----- Eastern European Odyssey ~ Bohemian Rhapsody
In August 2002, disastrously continuous rain hit central Europe. One month later, I visited Prague, which had not yet fully recovered from the damage. For example, the subway network was partially out of service. Some historic sites, such as the Old Jewish Cemetery, were closed.
Nevertheless, the Czech Republic was known as ¡Èthe most developed country in Eastern Europe.¡É There were so many things to check out.
First, I checked out Wenceslas Square. The square is the cultural and economic center of the country, and has become the background of historical events like the Prague Spring in 1968 and the Velvet Revolution in 1988. During the Prague Spring, tanks of the Warsaw Pact, led by the Soviets, barged into the square to oppress the liberalistic demonstration. I think I saw the real footage of the incident in the Czech movie, ¡ÈUnbearable Lightness of Being.¡É
The square did not look so much a square as a broad street, and there were an assortment of souvenir shops throughout it. I bought lovely paintings.
Secondly, I checked out the Vltava River. In Japan, the river is more commonly known as the Moldau, ever since it was immortalized by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. The Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava, was busy with many tourists and street venders. On the sides of the bridge were mounted 30 statues, one of which was of St. Francis Xavier.
Thirdly, I checked out Franz Kafka¡Çs house. Even though Kafka is liable to be considered Austrian, he was actually born in Prague. His house was opened to the public with no admission fees. Having read only one work of his works (the Metamorphosis) before, I did not know much about him. I asked a stranger to take a picture of me in front of the house and then left.
Next, I checked out Prague Castle. The guards in a blue uniform rotated their shifts every hour and did a ceremonial drill to take over their tasks. I did not know about the drill, but happened to witness one. Their performance was precisely choreographed and so mechanical. During the drill, all the guards kept their faces solemn all the time. It was funny that as soon as the drill was over, the guards suddenly relaxed their faces and started chitchatting.
In the old square, I checked out a famous astronomical clock. Every hour, moving statues of religious figures popped out from within it. When I got underneath the clock, there was already a large crowd of tourists all looking up and waiting for the moment.
I also checked out St. Vitus Cathedral. I could go to the top of a watchtower. I kept ascending the narrow, dark helical staircase. When I had almost lost count of the steps I had stepped, I finally reached the top. The view of the old district was so beautiful that my tedious ascent was way worth the effort.
The design of houses in Prague is characterized by their white brick walls and vermilion roofs. The beauty of the architecture is effectively utilized in another Czech movie, ¡ÈKolya.¡É
I also checked out the huge, magnificent stained-glass windows. I did not know this until recently, but the windows were designed by the Czech-born artist Alphone Mucha.
I checked out the Toy Museum. Being full of toys, I think the museum is intended as a place for adults to indulge themselves with nostalgia. Being surrounded by antique robots, dolls, miniature trains, musical boxes, Barbies, etc, elicited a very warm feeling. I bought a clockwork-frog toy for my girlfriend in America.
As much as I had hoped to check out more sites in Prague, I couldn¡Çt because I was running out of my budget. However, Prague was so beautiful that even wandering around inside the town was enough fun.
to be concluded¡Ä
Ken
10/15/11
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