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Prague Castle from afar
Our first visit to Hradcany.Rainy again in Prague today. Actually, I've never seen Prague when it wasn't rainy, despite one Praguer's insistence that it's not usually like this! Luckily the clouds let up while we were on our walking tour. We toured Hradcany and Prague Castle today. I am perpetually amazed by all the rich history in which this city is steeped. Not a violent country, but they seem to be able to change things when they need to. Also, the influences of the smattering of cultures and people that have shaped Prague’s landscape was apparent again today on Castle Hill. I love symbols-all the statues, mosaics, ornamentations, stained glass… Like a storybook fashioned out of metal and glass. Whether furtively or boldly, they always tell Prague’s story beautifully. Each statue or bas-relief depicts an independent story: St. Wenceslas on his horse watching over the city, Charles IV stands watch over the Old Town Square, the Habsburgs are memorialized in the form of an eagle, and all of Bohemia is represented by a two-tailed lion straight out of a national legend. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to see more inside, but I really did love hearing about the history of Bohemia.
Castle Gate
A view of the guards and the Habsburg eagle and Bohemian Lion Having read a bit about the Czech Republic and Prague in particular (John Banville’s Prague Pictures is an excellent glimpse into one man’s travels to the city, but is also an important catalog of the historical names and events that shaped Prague’s current standing. Banville’s a fine writer to boot.) I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t learn more about some of Bohemia’s rulers like the eccentric Rudolph II, although our tour guide, Pavel, was more than happy to answer any questions I had. He even pointed out Johannes Kepler’s apartment. It was also quite interesting to hear about Hus and his reformation. Now the country is mostly protestant or pagan with few Jews or, thanks to Hus, Catholics. He is revered as much in the Czech Republic as a national hero as a religious radical. His doctrine was not unlike that of Martin Luther or John Wyclef. Truly an outstanding figure.
We crossed the Charles Bridge today, too. Quaint—like out of a painting (or postcard!) There were vendors everywhere, complete with a jazz band (American standards sung in Czech!) and a calliope player (I wonder why anyone would put money in his hat…all he was doing
was turning a crank, and I know that doesn’t take much talent!) In any case, crossing the bridge took us back to the old town where we were free for the day. I got a bit of shopping done and picked up some postcards. I stopped in a small pub for lunch (which was basically aimed at tourists) where I bought my first beer in Europe…a Pilsner. It was a famous brand brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic: Pilsner Urquell. The signs for this beer were rather ubiquitous…kind of like Budweiser here.
We had our first concert tonight at a rather gaudy Baroque style church. We knew it was to be a joint concert with another choir, but little did we know the other choir would be full of 12-year-old girls, many of whom boasted older timbres than our own. It was a mature and well-blended sound that I thought put us in our game. Their performance was not emotionally charged or necessarily a great visual presentation, but their precision was quite impressive. We sang pretty well, and I felt that I was pretty engaged the whole time. It was the first of hopefully many concert sucesses!
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