A bit of this, a bit of that . . .

We are travelling to see family and our blog has suffered the consequences.  I seem to have time to read other people’s blogs, but haven’t organized myself enough to sit down and write on ours.  So, if you are still out there, waiting, I hope you enjoy some random things we saw in January of 2010.Cleaning in Metro station

 

The man in the yellow hat is wiping down the sides of the escalator in the Metro.  What an easy job. . . he just stands there while the escalator does all the work!  Most Metro’s are quite clean thanks to these guys.David Cerny art:  Man hanging

 

At first glance one wonders if they should call the police!  This actually is a sculpture by David Cerny, Prague’s controversial artist who has many interesting (and shocking sculptures) around the city.  Cerny uses the image of Sigmund Freud in this precarious position to communicate one’s need to consciously make the decision to live life or to let go.  Rather a deep subject and not to be taken lightly. . . thankfully this Hanging Man is hanging on!architectural art, arch support figures, Prague

 

Every time I saw these huge figures, which are often at the entrances of large buildings, I thought of Purgatory!!  Seriously, I would look up and instantly feel the tremendous crushing weight they have on their heads . . . and wonder if they were once real people who did naughty things!  I could almost hear them moaning and groaning.  But then, I am the one who thanks the tires on my car for all the work and punishment it takes just to get me from here to there!  Ha, ha.Charles Square, Eliska Krasnohorska statue

 

When we got off the tram in Charles Square the first thing we saw was this statue of Eliska Krasnohorska holding a yellow flower someone had given her, along with her book.  The day was cold and grey but people who saw the flower immediately had a smile on their face!  Eliska Krasnohorksa (1847-1926) was a Czech feminist author who wrote works of lyric poetry and literary criticism.  However, she is usually associated with children’s literature and translations, including works by Pushkin and Byron.  Krasnohorska wrote the libretti for several operas by Bedrich Smetana.  Somehow I think she would have approved of the yellow flower given her.Prague logo, spell Prague

 

How many ways can you spell Prague?  I loved this phone booth but in the days of mobiles and cell phones I wonder if it will one day be a monument? roses in Prague in winter

 

How to keep cheery in January!  I love flowers and was more than pleased when Michael surprised me with these beautiful roses. 

The End is only the Beginning!

It is now December and we are coming to the end of our first month in Prague (but not the end of the posts).  After we arrived Prague received its first light covering of snow with the promise of more to follow!  Since we live in Greece, on an island, where snow is unheard of, this was such a treat!  I was reared as a child in Washington State, USA and Michael in Portland, Oregon.  Both of us remember the snowfalls of our childhood, so the snow in Prague was a delightful and welcome Christmas Gift!  However, I understand it was not the feelings of most Czechs, as it was the worst winter in 40 years!  We were as innocent of that as babes!

Since it is the end of the year, I thought I would show a few pictures taken at random during the month of December.

Easy ID photos in Prague

When Michael and I first got to Prague we went to the Prague Transportation Department where we filled out a form to get a Senior Discount Pass for 3 months – which comes out much less than having to spend money for each trip.  This pass is good for buses, trams and the Metro (subway).  We even found it good on the funicular from Mala Strana to the top of Petrin Hill! 

One of the things we had to do was get photos of ourselves.  We were told one of these foto booths (above) which could be found around the city would suffice.  We had to giggle because the last time either of us had used them was when we were teenagers and took goofy pictures of ourselves with our friends!  Notice how rigid Michael is this time!  He even had his glasses off!  And I had to make sure my hair looked just right!  We found this booth in the Mustek Metro Station.

Wood cooked barbecue in squares of Prague

I mentioned in previous posts, that the Christmas markets had wonderful outside booths, many with mulled wine, hot sausage stands, etc.  This particular barbecue stand, outside a little restaurant, was in the Namesti Republiky (Republic Square).   I don’t know why we didn’t eat any, probably we were in a hurry to go elsewhere.  It makes my mouth water just too look at it now!Colour in architecture in Prague

I found myself taking lots of pictures of buildings.  Nothing seemed ordinary to me.  The white seemed as delicate as icing on a wedding cake.  Prague has an enormous variety of styles: Romanesque, Baroque, Renaissance, even Cubism to the heaviness of the communist era.  It is said Prague was practically untouched during WW ll so it is a wonderful place to study architecture. architecture detail figure over doorway in Prague

Over a doorway. . .tower close up in Prague

This looks like it should have been in one of the Harry Potter movies!

Holy family and nut fresco in Prague

This particular painting over a doorway really intrigued me and I tried in every way I knew how to find out something about it.  Also to know the significance of the arm holding the ball.  I could not find any information about it.  (If anyone knows, please tell me!)  It was on a little side street, of which I am not sure now where, but think it was near Bethlehem Square.Dessert after walk at Potrefena husa's on Vinohradska

We often walked miles, taking loads of pictures when suddenly one of us would call for time out and a coffee break!  They always were a treat and really perked us up!  Amazingly, I didn’t gain weight from all these beautiful desserts. . .but I practically wore out a pair of shoes!

And so ends December.  And to think we have January and February ahead of us!  We feel so lucky! 

Technorati Tags: snow,bus pass,architecture,desserts,republic square

A Mala Strana Sunday

Mala Strana (started around 1257) is a district of Prague and the name means Lesser Town or Lesser Side.  One can reach it by leaving Old Town and walking across Charles Bridge.  Voila!  You are there!  Right below the Prague Castle! Mala Strana is home to Kampa Island, Petrin Hill, Maltese Square, Wallenstein Palace, and St. Nicholas Square.  These are only a few of the many many things to see.  But this post is only about a simple walk after church and before lunch.  I will tell about the other sites in other posts.

So, on this particular December Sunday, we took the tram from Old Town.  Having been there before we did not walk up to the Castle (this is a must for first time tourists!)  This time I only wanted to wander the back narrow streets and alleyways to look at Baroque architecture.  We also knew of a little restaurant we wanted to try, so we planned to sightsee until we were cold and then have a soup and sandwich break.

While walking on these narrow cobblestone streets, I found myself wondering if perhaps I was walking in the footsteps of Jan Neruda, a poet, writer and journalist, who was born in Mala Strana.  Or perhaps Kafka, the writer, who lived a short while in Golden Lane adjacent to the Prague Castle.  Here also is the Kafka Museum.

Passing the Church of Our Lady Victorius, where the Infant of Prague can be seen, I was reminded of its interesting history.  Since it was December the church was all decked out with Angels and a lovely Nativity Scene.  (The next Sunday I decided to attend church here.  The Priest was from India and spoke English but in a very soft voice.  However, the church remained open to tourists and the squeaky door hinges kept me from hearing him properly.)  There is a wonderful free museum inside the church where one can see pictures, crosses, sculptures, and part of the valuable collection of clothing that makes up the wardrobe of the Infant Jesus.  Karin in front of Infant of Prague church at ChristmasChristmas chreche at Our Lady Victorious in Prague

But I regress.  This is suppose to be about the architecture.  So, moving on . . .

Mala Strana is home to many Embassies housed in beautiful buildings.  One is the United States.  Of course, I wanted a picture.  Also, I wondered about the guard outside with a gun over his shoulder.  (Later I read it is the ONLY Embassy to have such a guard, and if you linger too long, he will ask you to move along!)  I must admit there was no smile to greet me, only a very dour, sour face.  So I took a quick picture and off I went!  And to think that is MY Embassy!flag and guard at USA embassy, Prague

Below are buildings with Sgraffito – a technique of scratching the top layer of paint to the surface underneath.  Pretty amazing!Sgraffito example in mala strana Prague

Soldier and stag over restaurant in Prague

A lovely sculpture over a restaurant entrance.Car entering Italian embassy in Prague

Very fancy gates open very slowly . . . for a very fancy car who had to show some sort of credentials to enter.walking under arches in lesser town Prague

A nice place to walk if it is raining.view of skyline near Prague Castle

Mala Strana as seen on the walk up to the Castle. We did not go all the way this time.  We found our restaurant, had a nice hot bowl of soup and a rest.  While these pictures only show you a fraction of what there is to see, this at least gives you a small idea of how beautiful Mala Strana is.Mala Strana Xmas market booth

The square where the trams come had a Christmas Market.  Some sold Christmas decorations.  Of course I bought a straw angel!

A Name Too Hard to Pronounce

The Metro stop and the square just around the corner of our apartment, had a name that was so difficult for us that we never did learn how to pronounce it.  Jihiro z Podebrad.    (It translates into George of Podebrady who was a 15th century Hussite King).  While the name doesn’t actually look too hard to pronounce, it was.  And it doesn’t sound ANYTHING like it looks.  This got us into trouble once, which I will tell later in the blog.

Namesti Jihiro z Podebrad  has a very interesting building.  Two years ago when we first saw this building, we had no clue what it was.  One of us guessed an old Railroad Station because it had a big clock on top or something left over from the Communist days.  Both of us were wrong.  On this visit in 2010, we discovered it is a very modern church, built in the years 1928 – 1932 by a Slovenian architect. It is a Catholic church called the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord.Church of Sacred Heard, Jiriz de Podebrad, Prague

 

The clock is a bit hard to see, it is in the middle, below the roof with the cross.

We lived close enough to hear the church bell toll the hours.  That is something I find quite lovely.  One day I went over and tried to go inside, but the huge doors were locked.  Then, one day when walking home from grocery shopping, loaded down with bags, I heard the bells chime 6 PM.  People were walking over and going inside;  mothers with baby carriages, construction workers in their working clothes, old people and well dressed office workers.  I realized it was time for the evening Mass.  I had a sudden inspiration to follow!

Once inside, the beauty of the decor overwhelmed me.  Wanting to observe only, I stood in the back.  I wanted to take pictures, but of course I had no camera with me, anyway I didn’t think it would be proper to take them during  Mass.inside church at Podebrad square, Prague

Again, my pictures don’t do it justice, but those balls you see hanging from the ceiling on fine wires are actually loud speakers and made of wood!  The floor has round circles also.  Saints were standing on Greek style marble pillars. The architect was inspired by Egyptian temples and early Christian basilicas.  I was so in love with it, that I ended up staying almost the entire hour!  I kept thinking to myself over and over, WOW!  And this is just a neighborhood church!  I couldn’t wait to go home and tell Michael about it. (He did get a chance at a later time to get inside and take this picture.)

During the Christmas Season, most neighborhood squares set up small outdoor market stalls.  The selection here on this square was mostly sausages, a few candles and some small homemade crafts.Podebrad Christmas market

What I enjoyed most were the snacks.  Besides hot spiced wine they served trdlo, a soft yeast dough which is wrapped around a hot metal pin and baked into a cylinder, then rolled in ground nuts, cinnamon and sugar.trdlo, cinnamon donuts in Prague Christmas markets

Now back to the name, Jihiro z Podebrad and how it got us into trouble.

We were riding the Metro and getting somewhat near our stop when an announcement came several times over the loudspeaker. Michael hopefully asked me, “Did you understand what is being said?”  Sometimes I do understand, but this time, I had no clue.  We just shrugged our shoulders and paid no more attention.

We got to our stop and got off with some lively youngsters.  As we turned the corner we suddenly saw that the escalator was not moving!  Huh?  Then. . . it dawned on us THAT was what the announcement was about.  Warning people who wanted the Jihiro z Podebrad stop NOT to get off  but to go to to the next stop and take the tram from there to wherever they needed to go.  Oh, my gosh!  If only we understood the Czech language better we would not be down here watching those youngsters run up the steps like mountain goats!  Oh well, we figured if we took it slow we would be fine, but before we got to the top our lungs were huffing and puffing and our legs were like lead!   I felt very very old, indeed!Prague has very deep Metro stations

How it looks from the top going down.looking up metro escalator

 

. . . and how it looks from somewhere in the middle looking up!

When we got to the top of the escalator, we had to tackle another short  flight of steps to the street level.  This particular exit brought us out directly in front of a bakery where we went in to have a coffee and catch our breath before tackling the steps to our 3rd floor apartment!

What a way to stay in shape!

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