Done so much catching up today you'll have to click on 'older posts'

Just a warning to those who haven't logged on for a while... when you've read the posts you can see you'll need to click on 'older posts' to catch up all the latest entries... been a busy girl tonight... still got at least 6 more to catch up on and 5 to top up in Poland... jeeze... tomorrow night maybe...

Boys spin on Prague

Sunday morning activities for non-church goers seem to be common world-wide - throwing a line in and taking your wheels for a spin.

Wandering over Charles Bridge I spied these fishermen doing their best in what I can only imagine are heavily fished waters.

Competing for fish with the swans

Trying to earn petrol money hiring out the much malined soviet Skoda (other resourceful men were hiring out topless Bentleys) - How do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill it with petrol :) See the Czechs have an Australian sense of humour...

Orchestral concert in St Nicholas Church

One of those true tourist days part 2A - Saturday evening I finished my day attending a musical concert in the St Nicholas Church on the Old Town Square. Now in comparison to the Krakow Philharmonic they weren't great, but the acoustics were so good that the 8 piece group sounded pretty good. In fact when they dropped back to 5 pieces - 1st & 2nd violin, viola, cello and bass they sounded even better - the other three pieces were two extra violins and a baroque violin (looked and was played like a mandolin but had guitar like qualities). They played Handel, Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart. 8 pieces in all. The atmosphere of the guilded church and painted cupola full of angles certainly helped the impact!

St Nicholas Church exterior

St Nicholas Church interior (bit out of focus but best I could get)

Small chandelier in St Nicholas Church during concert

Architecture of Prague

Feast for the senses. Skip this post if you don't like buildings and designs. I love old and I love design. Australia is just so young...

Franz Kafka childhood home on Old Town Square

Giant metronome (more public art) in the Letna Gardens signifying the passage of time. It replaced a huge statue of Lenin

Parizska - Mayfair of Prague

Stuck my head through a doorway of a derelect building and wow!

The Castle by balloon

Charles Bridge from Old Town side of river

Old Town laneway

Castle from Manes Bridge

Rudolfinum Theatre

Park on the river with late roses

Astronomical Clock - Old Town Square

Church of Our Lady of Tyn (my hostel was in a lane under this)

The lane to my hostel

One of those true 'Tourist' days Pt2

Back to Saturday... left my introductory tour of Prague at the intersection of Charles University and Estates Theatre in the Old Town. I took so many photos of this scene. Day and night. Such a potentially beautiful scene but really hard to get the atmosphere and light right... Saw many people there with tripods so not just me... The theatre is the one Mozart premiered Don Giovanni in.

One of my better efforts - Uni on the left, theatre on the right

However, the real bonus for me was that the university had a photographic exhibition on profiling the student sit-ins of 1968 and 1989. One of their professors who was a keen amateur photographer with the confidence of the students took these records, hiding the exposed film and only exhibiting it now - confident at last that those in the pictures wouldn't be persecuted.

Very, very interesting and touching, disturbing. It is hard to describe the feelings these black and white images stired in my core. One that particularly moved me was one of young students 16 or 17yo surrounding Wenceslas statue demonstrating their solidarity against odds far beyond their influence. The contrast between their youthful, innocent faces and the reality of the odds of their battle brought a lump to my throat. Would I, as a teenager of that period, have had the maturity to act on my convictions if faced with such challenges and choices? I know I wouldn't have. Life in my teenage micro-environment was far too secure and protected to have developed such consciousness. Even those who marched against Joh's anti demonstration laws in the 70's faced little recourse compared to the truely life and death choices of these fresh faces.

On to more enjoyable and artistic persuits...

Next stop was the Museum of Czech Cubism in the House of the Black Madonna. Cubism seems to be a particularly popular genre in Prague. I remember being attracted to the style when studying art at school. It seems that only in Czech did they design buildings, public infrastructure (like lamp posts), furniture and houshold wares in the style. Other European artists restricted themselves to painting and drawing... In many ways in my opinion, it is a style that preluded art nouveau - there are many similarities, paticularly in archtitecture. Cubism was 1895-1925ish, Art Nouveau 1920's -1939. The Black Madonna itself is cubist inside and out. Stairwell, windows, fittings, etc champion the style so it is a fitting venue. The building also features the Grand Cafe Orient - a cafe presenting cubism in a retail environment. The cafe itself sat empty and locked up for 80 years and only started serving again in the last few years - with furnishings and fittings untouched since the early 1920's, the peak of cubisms reign.

House of the Black Madonna

Stairway in the House of the Black Madonna

Cubist Furniture

Cubist Homeware (for sale at AUD$300 per piece)

Sample of the Grand Orient Cafe

To get photos of the Cafe I treated myself to coffee. And it was Grand. Like walking back into 1920's. The espresso came on an individual 'silver' tray with a shot glass of cold water and hot milk on the side. Served by waiters in 'black and whites' with aprons and carrying multiple trays on each journey onto the floor. With the fittings ulight shades, chairs, tables and even coat hooks all original, it was easy to transport yourself back to the helicon days of the flappers.

Cubist apartment building

Next adventure of the day was the Museum of Decorative Arts. Tucked away in the Jewish Quarter, with the ladies loos overlooking the ancient Jewish Cemetry it was a hive of fascinating insight into Czech privileged domestic life. It was more like an ethnographic museum to me, but a fantastic collection never the less. Much less state treasure seems to have been looted from Prague than other European cities during various occupations.

The view from a loo

The building had been designed and built specially for the collection and included fantastic wall papers, ceiling decorations and stained glass. The first floor was a contemporary exhibition and my favourites were children's trikes with their front wheels replaced with kitchen chair legs - I'm going to try this for myself and try and make some very cute garden/verandah furniture - definitely complementary to Mark B's eclectic collection! And the love spoons - I've always loved spooning, and the artist bent a pair of spoons into a smooth snake-like shape that fit perfectly together. Simple, obvious, but overlooked by others...

Other floors profiled the domestic furniture, crockery and cutlery of the rich and shameless from 1500's onwards. Gold cutlery services; early knives and forks - when forks looked like serving forks of today and each person owned one set and carried them with them (fancy eat'n irons to go with the fancy eat'n table...); glassware; crystal (very common in this culture as lead crystal comes from Bohemia); silverware; pewter; clocks, decorative wear, etc.

There was a whole display of religious challaces gold and silver; encrusted with jewels. Their woven stoles, capes, head pieces, robes, alter clothes... embroidered with silver and gold thread. I can't imagine what such things would weigh. Many were several mm thick...

Another floor profiled early paper, graphic design, posters, hand written/copied books and texts from 5th century til late 19th century. The earliest were bibles and religious texts but there were first editions of printed books and pamphlets from 1600's, demonstrations of design techniques. I kept thinking of you Rachel - seventh heaven for a graphic artist.

And then yet another floor of buttons, boots, fabrics, clothes, embroidery, lace from 4th century til 1970's including wedding gowns and religious trobes. Hand woven, hand made, hand embroidered. People were very small 700 years ago - the shoes were TINY and the waists of the women... in fact the men's clothes were very small too - looked like 5'6" was av male and 5'3" women. Narrow shouldered and small footed. The lace in particular drew my attention - how did they manage such detailed work with only candle light to see by...

More public art

Forgot to load these. Just as good....

Mini Minor Roof Art Exhibition

Boy on a wall

Argentinean steak and Czech trout

Treated myself to an Agentinean steak for dinner (actually financially the treat would have been NZ lamb chops). The lamb was 3 times the price of steak - about 600Kr - AUD$40 - get real! The steak was very tender and for a change had veges other than potato :) The interesting bit was I bought a Budvar Dark beer -500ml stubby - the best beer I've had. Very smooth creamy pilsner. Will try and get a couple to bring home with me. As you all know, beer is not my drink but this was very pleasant, particularly with red meat.

Argentinean steak with fresh veges and sauerkraut and Budvar Dark

Lunch in Tabor was a trout fillet with veges. I'm learning... ask for veges other than potato and they have to find you some greens... I paid 30Kr for the bowl of brocolli and only 72kr for the fish and vege on the main plate. Interesting to be served grilled fish with gravy, but it actually was very good. I'm guessing it was based on beef with some fish stock. Not sure but tasted good. The fish was a bit 'fishy' but fresh, not over cooked, and no bones. They didn't have the Budvar Dark but tried their Kozel Dark which wasn't bad. Beer is definitely the drink of the masses. In fact the famous Pilsner comes from the next town down the train line...

Broiled trout with brocolli, veges and Kozel Dark

Sitting in the pub under the Penzion Alfa doing my blogging tonight (Wed) and had two glasses of local Moravian white wine. Needed a break from the beer. Whoa! She's sweet! Like drinking lolly water. Forgot these guys are heavily influenced by Germany. Sweet, fruity wine. Not as sticky as a Moscato but sweeter than a modern Australian Moselle. In fact couldn't finish the 2nd glass over a four hour period... My host though is such a lovely lady. They don't do dinner but she made me a toasted sandwich and also helped me find the bus timetable for my Thursday adventure... smoke withstanding, I thoroughly recommend this B&B :)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand - How well do you remember your school history?

Tuesday, headed out of Prague to visit Konopiste Castle the home of Hapsburg heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Now if you remember your Grade 10 history you'll remember he's the guy that got assassinated in Sarajevo and started the First World War!

Always thought this was a pretty dodgy reason to start killing 20 million people...

It was a good 40 minute walk from the town of Benesov through beautiful autumn countryside. The grounds of the castle are several thousand acres and include forest and agricultural land. They also seem to support many pheasant (whether they are farmed or wild I'm not sure, but I couldn't get close enough for a photo).

Leaves and acorns on the path

Some of the beautiful autumn forest

I was lucky to be the only person there for the English language tour and had Tony the Tour Guide all to my self. Like all tour guides who truely love their job he told lots of interesting stories and was a great advertisement for his area. He was somewhere over 60 and had been living and working in Canada for 32 years running a trucking company. Such a trucker - big belly, bald, baseball cap. But still spoke English in a very central European way. He had always dreamed of coming back to Konopiste where he grew up and after his daughter grew up and he left his wife he fulfilled his dream and sold his company and returned to Czech to retire. He found this guiding job and shares his love of the castle with tourists. What this guy doesn't know about the castel and it's inventory isn't worth knowing. He knew the Archduke's orphaned children personally and told such personal stories about what they went through after the assassination and the confiscation of the estate by the State, you really got a feel for the people themselves and what an impact such actions had on the individuals - both the family themselves and the community they supported.

ADFF was an avid hunter and collector of taxidermied trophies and the place is FULL of dead animals. 1000's of them. He shot something like 300,000 animals in his life. Maybe it was fate that he was shot like an animal himself. The more fascinating thing is that while he and his wife died in 1914, the State confiscated the estate in 1921 and the three kids were told 'pack 30kg each and leave the castle forever'. The place was then closed up and left. The Germans took it over during the 2nd WW and then the Russians afterwards. Both used it for various purposes and most of downstairs and the public areas were ransacked. These have been restored. But the really interesting bit was the private apartments of the family were left UNTOUCHED for all this time. After the fall of communism the new government went through the building and discovered this wing was still under the original white sheets from 1921. They even had photos taken in 1909 for insurance purposes that proved it was exactly the same. Tony showed me these as proof as we walked through this amazing microcosm of Royal life. Even the Duchess' personal diary was still sitting on her writing desk... Unfortunately you couldn't take photos but Tony convinced me (actually bullied me) into buying the DVD so I have a commercial record.

Exterior tower Konopiste Castle

Getting out of the city - Tabor

Funny day today. A real mix of experiences and images. (Wednesday - I know I'm confusing you but hey, at least I'm getting the stories down...)

Left Prague this morning on the train, which much to everyone's consternation stopped 45min out of Prague and chucked us off on to transfer buses to the next station. They were doing maintenance on the line. Such is life. I wish I'd had time to take a photo as we all scrambled to get onto the replacement train. I had a strong feeling that I was a bit player in a WWII movie. The station we reloaded at was a very small rural siding with no platform and 300 people with all their luggage, children, pets, etc had to run along the side of the line down the train and climb up into the carriages, which were all old and filthy (as they are here). Old ladies with overcoats and head scarves, mums humping kids and prams, backpackers like me with their house on their back, travellers with suitcases, old men with walking sticks, businessmen with briefcases, fashionable ladies in high heels.

Got off at a little Hussite town called Tabor expecting a village from 1200's nestled in the hills along side a river. Mmm... not quite... definitely a scenic river and a small old town, but surrounded by an industrial city in one direction and agricultural farms in the other. A good couple of k's walk to the old centre and everything was as quiet as a Sunday in Mareeba. I kept thinking I must have got the days muddled, but I was sure it was Wednesday. By the time I found the town square and visitor centre I had worked out it was a public holiday. Ahh, relief. VERY quiet after Prague, although the last day or so in Prague had been much quieter visitor numbers-wise. I think the end of October is like Cairns and the tourist tap turns off.

Good way to keep colour on the garden - these are cabbages in a public garden - I guess they don't frost so easily...

Pretty lanes surround the old town

Czech version of "No junk mail"

The river and lake (created in 1200's to provide the town with reticulated water - remember to ask me more about this one dad)

Anyway, found my Penzion which is above a pub called The Tommahawk and while I am being spoiled with a single room with ensuite, bugger it, the place reaks of smoke. Note to self - down side of getting away from tourists - there is no international recognition of non-smoking areas. Brings back memories of Egypt. Everyone smokes everywhere. Flung open the windows of my room and headed out to 'do' the town. Stuff it - rather be cold than smoked out.

It is a very old town and the centre of the original settlement of the Hussites or 'Bohemians' which in the true sense were the first communists - that is they ran their society as a commune. And very successfully til 1600's when the Hapsburgs (sp?) seiged the town and finally defeated them. Most of the buildings have foundations from between 12-1400's although there seems to be a lot of internal renovations and I got a few interesting photos of tradesmen working.

Roofers on a 3 story building balancing on 2be1s laid across the snow hooks

I've seen these 'blocks' on lots of construction sites. They are clay blocks rather than concrete like we use but they are a honeycomb of clay that can be cut to shape - means the block is large but uses less actual clay. Everything is rendered so it doesn't matter how rough the finish is.

I tried to capture the various layers of age and construction on this wall. You can see the original brick work, then an early arch and decorative render that has been covered by later owners, then the rough render which is then covered by the finshing paster (which obviously peels off and is replastered by subsequent decorators and painted)

Climbed the church clock tower and in that 1/2 hour used more adrenalin than I had in the previous 1 1/2 hiking up and down the lanes. 50m up rickity stairs and ladders with just rope handrails in places. No such thing as 'duty of care', 'public liability' or 'work, health and safety' in this part of CR... Great view off the top though. And the guy taking the money works at the top of the tower, which is a bit different - he has to climb up there every morning.

View from the tower of surrounding forest turning from green to gold

View of Tabor from the Clock Tower

The day has closed in so I have ensconsed myself in the coffee shop opposite the church and treating myself to coffee and a couple of Belgain chocolates I bought earlier in my lane exploring. And writing.

One of those true 'tourist' days Pt 1

Met Good Prince Wenceslas this morning (Saturday) sitting astride his horse in the weak sunshine at the top of the square named after him. Started the day at the bottom of this huge long street (it's a huge rectangle really) with a heart attack inducing Wenceslas Sausage in a bread roll. I had to try one, just to say I had... Hot, spicy sausage with a crisp skin that burst fatty juice in you mouth as you bite it. Like I said, you only need one... While the flavour is still hot in your mouth they are devine, but once it cools off the fat coats your tongue and throat and it seems to take hours to stop having breakfast again, and again, and again...

The good king with National Museum behind

Like I said previously I joined a free tour which introduced me to Prague and gave me a sense of direction. Although I have got lost a few times since and keep going in circles. But I beleive everyone does this. Now (late Monday) I actually have a better handle on the Old Town but only cause I'm living here...

I had been thinking I'm glad I'm here in the off-season. The crowds are manageable. And then the guide said tourism is 70% down. The English speaking world particularly - UK, USA, Oz, NZ. They are surviving on the local European market - countries that surround Czech Republic. Wait til you see my pics of Charles Bridge 70% down. How the hell the thing hasn't fallen down with the weight during peak season when the market was good...

I TOLD YOU! And I wasn't even trying

Ceska Kuchyne dining

Saturday (yes we're there now) I took an introductory walk around Prague on one of the many free 2 hour tours. My tour guide was a student who made her extra cash guiding. She held very interesting views that I'm sure her boss would not have encouraged her to share with the tourists. But I was happy to hear her interpretation of Prague. Gave a variation on the guide books and spin.

Anyway one of the good bits of local insight she passed on was a great little Czech kitchen just down the road from my hostel. She was going there to get her lunch after the tour and I've had two dinners there now. Hearty food, for not much money. In fact I think I pay more for the beer than the meal but it;s hard to tell, the writing on the docket is so bad.

120Kr (about $8) for pork stew, potatoes and sauerkraut AND a beer. Couldn't eat much of the cabbage. Just too strong for me as a vege. Good as a garnish or accompaniment but not in bulk. The pork was tasty with onion and bacon and the gravy was excellent. No wonder they eat so much potato and bread dumplings - you need something to finish the excellent gravy.

Night 2 of trying the local version of Sizzler. You just walked up and asked for what you wanted behind the counter. Actually more like the 'Refec' at Uni... what ever you choose they put the cost on the docket and you pay as you leave. This was beef goulash - beef stew with mushrooms. Tender beef - I'd guess round stewed all day - just fell apart, but with enough form not to become mush. Again I chose potatoes but left the cabbage. No green veg on offer. Have found greens not available unless specially asked for and then they're frozen McCains. Wrong time of the year... And the gravy was even better than the night before. Yummy! 111kr tonight including the beer ($7.40)

To give you a comparison on value, I am sitting KFC writing this blog and have just paid 19Kr for a 50c icecream ($1.27) and 149Kr ($9.93) for their big box - which admitedly has fed me all day and included bottomless soft drink - but you can see how much better for you and your wallet the local diner is. I'll have to take a photo of the fresh bagettes I've been buying for breakfast  - huge roll filled with fresh cheese, salad and meat for 25Kr ($1.67). Admitedly I have been lucky finding locals outlets. The same bagette sells down the street for 75Kr - 3 times more to the tourists...

Fresh fruit is available at the market. The red berries particularly interested me, but I didn't buy any this time.

Public Art

Czechs seem to love public art. Their most famous public artist David Cerny is a most active and anti-establishment artist that seems to be loved by the people.

King Wenceslas astride his upside down dead horse

One of a series of 6 door knobs on shops leading to Charles Bridge - frog, snake, duck x2, fish x2

This one was outside the dungeons at Prague Castle. Apt I thought.

These guys piss in the fountain at the Kafka Museum and they even 'shake it off'. I believe they also write quotes in the pond but I didn't see this - one of them seemed 'out of order' as he didn't shimmy in the middle like his mate on the right.

This man looks rather like our swaggy and sits outside one of the posh hotels in one of the shopping drags. The lass with him was with her sister - one of two Aussie girls I buddied with for a day. The others at the hostel thought they were my daughters. I could have been their mum - they were only 18 & 21...

Don't know if you'd call this public art, but I think it counts as a public art form from its time. Before 1770, when they introduced house numbers, every house was identified by unique names and art. Not many survive, but there is a good collection still visible on the main walk up to the Castle. The 'Three violins' and 'Ewe' were just two.

Franz Kafka Monument - He was a very famous Czech writer who struggled with his mind and died at 40 of tuburculosis. His writing was banned throughout the communinist era and while he wrote in the early 20th century (1883-1925) he foretold much of the downside of socialism, buraucracy and managed social structure. From my visit to the Kafka Museum I get the impression he was a bit of a George Orwell type. Very dark. He was a german speaking Jew living in occupied Prague during and after the first world war.

These little guys were a lovely surprise as I walked back along the river on  Kampa Island after a long day in the Castle district.This is only half the row waddling off into the river.

This is a really bad shot, but outside the Museum of Contemporary Art there were a number (5 I think) of babies crawling in the dark. I couldn't get enough light to show them well. I don't know if they are left overs from the Telecom Tower baby project. They just loomed out of the dark as I walked along the river.