The Czech National Museum was a mish mash of marble ceilings, bronze statues of notable Bohemians, stuffed animals (including an elephant), and hominid bones. I don't get it either---no rhyme or reason. I wandered around the decadent interior for a bit and felt really uneasy in the room full of stuffed creatures. I wonder how long it took to stuff the elephant or cheetah...
Birds, marsupials, tiny mammals, rodents. You name it and it was in this museum and stuffed. I shook my head and said "No, I think I'll pass," and made my way to old town, a 20 minute walk. It is beyond words when there aren't horrendous crowds of gawking past-their-prime tourists who get off of the motor coach with their black socks, Teva sandals, white khaki shorts, and huge Konica cameras from the 80s. Most just ogle, few seem to take any of it in or care. I hope that I am not that ambivalent when I grow old.
There were some jazz musicians playing swing tunes and I took some audio samples. I have been collecting field recordings all week for future songs. The glockenspiel's brooding chime from Munich would be a good fit. I hope that I can use these guys in a song too. For all of you meat eaters, Prague (and Eastern Europe in general) is heaven. You can get a kielbasa on baguette bread with fixens for, like, $1.25, if that. It really hit the spot, as I sat on a bench people watching in old town with some Asian tourists.
I was apalled by the crowds at the Charles Bridge, so I made my way back to the hostel wandering the labyrinth and picking up some items for my family and Jamie. I wish that I could have gotten up early enough to hit the bridge at its best---naked. Vacant. Without the oglers.
Nevertheless, the views over Prague and the Vltava River are nothing short of heaven on Earth. Each side of the bridge is flanked by enormous statues of Jesus, Mary, etc. The oldest part of the city hits you after crossing the Charles. Past and present blend seamlessly into something of an urban majesty unrivaled elsewhere in the world. It is a work of art in and of itself, unscathed by either world wars, or of wars' past. I spent more time here the day before with Gennelle and Jean, when we went to the massive castle complex. The lines to get into the castle were easily two hours long, so we wandered and bought tickets into the other buildings like St. Peter's Basilica. I thought that the torture chambers were the most bizarre part of the entire area. There was this huge iron circle, accessible only through a narrow, chute-like spiral staircase. It fit every dungeon stereotype, and was probably more heinous! Prisoners were lowered into "the pit" to their death. I don't know how fast bones decompose if ever, but there were some remains---who knows if they were fake though.
After a quick snack, we walked onward to the Franz Kafka Museum. I was so excited because Kafka is by far one of my favorite fiction writers. I was surprised with how modern the entire exhibit was. Many of the rooms meandered in bizarre shapes and were filled with artifacts from his brief and brilliant career. Most notably with his handwritten letters to friends, lovers, and publishers. The setup was peculiar, but very cool---many sculpted and featureless filing cabinets containing the names of his works and displays in the opened cabinets. It was a really creative concept, though after attempting to open the other filing cabinets, I was unsuccessful, as was Gennelle. A bit embarrassing! I love minimalist art.
Seeing the original manuscripts of The Metamorphosis, The Trial, In the Penal Colony, and The Hunger Artist made the trip completely worth it. It was impressive all around and was my favorite museum in Prague. Rest in peace, Franzy!
I miss Gennelle and Jean a lot. They went off to Poland (more specifically, Krakow) on Thursday. But I had a great day wandering solo the next day too. At night, things got interesting. Very interesting...
Birds, marsupials, tiny mammals, rodents. You name it and it was in this museum and stuffed. I shook my head and said "No, I think I'll pass," and made my way to old town, a 20 minute walk. It is beyond words when there aren't horrendous crowds of gawking past-their-prime tourists who get off of the motor coach with their black socks, Teva sandals, white khaki shorts, and huge Konica cameras from the 80s. Most just ogle, few seem to take any of it in or care. I hope that I am not that ambivalent when I grow old.
There were some jazz musicians playing swing tunes and I took some audio samples. I have been collecting field recordings all week for future songs. The glockenspiel's brooding chime from Munich would be a good fit. I hope that I can use these guys in a song too. For all of you meat eaters, Prague (and Eastern Europe in general) is heaven. You can get a kielbasa on baguette bread with fixens for, like, $1.25, if that. It really hit the spot, as I sat on a bench people watching in old town with some Asian tourists.
I was apalled by the crowds at the Charles Bridge, so I made my way back to the hostel wandering the labyrinth and picking up some items for my family and Jamie. I wish that I could have gotten up early enough to hit the bridge at its best---naked. Vacant. Without the oglers.
Nevertheless, the views over Prague and the Vltava River are nothing short of heaven on Earth. Each side of the bridge is flanked by enormous statues of Jesus, Mary, etc. The oldest part of the city hits you after crossing the Charles. Past and present blend seamlessly into something of an urban majesty unrivaled elsewhere in the world. It is a work of art in and of itself, unscathed by either world wars, or of wars' past. I spent more time here the day before with Gennelle and Jean, when we went to the massive castle complex. The lines to get into the castle were easily two hours long, so we wandered and bought tickets into the other buildings like St. Peter's Basilica. I thought that the torture chambers were the most bizarre part of the entire area. There was this huge iron circle, accessible only through a narrow, chute-like spiral staircase. It fit every dungeon stereotype, and was probably more heinous! Prisoners were lowered into "the pit" to their death. I don't know how fast bones decompose if ever, but there were some remains---who knows if they were fake though.
After a quick snack, we walked onward to the Franz Kafka Museum. I was so excited because Kafka is by far one of my favorite fiction writers. I was surprised with how modern the entire exhibit was. Many of the rooms meandered in bizarre shapes and were filled with artifacts from his brief and brilliant career. Most notably with his handwritten letters to friends, lovers, and publishers. The setup was peculiar, but very cool---many sculpted and featureless filing cabinets containing the names of his works and displays in the opened cabinets. It was a really creative concept, though after attempting to open the other filing cabinets, I was unsuccessful, as was Gennelle. A bit embarrassing! I love minimalist art.
Seeing the original manuscripts of The Metamorphosis, The Trial, In the Penal Colony, and The Hunger Artist made the trip completely worth it. It was impressive all around and was my favorite museum in Prague. Rest in peace, Franzy!
I miss Gennelle and Jean a lot. They went off to Poland (more specifically, Krakow) on Thursday. But I had a great day wandering solo the next day too. At night, things got interesting. Very interesting...
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