Travel
Prague
The Charles Bridge in Prague is certainly the most beautiful bridge I have ever seen -- and I live in San Francisco. It's eerie at the early morning hour of six am, almost too much so for my tired eyes. There is no one for miles. I can see only the river glistening with the very earliest signs of light. Walking across looking at each statue (some would say gargoyle) in turn, I was transfixed by the pain and suffering endured by all the subjects. Half way across I look down and almost jump out of my skin. Sitting under a statue are three women, no girls, of about sixteen, dressed in nothing but black, with their eyes shut, sleeping against one another. Like witches or ghosts, one senses my presence and opens her eyes despite the kilogram of mascara on each lash and stares at me. I walk slowly away and then more quickly, truly frightened and ready to jump off myself.Zia Zaman
zzaman@dnai.com