Praha

Guten Abend! I just got back in from our evening excursion..a trip to the Opera house! It was my first opera, and I secretly hoped for a Pretty Woman moment. The insanely beautiful customs and stunning sets were more to my taste. I was a little thrown off that a play taking place in Scotland in the 16th century would be in Italian..though it is opera. The lovers both died which is only appropriate. We had excellent seats. In a box! I enjoyed getting dressed up and taking pictures with everyone. Once I steal some pictures from my friends, I'll upload some.

This past weekend our little group traveled to Prague. We loaded onto this tiny bus and headed over to the Czech Republic. You forget how much being able to read the signs and understand some of the language affects your ability to get around. Our hotel was close to downtown but still in an interesting..part. Prague is dirty. I mean, most cities are dirty. But Prague was really dirty. I didn't form a great opinion of the place. Since I missed the walking tour due to an upset stomach, I also missed my chance to learn more about it. Waking up from a nap feeling better, the hotel served us dinner, then the soccer enthusiasts headed out to the square to watch the England v. Sweden game. Projected on a large screen with beer and food booths all around, when we arrived nearly 60% of the people there were already rather inebriated. For instance, walking past a gentlemen, maybe in his 60s, he started screaming and tore his shirt off in a hulk-like fashion, revealing the largest English flag I've ever seen tattooed on his back. The groups of English boys in front of us were rather rowdy but the guys in our group noticed and made sure we weren't approached. They were also quite protective, which is often a relief.

The clock tower. The other side has this magnificent, intricate clock. The bells were beautiful, sounding some spiritual impetus every half hour.

Our very dark faces, but at least there's proof we were there! Heather, Sarah, then me.

The next morning we walked to the Mucha museum! We were not allowed to take pictures, which was sorely disappointing. My previous roommate, a talented artist herself, adored Mucha. She had these vintage posters of his illustrative work; I remember waking to such pictures for an entire year. It's hard to see such things and not fall in love. Though I've taken more art history classes than I can count, I've never been in a class that studies Mucha. Art Noveau is lumped in there with Pre-Raphaelites and Art Deco even (that last one was hard to swallow).

Mucha was born in the Czech Republic, though he didn't live there for a long period of time until later in his life. His ultimate dream was to write the great Slavic epic. If you're familiar with Eastern European history, you'll know the Slavic region was always dominated by another power. If not the Mongols, Russia. If not Russia, Austria-Hungary. Yet despite the constant of foreign rule, the Slavs developed a distinct character. Mucha in later times did political posters that speak to this. His lustrous career began one Christmas where a friend frantically called him, begging him to do the poster for Sarah Bernhardt's Gismonda. Painted up all over Vienna in January, Mucha became a sensation. Having as little time as he did to do the poster, Mucha had to rely on his instincts. I'm very glad he did. Sarah was so pleased with his poster, she offered him a 6 year contract to do her play posters. The posters are what remain of her legacy.

A close up detail of Gismonda..image from here

 After the Mucha museum, the girls headed off to the flea market for some shopping, a good lunch at a tavern, then a boat cruise.

 I wish I had more to say about Prague other than it was dirty. Saturday evening was spent at a club, which I've discovered really isn't my thing. I prefer a nice dinner, a good movie, and an early bedtime. We were celebrating Hannah's 21st birthday so I did try and be a good sport. 2:30 was about as late as I could handle. I was relieved to be on the way to Wien the next morning.