Day 35
2/4/2009
On Day 35, I am one day away from getting on a plane for Spain. And right now, I am in the dead center of Prague, a block from Wencelas Square as well as my current apartment (which I will be leaving tomorrow), and about a nice ten minute walk to the river as well as Old Town Square. And what pray tell central location would host a weary world traveler such as I? A lovely little restaurant with free wireless internet and a superb cappuccino called... Kentucky Fried Chicken.
It is odd to think that it is 5:00 am for home and 11:00 here. And in Spain its 10:00 am. Time zones are funny things.
I'm by the window so I watch person after person stroll past. Men in buisiness suits. Youth with Ipods. Women in skirts, in February. Everyone breathing out visible puffs of air, scarfs and hats all adorning. Scarfs are very common. I have yet to wear mine because it feels so... not feminine, but different. I guess I am used to having the cool wind whip around my skinny neck.
Street sweepers dodge traffic, either cars or pedestrians on the road and sidewalk. Everyone looks around, glancing at the other passerbyrs and sometimes stopping in front of a store, for example KFC, and examining the prices. Some walk fast, some slow. Some with bags, some with nothing at all. Cell phones, purses, car keys, and friends all accompany the people of Prague walking past me as I write.
Over the bustle of KFC, I can still hear the whine of the tram as it rushes by , only momentarily stopping as Praguers parallel park. They are experts at it! Most of the time, the only place to park is in between an Audi and a tiny Smart Car.
Anyways, yesterday, Andy, Amanda, Peter and I did the touristy thing and went around to some Prague museums. The Prague City Museum was good with a large detailed model of the city built in the early 1800's. Prehistoric pots and medieval swords decorated dark blue lighted display cases but thanks to my super sweet digital camera with great ISO, I was able to take pictures without a flash and not draw attention to myself. I never did ask if it was okay to take pictures and it was only in the next museum where they had a sign “no cameras.”
The Mucha Museum, in honor of Josef, or Adolf, or Joos-or-some-weird-name Mucha. An early 20th century 'Art Nouveau' artist, he drew posters. Yeah, we went to a poster museum. I paid seven dollars to go into a three roomed poster-artist museum in which we spent twenty minutes watching a biographical video.
So now I know, I prefer art museums over graphic design museums. I assume a museum is going to be sweeping landscapes, stunning portraits, at least have a little impressionism or pointillism if nothing is done in the Barogue period. But no! it was posters. That's what he is famous for. And then by going there, I learned of his masterpiece, a twenty piece “Slav Epic” each painting about twenty feet high! And where are these wonderful works? Not in this hall in the wall, its on the other side of the Czech Republic.
This place did have one nice looking thing. Aside from this one portrait, there were photographs of Mucha's models for the Slav Epic. He actually had people sit or stand still for hours on end as he painted them and then got other people until he filled his twenty foot wide canvas. And then would work on another mega work of art. This one good thing in the museum was an eight feet wide night painting of a Russian peasant woman (modeled by his wife) awaiting her death under a star as three wolves prowled above on a snowbank. That was cool.
My friends on the other hand thought it was great and bought souvenirs. Whatever, I say, throwing up my hands. Perhaps tomorrow (that's today) will be better when we go to the National Gallery. And if not there, there is always the classic art museums of Madrid...
On Day 35, I am one day away from getting on a plane for Spain. And right now, I am in the dead center of Prague, a block from Wencelas Square as well as my current apartment (which I will be leaving tomorrow), and about a nice ten minute walk to the river as well as Old Town Square. And what pray tell central location would host a weary world traveler such as I? A lovely little restaurant with free wireless internet and a superb cappuccino called... Kentucky Fried Chicken.
It is odd to think that it is 5:00 am for home and 11:00 here. And in Spain its 10:00 am. Time zones are funny things.
I'm by the window so I watch person after person stroll past. Men in buisiness suits. Youth with Ipods. Women in skirts, in February. Everyone breathing out visible puffs of air, scarfs and hats all adorning. Scarfs are very common. I have yet to wear mine because it feels so... not feminine, but different. I guess I am used to having the cool wind whip around my skinny neck.
Street sweepers dodge traffic, either cars or pedestrians on the road and sidewalk. Everyone looks around, glancing at the other passerbyrs and sometimes stopping in front of a store, for example KFC, and examining the prices. Some walk fast, some slow. Some with bags, some with nothing at all. Cell phones, purses, car keys, and friends all accompany the people of Prague walking past me as I write.
Over the bustle of KFC, I can still hear the whine of the tram as it rushes by , only momentarily stopping as Praguers parallel park. They are experts at it! Most of the time, the only place to park is in between an Audi and a tiny Smart Car.
Anyways, yesterday, Andy, Amanda, Peter and I did the touristy thing and went around to some Prague museums. The Prague City Museum was good with a large detailed model of the city built in the early 1800's. Prehistoric pots and medieval swords decorated dark blue lighted display cases but thanks to my super sweet digital camera with great ISO, I was able to take pictures without a flash and not draw attention to myself. I never did ask if it was okay to take pictures and it was only in the next museum where they had a sign “no cameras.”
The Mucha Museum, in honor of Josef, or Adolf, or Joos-or-some-weird-name Mucha. An early 20th century 'Art Nouveau' artist, he drew posters. Yeah, we went to a poster museum. I paid seven dollars to go into a three roomed poster-artist museum in which we spent twenty minutes watching a biographical video.
So now I know, I prefer art museums over graphic design museums. I assume a museum is going to be sweeping landscapes, stunning portraits, at least have a little impressionism or pointillism if nothing is done in the Barogue period. But no! it was posters. That's what he is famous for. And then by going there, I learned of his masterpiece, a twenty piece “Slav Epic” each painting about twenty feet high! And where are these wonderful works? Not in this hall in the wall, its on the other side of the Czech Republic.
This place did have one nice looking thing. Aside from this one portrait, there were photographs of Mucha's models for the Slav Epic. He actually had people sit or stand still for hours on end as he painted them and then got other people until he filled his twenty foot wide canvas. And then would work on another mega work of art. This one good thing in the museum was an eight feet wide night painting of a Russian peasant woman (modeled by his wife) awaiting her death under a star as three wolves prowled above on a snowbank. That was cool.
My friends on the other hand thought it was great and bought souvenirs. Whatever, I say, throwing up my hands. Perhaps tomorrow (that's today) will be better when we go to the National Gallery. And if not there, there is always the classic art museums of Madrid...
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