No visit to Prague's old town square is complete without including the Astronomical Clock. So much so, that I thought it was deserving of its own "tick". Note to self, it probably isn't, but I was desperate to get to 60 and sex with 5 men, or even 1 for that matter was looking highly unlikely.
You join the crowd because everyone else is doing it, and peer pressure is powerful. Actually, we were on our walking tour, and our guide had strategically planned our arrival with the routine precision of someone who had done it 100's of times before.
So we stood. Looking up, listening to our guide explaining how the clock works. Nodding our heads, confidently pretending we understood what all the dials meant. There are circles inside circles, zodiac signs, golden hands pointing at things. It looks like someone gave a clockmaker too much coffee and not enough supervision. I nodded along thoughtfully, as if I were decoding ancient cosmic secrets, but really thinking, I have no idea.
As the crowd grew around us and a hush fell, I had to ask our guide to stop talking - the show was about to begin. People from every corner of the world gather with the same expression: hopeful confusion. Mobiles at the ready, it's showtime.
A skeleton rings a bell, which feels like a slightly aggressive reminder that time is fleeting. Little wooden apostles parade past tiny windows like they’re doing the world’s shortest shift at work. A rooster pops out at the end to scream into the void, which honestly feels relatable.
The whole spectacle lasts maybe 45 seconds, but the applause afterward? Thunderous. Triumphant. As if we’ve all just witnessed a miracle instead of a medieval cuckoo clock.
I walked away feeling oddly proud, like I’d participated in a sacred ritual and slightly underwhelmed. I still have no idea what any of the clock’s symbols mean, but that's not the point.
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