Symphonic Harmony

---

Auf weirdersehen Dresden, Dobr den Praha
Grunes Gewold or The Green Vault was King Augustus Strong's baroque treasure chamber. The galley is outstanding, and in order to enter you pass thru a special chamber that apparently assists in keep the environment controlled, especially dust. Much of the exhibition is not under glass, but you are at all times under great scrutiny by numerous guards.

The extravagant collecting tastes of Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III developed what is today the most important collection of it's type in Eurpoe. The Dresden Green Diamond, also known as "Dresden Green", is a 41 carats natural green diamond, which probably originated in the Kollur mine in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. My mother who likes to comment "You can never over-accessorize Janie" should have met good ole Gus. He had 9 full on matching sets of party jewels, each numbering over 50 pieces. For those of you trying to figure out how you wear 50 jeweled somethings, just start thinking about buttons, shoe buckles, scepters, rings, pins, brooches, belt buckles and necklaces. Collections in emerald, ruby, sapphire, diamond, amethyst, pearl, and three other.

My favorite piece is a depiction of The Royal Household of Delhi, an ideal of what the Royal Saxon Kings imagined the Arab Palace in India looked like. This one you have to google, none of my words could come close to describing it's magnificence.

Catch the train to Prague, met a wonderful couple on the train, Akis and Katarina, obviously very much in love (and/or lust) and off for a weekend interlude in Praha. We all got off at the wrong train station and getting a taxi to my hotel proved a bit of a challenge. Arrive hotel and shower and dress for the symphony. Unlike America, everyone, and I mean everyone, dresses for the symphony, and I mean dresses. Black tie optional? Suits, tuxedos, cocktail dresses and women's evening suit or dresses, real style and class.

I arrived just before performance and due to the location of my seat found myself standing in the corridor with the musicians about to enter the stage, this really set the tone and heightened my excitement for the performance. This was really an outstanding experience. I had a wonderful seat, in the third seat in the first balcony, next to the stage, at the same level of the entire orchestra; I had a great view of all the musicians and could really see and feel the energy of music. The music was very moving and has escalated my appreciatio classical

This was really an outstanding experience. Tomorrow, Kutna Hora and The Bone Church.

---

Photos

Before the performance