoxes. With a total lightness of being, meaning when we have no troubles, we can become complacent and more likely to feel void of purpose. Yet despite the heaviness that problems bring, we often find life lessons and perspective beneath the weight. Profound, when you really think about it. 

In Prague’s New Town, I found Globe Bookstore and Café, a bookstore I browsed for an hour and spent some time reading in their café. During my travels, I usually seek a bookstore that includes English translations.

At Globe, I found a great shelf designed for Czech writers. I bought Kundera’s Laughable Loves and two paperbacks.

As a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, Prague enriches the literary life by expanding its book culture and intellectual resources. It is a European city considered to have one of the highest concentrations of bookstores.

When I wasn’t reading, I visited places from my books. For instance, Franz Kafka is the writer who introduced me to Prague, so I visited Kafka’s City through his exhibitions and more. Bohumil Hrabal listed a few places in his novel that I visited (Charles Square, for example). And I spent a peaceful day in the fairytale Malá Strana, which was listed in Ivan Klíma’s Love and Garbage. 

In the evenings, I took advantage of the complimentary wine tasting hour my hotel offered. My preference is white wine, so I first tried the Czech version of Müller Thurgau wine, a crisp and aromatic wine which is a blend of Riesling and Madeline Royale. The grapes are grown in the Velké Pavlovice, a district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.

I also tried the red wine, Blue Portugal, for the first time, which in Czech is called Modrý Portugal. I learned that despite the name, this red wine has nothing to do with Portugal. In fact, the grapes are grown everywhere in the Czech Republic, most widespread in Slovácko and Velkopavlovice.

It was at one of the wine tastings that I met Matt and Sarah, an American couple who are both readers. Sarah recommended Barbara Kingsolver’sThe Lacuna and I recommended Helene Cooper’sThe House at Sugar Beach. And like me, Matt had read The Unbearable Lightness of Being years prior.  

Books have always been the bridge that connects me with interesting people. To think, our love for travel and books connected us across oceans. In essence, we were reading around the world. 

Sarah and Matt invited me to join them at an authentic Czech restaurant where I tried the famous (according to my Czech tour guide) pork. It was delicious! To learn more about Sarah and Matt’s travels, visit their medium page.

In Prague, I read myself to sleep. I read when I felt anxious or despondent. I read in contemplation. I read to engage my mind and senses. I read and reminded myself that sometimes all you need for restoration is a book and a packed bag.

If the thought of traveling solo or reading a modern classic scares you, don’t let it. Sign up for my Reading Around The World newsletter (P.S. you’ll need to confirm once you enter your email so please check your junk mail). For your personal reading challenge, start with The Core Shelf: 50 Novels Every Personal Library Deserves. Cheers to reading and exploration!