Unexpected Tourist in the Bagging Area

Prior to the pandemic, something in the region of 10 million tourists were visiting the Czech capital every year. Given that the population of the Czech Republic is about 10 million people, that’s a lot of tourists in a city of about 4 square miles*! And then, almost overnight, in March 2020 that number plummeted to about 0! As Covid-19 took root all over the globe, the Czech Republic was one of the earliest to implement the lockdown process. As a landlocked country in Central Europe, it closed its borders quickly and decisively (although it was already too late!) For the next few months, Prague resembled a film set from a nuclear armageddon story. As a resident, it was quite extraordinary to witness the silent city. I had to remind myself to stop taking the shortcuts I had discovered because it was now much quicker to take the direct routes. With the hubbub of people and cars now on mute, it was possible to hear the natural sounds of the city like birdsong and bells in places I’d never heard them before. <a href="https://medium.com/@allygill_73781/unexpected-tourist-in-the-bagging-area-7014e1521bb4">Read More</a>