That write up from Wikipedia pretty much defines one of Prague’s largest cemeteries.  Olsanske was very near our apartment; a short tram ride or a nice walk.

I walked many times in this lovely spot…more like a park than a place of “repose”. 

Because it is so large, runners use it for exercise, the general public for short cuts, mothers for taking kiddies on walks, and others like myself, just walking, looking and learning.  So much history here!

This building is now a shed with a very old date – sometime in the 1700’s!

Most graves are well tended.  Some were very very old and crumbling which only adds to the beauty. Here is an example of one I liked.

Jan Palach is a Czech hero.  In January 1969, during communism, he was a young University student.  Frustrated at the world and the demeaning of life during that time, he set himself afire (self- immolation) to make a political statement.  We found his burial site in Olsanske and joined others in leaving flowers commemorating the day of his death.  As a mother, I wondered how painful it must have been for his mother and family. 

During the three months we were in Prague I visited Olsanske several times…once after a big snow storm.  It was so beautiful and romantic I could almost imagine riding through in a sleigh,wrapped up in furs, horses trotting, bells jingling! For me this cemetery on this particular day was definitely not a sad place…but a happy place…full of romance and poetry.

Cemeteries have always intrigued me.  They are full of history….I enjoyed finding and paying homage to famous people (writers, artists, musicians…), seeing the different styles of headstones throughout the ages.  Realizing some of the oldest graves were from the plague times when they could not be buried in town, but out here in this village called Olsany!  (Now of course, right IN town!)  I walked the entire perimeter which is about a mile in total.  Most days I walked all over inside, adding more miles.  And yet, I did not see it all.  I will save that for next time!

Work will likely be slowed by the archaeological research that almost always accompanies excavating work in Prague’s historical areas. In this case, workers will be excavating some six meters and thereby giving archaeologists their first opportunity to carefully examine this part of Prague Castle.

Golden Lane preserves the last remnants of the small residential buildings that were home to soldiers and goldsmiths until the mid-19th century.”

These photos are from our visit there in December 2008.  You can read more   Here

But better yet, get yourself to Prague soon.  Of course, if you can’t make it before the closure, don’t worry.  There is more to see and do in Prague than any one vacation can encompass.

Now in Prague I can tell people to visit the Palladium Palace book store because their is Plexiglas in the floor through which you can see parts of the ancient building that it is built over.

I discovered this by accident when I just popped into the store to see what was on special offer.  Karin and I love browsing book stores and we love studying old buildings—and the life that evolved around them.  Now we can do both in one stop, not to mention it is across the aisle from a coffee shop!

The Palladium also demonstrates the Czech humour that we love so much.  This photo is the men’s urinals in the mall.

I should write a report of today’s activities because we did and saw many interesting things.  But I am going to cut it short with a quick plug for the Cafe’ Imperial.  We had decided to take our coffee break there due to the recommendation of Karen, blogger at Buying Retail in the Czech Republic.  Thanks Karen, it was great.

The decor was fantastic, the service exemplary, the food and drink very good and the prices reasonable.  What more can I say!  See for your self on their entertaining web site that includes a virtual tour of the cafe and the rest of the hotel.  Imperial Home Page

Photos were not allowed inside but you can find several on the official web site.

Lobkowicz Palace has a very long history reaching back to the 1500′s.  One of the “old” histories is very funny, actually.  This palace witnessed one of Bohemia’s most significant events.  In 1618, the infamous “defenestration of Prague took place.  That is when Protestant rebels threw their Catholic Imperial ministers from the upper windows of Prague Castle.  Surviving the fall (they literally landed in a dung heap) they took refuge in the adjoining Lobkowicz Palace!

However, it is the most recent history that I find interesting. It starts during WWII when Prince Maxmilian Lobkowicz, Gillian, his English wife, and their son, Martin, were forced to leave Prague.  They had to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs, leaving all their personal belongings and other properties behind. (Like most royalty, they owned several palaces and estates.)  They spent the war in England and the USA as part of the Czech government in exile.

After the war, they came back with Martin who was about 10 years old.  Thinking they were back for good, it was only 2 or 3 years later that communism came and they once again lost their properties.  This time they went to America where Martin grew up and eventually married an American girl, Brook.

Time passed by and Martin and his wife, had a son, William.  Finally as they watched the fall of the Berlin Wall on TV they saw a small glimmer of hope that they might return once again to their beloved Prague.  When William was about 14 years old, the family did come for a short visit.  It was during that visit, that William had the desire and the hope that some day he would be able to regain all the properties the communists took away from his grandfather, who had since died, and his father.

Today, that dream has come true, although it has been somewhat altered.  First off, the family learned the good news that the Czech government was giving repartition to those people who could prove they lost properties and goods.  This was the impetus for William to return with his family: Alexandra and their three children.  With the help of several lawyers, time and money, and a LOT of hard work, they did manage to locate many of the original paintings, furniture and other items that had been taken from the palaces.  (Michael and I are in total amazement that the Nazi’s or the communists did not destroy them).

Most other family properties, however, were in ruins so they were sold to raise funds to refurbish the three that were kept.  One they refurbished is called Nelahozeves Palace, which is only 15 miles north of Prague and is open to the public.  That was the boyhood home of Martin, William’s father, who recalls riding his bicycle up and down the halls with the pictures of “disapproving ancestors” watching.  The other property is the original brewery, started in 1474 and is once again brewing and selling worldwide under the label  “LOBKOWICZ” — I had one and it is good, but Pilsner Urquell is still my favourite!. 

Although William is technically a “Prince” the Czech government does not allow the usage of that title anymore.  Also, William, Alexandra and his 3 children live in an apartment below the palace, not in the palace itself.  (I bet it is a beautiful apartment though!)

To help support Lobkowicz Palace it and its collections have been opened to the public.  He also rents out the huge palace rooms for gala events, such as wedding receptions, he has had many requests for large dinners for business affairs and he has a lovely gift shop and a small restaurant.  I read recently that he still finds it hard to “make ends meet”…so guess even the rich have it tough, huh?

I think what made this tour so special were two things.  One, we had most of the rooms to ourselves which might have been due to the snowy weather.  Secondly, the free audio that comes with it was very nicely done by the family, giving it a personal touch.  We heard Martin, tell about the anguish of when he and his family had to leave when the Nazis came and then again when communism came.  Then we heard both wives, tell about some of their projects they had personally taken on and their dedication to see it accomplished.  William was the main speaker and his stories were sometimes humorous and sometimes mindboggling!  Every family member, it seems, took it upon themselves to work hard to make the palace worthy to open to the public.  We understood perfectly, that the goal was to keep it running so they could keep the palace in the family and not let it go again.

One of the rooms was dedicated to birds where we saw beautiful bird pictures made from real feathers of that particular bird.  They had been re-found in a terrible state, all buggy and water damaged.  William’s wife had the job of getting them restored.  We saw rooms of very old dishes and pottery the family was still using right up to the day they had to flee.  Most of it was incredibly beautiful.  One was a table service for 150!  We “met” all the ancestors in huge oil paintings with interesting anecdotes about most so that you almost felt you knew them. 

Another huge painting showed the Duchess Maria Manrique de Lara who came from Spain to marry a Nobleman in Prague.  She was given the Infant Jesus of Prague as a wedding gift from her mother.  Then when her daughter, Polyxena, who had married a Lobkowicz, became a widow, she gave the Infant to the Carmelites in the village below the palace called Mala Strana.  Today you can see this Infant Jesus of Prague in the Lady of Victory Church. (I recommend seeing it and learning it’s interesting history.  Legend is that in the 1600′s, during the Thirty Years War, the doll was dumped in a trash heap, re-found and now holds a very important place.)  Read about our visit here.

Also it was pointed out that most of the Lobkowicz’s were dog lovers and to notice how many of the huge oil paintings of ancestors had dogs in them!  We saw splendid furniture; amazing weaponry (which Michael valued at totally priceless); we saw rare books; beautifully painted ceilings.  One of the lovely original oil paintings was “The Hay Harvest” (1565) by Pieter Bruegal the Elder, a Dutch Renaissance painter . There were amazing other paintings which were strictly acquired as a “hobby”!  We also saw beautiful religious items in gold and some covered in jewels.  (The Lobkowicz’s were/are Catholic – being vassals of the Hapsburgs).

But the room that moved me to tears…was the room that had some original Beethoven’s and Mozart’s hand written transcripts!  Also a collection of wonderful old violins, oboes, and cello’s.  The 7th Prince Lobkowicz, who was appreciative of the arts, saw in Beethoven something very special.  At that time Beethoven was taking on different patrons so he could write music, but he always had to write what the patron wanted.  What Beethoven truly wanted was to write for himself.  So when Lobkowicz became his patron, Beethoven could then compose music of his own desires.  Beethoven dedicated numerous works to the 7th Prince Lobkowicz, including the 5th, 6th, and 3rd, (Eroica) Symphonies. (From reading I have since done, I realize Beethoven’s time in Prague was only about 1 year but I am sure that Lobkowicz and Beethoven kept in touch over the years.) 

All the while I am listening to William telling me this, with Beethoven’s 6th playing in the background, I look down and can actually see the volumes of handwritten music!  Then I walked over to the window and looked down to the village below all silent and carpeted in snow…then I looked over to the Charles Bridge (where so many composers, Haydn, Dvorak, Smetana, Mozart (to name a few) have walked and probably mused over their music compositions) and then I gaze at the many spires in Old Town. I was absolutely and utterly besotted!  The tears just rolled out of my eyes.  To think this beautiful music was written by such an incredibly talented man and that he played it in this very palace… encouraged and appreciated by the Prince who believed in him and his talent!  I wanted to share my feelings with Michael, but could not find my voice without being afraid of sobbing out loud.  So I just stayed quiet and let the music enfold me. One of life’s rare moments and I felt blessed.

The last room to visit was the actual Music Room where daily concerts are held every afternoon.  They play various classics with flute, violin and piano.  In fact, when we first entered the museum we could hear the concert as we visited some of the rooms close by.  Now, how nice is THAT!  Adjacent to the Music room was the Family Chapel with rich red wallpaper and angelic paintings around the windows. Made me wonder how many family “secrets” were confessed, how many “heartaches” were asked for healings, how many children were baptised, or how many marriages were performed?

This was one tour I was very sad to see end.  We lingered with cappuccino’s in the restaurant, we lingered some more in the gift shop where we saw a tapestry of Bruegal’s “Hay Harvest” painting we had seen upstairs and thought how nice it would be to have one on the wall but realized it would not work in our very plain Greek decor. There were lots of “doggie” pillows, but they didn’t appeal.  What did appeal was the beautiful jewellery that was WAY beyond my budget!  I guess I was satisfied to just have seen and buying really wasn’t that important. Well, I did buy a set of playing cards with music notes on the backs.

Anyway, I will carry this lovely visit in my heart for a long time.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, so I am unable to share it with you visually, only in my words.  Which seem rather pathetic and trite compared to the real thing!  

We did take a lovely walk both to and from the Palace, so this picture album is of a day I call “Magic Sunday”!

Magic Sunday! A trip to Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle

Yesterday it was snowing all day so we decided to see some sites without walking — by touring with the tram.  So we got on #10 near our apartment and rode it in an opposite direction from our usual—clear to the end of the line.  That was also the end of #17 so we got on it with the intent of riding to the other end.

Before we got off near the Charles Bridge for a coffee break we had seen an extensive cross section of Prague.  We find this slice of life quite interesting; different neighbourhoods than what one sees in the tourist areas.  Some we had only known by the Metro station name. We also saw residential areas with large gardens around each house, reminding us more of back home in Oregon than Europe.  We also spotted several areas that we want to go back for a closer inspection, including the impressive Výstaviště expo centre and the large Stromovka park near it.  However, there were no photo opportunities. 

By the time we finished coffee and desert it was getting dark so we just rode along the river for awhile before returning home.  It was still snowing but Prague life seemed to be continuing as normal. 

This photo is of Friday night ice cycles on the street light.

This is the same street light on Saturday morning.

Today Saturday, however, seemed a little quieter; less auto traffic but many people on the tram and Metro.  As it had snowed most of the night there was much more accumulation than we had seen before.  Maybe that’s what made it seem quiet, everything was muffled.

Right photo shows our apartment courtyard.

The other day Michael and I went to a Vietnamese market named after a region in Vietnam.  This market is not right in the city, but a bus trip out to the "outskirts" of Prague.  We weren’t sure where to get off, however there were several Asians on the bus, so Michael told me that when they get out, we will get out!  Which worked because right across the busy street was a huge sign "SAPA – Little Hanoi"  The welcome was in both Czech and Vietnamese.

At first we were confused, because we heard it was big (like in BIG) but from this perspective, it looked bleak and slightly worn down.  We felt we were entering an old industrial site.  Which probably is exactly what it was.  Once we entered the gate and started walking down a rather lonely street with tiny shops on both sides, we felt like we had entered a very different country.  All signs were in Vietnamese, Chinese or whatever with occasional words of Czech thrown in; the shops were tiny and actually the area became rather busy.

We rounded a corner and there in front of us was the entire "city" of shops!  Shops, shops, shops, hundreds of shops!  It is hard to describe exactly how they are laid out.  They seem to be under roofs.  Like a huge arena….with cement floors and then stalls inside.  The walls are often just heavy tarps.  Like a HUGE inside Bazaar.  These shops sell clothing, foods, household goods, toys, knickknacks.  As you wander around, you realize you are seeing a lot of the same things over and over.  I saw several items I would have liked to buy perhaps, but I am not good at bargaining and that is what you have to do.  So I just "window" shopped.  Many of the items appeared to be quality; others were like Dollar Store junk. 

After we spent a great deal of time looking Michael said he needed a cup of coffee.  We noticed small huts (like fishing huts) that were restaurants; many were takeaway only.  We saw men coming out of the shops with trays loaded with food and taking them into the bazaar area for the shop owners to eat.  Here and there were larger restaurants with indoor seating.  We chose one and decided to eat lunch as well.  We had read about a dish called Pho.  It is a delicious broth with bits of meat and cut up veggies and noodles.  The bowls are large.  The soup was delicious.  The coffee was terrible!  I ordered tea and it was very nice. 

We then decided to walk the perimeter for a change of pace.  Here were shops with bridal gowns, travel agents, storage units and more of the same that we saw under the big roofs.  I saw one shop that intrigued me and that was all wicker.  I don’t think you are supposed to buy 1 of anything, but I asked for a wreath form and he sold it to me for a very reasonable price! The little grocery stores were interesting…I didn’t know half of what I was seeing.  The dilemma was that they could not speak English, but could speak Czech.  We couldn’t speak Czech and for sure we could not speak Vietnamese.  But Michael did manage to purchase some sweet red chilli sauce he likes and also some fresh cilantro.

I read that on site there is a school for young Vietnamese kids to learn Czech.  Even a pagoda like temple.  We did not see that.  Michael informed me that it would be impossible to see it all.  We had the idea that maybe we could find a Mah Jong set here, but no one knew what it was.  I know I said it was a Vietnamese site, but they did have some Chinese things as well.

When we left, we realized we had just experienced a journey into another culture and country!  We did see a few Czech people there, but very few.  I did wonder where the Asian people live, and what brought them to Prague.

After I came home I did some research…(better late than never) and read about the problems the Vietnamese have here.  The Czech’s are not so welcoming to them, and often the Vietnamese are picked on.  These problems still exist, but hopefully getting better because the Vietnamese have organized themselves, selected a spokes person and try to sort problems with the city in a way that they can be heard. 

Sapa is most convenient by car but just a short walk from the Sidlisce Pisnice bus stop.  The official transit site (dpp.cz) says to take bus 331 from the Kacerov station of the C (Red) line, but several other buses go there as well including 113 and 333.  Upon returning we took the latter to the Budejovicka Metro station.

Prague restaurants, bars and clubs all have party packages available. We noticed everything from 24 Euro per person at Los Adilitas Mexican restaurant to 380 Euro per person at a posh hotel.  The Prague Hilton has a Las Vegas night complete with feathered show girls; I never noticed the price.

Our plan was to have our normal evening in our apartment and then after 10 P.M. wander on down to the river bank near Charles Bridge to soak up the atmosphere and watch the midnight fireworks.  Alas, Karin had a cold coming on and wisely didn’t want to go out in the damp and cold.  So I shouldered the duty on my own and left about 11 to catch the tram.  In the two blocks to the stop I noticed a couple young men staggering along.  Each wanted to go a different direction so ended up going back and forth for the 8 minutes that I waited.

At the tram stop I was surprised by seeing a #51 pull up; my only experience on this line was #10 and #16, but I remembered reading something about late night and special occasions having higher numbers.  So I got on and stayed on as long as I recognized the next station as being in the right direction.  Sure enough at the normal transfer point I got off and switched to #57 which was packed with young people in party hats.  Also everyone seemed to be carrying their own personal half bottle of sparkling wine.  By the way we recommend the local brand of “champagne” called Bohemian Sekt; it is both good and cheap.  We are drinking Mimosas with it as I write on New Year’s Day.

I was wondering which stop would be best but when we got to the National Theatre everyone else got out so I did too.  There we were along the river with the side walks full of people and not much traffic on the normally busy road.  In every direction you could hear and see fireworks although it was only 11:30.  In fact we had a nice little display outside our apartment window about 9 P.M.  (Reminds me of the time when our kids were young and I was baby-sitting the neighbours’ kids as well.  I moved the clocks ahead two hours so we could also celebrate at a decent hour.)

Charles Bridge and the Vltava River bank is just the focal point of a whole city celebrating.  Every local square and park that I saw coming and going home had plentiful fireworks.  The official, commercial display at the bridge was just a chorus to the vast array of everyone’s personal display.  The intensity increased at about 5 to 12 and kept going strong until about 20 after it tapered back down to just a few each minute.  It was huge and awesome everywhere along the open river and the hills for miles.  I kept thinking about how many Chinese were working year around just to keep this one city supplied.

One cool aspect that I had never seen before were small hot air balloons (12 to 15 inches tall) carrying a flame that caused them to rise and float away on the breeze.  When several were in the air at one time it gave an other world aspect to the whole scene which was already eerie with all the fireworks smoke.

In addition to all the street drinking a great many of the men were smoking cigars, evidently another tradition.  Everywhere I looked people were having a good time all in good humour.  I only saw one minor argument when someone’s ground twirling sparkler landed on someone else’s ankle.  I also should mention that all the bars and pubs were teeming with celebrants as well.  Everywhere party, party, party.  So home I went to my Czech Mate.

Who, it turns out, had experienced the full scale war zone atmosphere from the relative comfort and convenience of our our apartment balcony as it over looks a park and is around the corner from the Jiřího z Poděbrad Square.  Like I said, the whole city was alive for this winter time celebration; the choices are endless.

2 Jan Update:  Here is a news summary from Radio Praha:

       New Year’s Eve celebrations less boisterous than usual                  
———————————————————————— 
Prague fire-fighters had a busy night on the last day of the year       
getting close to 40 emergency calls, mostly to do with firework-related 
accidents, such as garbage containers on fire. In contrast to previous  
years the vast majority of these accidents resulted in material damage  
only, with people suffering only light injuries due to dangerous        
manipulation with fireworks. The CTK news agency notes that this may    
also have been due to the economic crisis, town halls organized fewer   
outdoor events and unlike other years there was no mega-concert on      
Prague’s Wenceslas Square.    

So to keep you dear readers entertained until we get better organised here is one of Karin’s evocative reports.

Enjoy!