Tick, Tock or Ignorance is Bliss

Aside from the Charles Bridge, the most famous Prague tourist attraction is probably the Astronomical Clock. Every hour, on the hour, from 9 am to 9 pm, hordes gather to watch the clock do it thing, which involves skeletons ringing bells, apostles parading, and a golden cock crowing. The clock was was so valued, in fact, that the Prague officials had its designer's eyes gauged out so that he would be unable to recreate it elsewhere.
Despite the fact that the entire spectacle only lasts a total of around 30 seconds, people have no qualms about waiting for the show for long periods of time on the uneven cobblestoned street. As I mentioned earlier, the clock only struts its stuff until 9 pm. Unfortunately, not all tourists are of the guidebook-toting variety, and they show up at 10, 11, and midnight to await the clock's magic. More than once, we witnessed the crowd, eyes wide with anticipation, watch as the clock did absolutely nothing but chime the hour. The funny thing was, though, that this did not phase them. They clapped and hooted and hollered after that bell chimed 10 or 11 or 12 times. It appears that if you don't know that you are missing skeletons and apostles and golden cocks, you are perfectly content with what you are given.

Stay tuned: How do you solve a problem like Maria?