After a two month hiatus, I am back in the mood to blog. This post may be a little overwhelming, but I hope it proves to be interesting. Over the holiday break, I traveled with a friend of mine, Sam, to various quintessentially Christmas-y locations. The first stop on the trip was Prague, then we headed to a small town in the Czech Republic known as Cesky Krumlov, and then off to Munich, before landing in Paris. Naturally, I have an absurd number of photos, so I'm beginning with ONLY the photos from the four days we spent in Prague - the beautiful, quaint, and yet oddly offbeat capital of the Czech Republic. I loved it.
Prague is an odd city, full of strange juxtapositions of old and new, from art nouveau to Soviet Asthetics. An ironic, dark sense of humor typical of the Czech people permeates every corner. The most popular modern theatre form is called "black light," epitomizing the ways in which Prague natives love to play with the eerily beautiful. It's a city full of surprises and hidden delights.
One of the most famous components of Czech culture around Christmas are the Christmas Markets. Prague's are famous across Europe, and after visiting, I can understand why. All the major plazas of the city are full of stalls selling sweets, trinkets, meats, gifts, alcohol, and all sorts of other wonderful holiday things. The air is full of the tempting smell of warm wine, baked goods with cinnamon, and sausage. It is wonderful. I'm just going to start off with my photos of all the amazing foods in the Christmas markets, and then we'll move on.
First Stop: Wenceslas Square!
And the first treat of the day....Gingerbread!
This is also a very typical treat. It's basically dough dipped in cinnamon sugar, slowly warmed to crunchy perfection over a bed of coals. So delicious.
Not one for sweets? Don't despair! There's plenty of delicious meat and to go around!
These giant cauldrons of meat, potatoes, and cabbage were everywhere. They smelled insanely good.
This was our lunch the first (and second and third) day. Sam will probably hate me for posting this photo, but I wanted to give an idea of the incredible sausages and sauerkraut that were consumed. I have to admit, we were in heaven. (Granted, heaven gives you heart burn.)
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Once we were well fortified for the day, we wandered around the Christmas markets, enjoying the crafts, wine, and decorations. Below were a couple of my favorites, nature stuff and blacksmiths.
Marionettes are quite traditional, and these were the ugliest ones I've ever seen in my life.
All right, now let's take a walk around the beautiful city...
Days before we arrived, the former President, Vaclav Havel, passed away, and the city was scattered with candles in commemoration. The most impressive display was in Wenceslas square.
This is the Marienplatz, one of the central squares in the city, and home to the famous Astronomical Clock.
...And the world famous Astronomical Clock, first installed in 1410. It's the oldest in the world, and still ticks!
Fun signs! Horse and buggy crossing and Communists!! How times have changed.
This is what happens when you live in a freezing winter climate: your chairs grow wool coats.
Beautiful artistic facades: Past and Present.
...And nestled right next to the old center is the Jewish quarter, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
Kafka statue. Yep. He lived and wrote here. I can feel his inspiration as I wind down the knotted streets of Prague. So much so, that I feel the need to become his "Invisible Man" statue.
After a long stroll through the city, we headed to the river to watch sunset, sat on Charles Bridge, and drank amazing tea from a thermos given to us by our Couchsurfing host!! Best evening ever.
Inevitably, after a month has gone by, the days all sort of blend together, so I'm going to put the rest of the photos up in no particular order.
This we discovered on a walk we took one afternoon. I don't know if it is art or a shop, or what...
Bride and groom...
Ok, and Prague cannot be appreciated without it's strange modern art. One contemporary artist, David Cerny, is particularly well-known. He is a sculptor who has made quite an impact in the Czech art scene. His most prominent work are the "surrealist babies" that decorate the looming Soviet-Era radio tower in the city center. Here's an interesting article about him and his work. It's quite short, but helpful.
Please see below:
And this is odd. The grounds below the creepy Panopticon-esque tower is a preschool, neighboring a Jewish cemetery. It's a very strange place.
Another fine example of Cerny's work are these lovely statues, peeing into a pond shaped like the Czec Republic. The Married couple also took some lovely photos.
I tried to get the photo, but the light was bad. Sorry for the terrible quality of this one. I had to include it though, come on.
This is the Lennon wall. It became a tradition for students to graffiti the wall, and the city to paint over it daily after Lennon's death. I don't know how often they repaint it now, but it's a good tradition.
All right, time again for crafts... I can't resist. The quaint shops lining the streets were full of artisan crafts of all sorts. Here are some samples of my favorites!
This one is for Dad:
Oh yea! And TONS of Antique books!!
As night descended on the city, it seemed to become even more beautiful and fairy-tale esque.
...and then we got beer with some locals... The Czech people are kind, jovial, and have the BEST sense of sarcastic humor I've ever experienced. And they are proud of their beer.
Oh! And these were our lovely hosts! They were amazing. They gave us incredible cookies, made us apple strudel, and soup, and were just lovely.
After warming our souls and filling our bellies for the night, we felt ready to hit the icy streets for another day!
This is the city's Municipal house, it's one of the most prominet Art Nouveau buildings in the city.
Let's take a walk inside, shall we?
This is my favorite room! Painted by Alphonse Mucha! I LOVE HIM!!!!
This is how you buy fresh fish in Prague. It's traditional to eat Carp this time of year. Hence the giant bloody fish. Smells great too.
Random beautiful Cathedral in the town center. ( I know, I should have paid more attention to the name, but I got a little disctracted by all the shiny things and phenomenal adornments.)
After church, we visited the Palace on the hill. Fun fact: the Rolling Stones are responsible for funding the lights on the castle at night. Apparently, while traveling through Prague, the band thought it was a shame the city didn't have the budget to light the castle. SO, they bought a lighting system. Now it's one of the most stunning views in the city at night (and during the day). Thank you Rock 'N Roll!
Here's the view of the city from the castle:
And this is the amazing Cathedral where we went to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The organ here covers two walls, and sounds amazing.
The stained glass in the cathedral is by far some of the most impressive and unique I've ever seen. Each set of windows displayed a different style of art, spanning centuries!
...and a beautiful statue.
So, last but not least, we went to the Opera. The discounts for students is outrageous, and we saw Don Giovanni in the Royal Opera House, where Mozart HIMSELF conducted this very opera. No big deal.
The statue is a little off-putting, but it honors the opera.
Anyway, I wasn't supposed to take photos inside, but I snuck a couple
Well, whew! That was an awful long journey through Prague. I hope you enjoyed it. I will leave you with a couple more lovely photos taken on the metro.
And one last thing, I don't knoww who wants worms in their alcohol, but you can get them in Prague. Cheers! (Or, "Na zdraví in Czech!)
