Prague

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Prague Day 7-9 (May 25-27)

We travelled by 3 trains, increasing in size - a one carriage, then two carriage, and then 6 carriage train to get to Prague through more green countryside and small villages. We stayed in apartments in Prague which was a change, not that we used the kitchen but it was nice to have the option.

Prague has a wonderful old town section, with so many historic buildings. There is a very large castle complex on the hill across the river; a square with an astronomical clock (that crowds stand around waiting to watch the various elements appear on the hour), impressive buildings in all styles from over the last 10 centuries including some great art nouveau ones; and the connection to Franz Kafka and Mozart’s - Don Giovanni (chosen to be shown here first in 1787).

The following day I was able to catch up with a person I’d met on the Trans-Siberian tour who lives in Zlin on the other side of the Czech Republic but who was in town for the day. After coffee we wondered around and saw some of the places that were familiar to her (University and her dorms), she also showed me some of the historic points like the starting point of the Velvet revolution, the statue commemorating the opening of Don Giovanni as well as some of the buildings in the castle complex. She also pointed out a famous Czech actor (theatre and movies) who walked by.

It was at the castle area that I realised that the first President of Czechoslovakian Republic was TG Masaryk (Tomas Garrigue). This was significant as I grew up in Masaryk Crt, knowing that there was a connection to someone famous in Europe, but now I actual have an idea of who he was.

That evening I went to check the times for the Marionette version of Don Giovanni that has been performed continuously in Prague in one form or another. As it was not on in the original theatre the following day I purchased a ticket for that evening. I had an hour and a half to fill and wandering down some of Prague’s maze of streets I found a little pub and had some great goulash. When it was time to head back I ventured out thinking I was going to go around the block and back to the streets that brought me there. But no, each new turn seemed to be taking me further away and into unfamiliar territory. Suddenly a storm broke and I took shelter with others to wait out the rain, and with the sound of thunder echoing off the surrounding buildings. Eventually, it eased enough for me to continue to try and find my theatre. All roads eventually lead to the town square and once there, I navigated back to theatre just in time.

The performance was made fun by a Mozart marionette (the marionettes were between 3 and 4 feet tall) interacting with the audience with feats of conducting, falling into the orchestra pit, the spraying of water and the like before each act. It was all in Italian and even being unfamiliar with the play was able to follow it for the most part.

A fair bit of exploring occurred including finding the Lennon wall which is a tribute to John Lennon in graffiti but which also became a symbol for peace and freedom in general. When the Soviet authorities painted over the graffiti it didn’t take long for it to reappear again the following day. Along this side of the river were also some interesting sculptures including yellow penguins, a large chair, and giant babies.

A visit to the Jewish Museum which is set up in 6 synagogues was very interesting. One synagogue has the names of all the Jewish people from the region who were murdered in WWII. This had been painted over by the Russians but has been inscribed again now, and is a very moving memorial.

The upstairs of the museum had artwork done by children that were in the ghetto and also the concentration camps, many depicting things that children should never see but also some that showed memories of ordinary life. It was so impressive how even in the worst situation that they were able to organise themselves to find a way to educate the children, and try to provide more for them than the awful reality around them.

Adjoining was a Jewish cemetery that was built on top of itself 7 times over. This was because until…the Jewish people were restricted on where they could live in Prague and so only a small area was available for burial. So they dug up tombstones, and buried more people on top, and placed the dug up tombstones on top with the new ones. The other synagogues included a good array of Jewish life and artefacts across time.

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Photos

Statue of the Statue from Don Giovanni
Commemorating first performance of Don Giovanni at this building

Comments

[tezzakezza]

Beautiful Prague...
We loved Prague!! We were finally able to afford to eat well here, compared to the rest of Europe it was heaps cheaper. Very picturesque...took so many photos of the Castle, the Bridge ,the Astronomical Clock...and the Stare Mestro, the Old Town. How wonderful for you to be able to catch up with a friend and get a tour from a local's perspective and a bit of a glimpse into every day life. I wish we'd made it to the Jewish Museum, it sounds fascinating. x K

[Ray]

The Don looks like The Grim Reaper.