Život v Cizine (was La Vie Expatriée)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Folklore Festival

There was also a folklore festival going on this past weekend in Prague. I took a handful of pictures while walking through Staroměstské náměstí, and I simply offer them up here without comment:

Labels: folklore festival, Prague

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Flea Markets Come to Prague

There are plenty of second hand stores in Prague, but for some reason, the concept of flea markets or yard sales is unknown. Until now, that is: as of this past Saturday, there is now a flea market in Náměstí míru on the 4th Saturday of the month.

It's rather slapdash, and it remains to be seen if it will really take off:

Labels: Prague, shopping

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Friday, July 03, 2009

Second Visit to Prague Zoo

I visited the Prague Zoo last year, but it was too big to cover the entire thing in one visit, so yesterday I went back.

It really is a lovely zoo, and they give the animals plenty of space. The birds:

The hippos:

The bison:

The monkeys:

The penguins:

It's not a very Anglo-phone friendly zoo, though (not that it has to be, of course), and so I don't know what these animals are:

It is, on the other hand, dog-friendly:

It'll cost you 20Kc to bring your dog in, though:

The zoo is decorated with statuary, mostly animals, but there was also this Aztec-y looking guy:

The zoo is big enough that they have a chair lift (which doesn't operate in high winds) to help people get from one level to another.

It wasn't in operation when I was there last year, so I rode it this time, alas remembering too late that I'm afraid of heights. Not fun.

Labels: Prague, Prague Zoo, travel

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Prague Museum Night

Saturday was Prague Museum Night, an annual event when participating museums, galleries, etc. offer free admission from 7 PM to 1 AM; there is also free transportation provided. Besides their usual exhibits, many museums take advantage of the opportunity to open new shows or offer special accompanying events. Not surprisingly, a lot of people turn out with their families to enjoy the free offerings.

According to the program, 28 cultural institutions and 55 sites were taking part this year, and there were 9 bus lines starting from Náměstí Jana Palacha making great loops to different parts of the city to connect the locations. It made for an interesting variation to the "Traveling Salesman Problem"! I was able to make it to only four museums (mainly because of the crowds).

Labels: museums, Prague

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Sunday, June 14, 2009

sv Tomas and The Augustine

My parish here is sv Tomáš.

(The church is tucked into an alley, which makes it difficult to get a good shot.) It was established in the 13th century and there is an Augustinian monastery attached to it. The summer refectory and cloister gardens are used for such gatherings as hospitality after Mass and the annual parish festival:


Father William claims that the cloister garden figures in the carol "Good King Wenceslaus": this is where the poor man was gathering his winter fuel.

The monastery, though, was built for dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of monks, but is now home to only six. This is a common story in Prague: there are dozens of churches and monasteries for which there is little or no need in this era. Rather than demolish them, however, they tend to be repurposed. And so some, such as sv. Mikuláš (both the Jesuit-built one in Malá Strana and the Hussite one near Staroměstské náměstí), are used primarily for concerts, and others, such as Klášter sv. Anežky České (the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia) or Klášter sv. Jiŕí (St. George Convent) have become museums.

Part of the monastery at sv. Tomáš, though, has now become a hotel. The Augustine is Prague's newest 5-star hotel. The hotel also bought the recipe to sv. Tomáš's beer (the monks stopped brewing it in 1952, although some guidebooks still contain references to it), and they're serving it in their bars and restaurants.

I visited on Saturday, after Mass (about 7 PM). This is not a good time to be opening a 5-star hotel, and the place was largely deserted. When I visited The Brewery, located appropriately enough in the former monastery brewery, there was only one occupied table, and they left shortly after I arrived. I enjoyed a pleasant chat with the bartender, who was understandably lonely, poor girl.

I had a glass of the sv. Tomáš beer, which was tasty: dark, but not bitter. At 55 Kc (approximately $3) for 0.3 liter, though, I don't see it catching on.

I also wandered upstairs to check out Tom's Bar which adjoins the restaurant. It's a beautiful space, but again only one table was occupied. It looked as though there was only one occupied table in the restaurant as well. I don't know if live music is a nightly feature or only on weekends:

I wonder what Václav II, who established the church and monastery, would think of this.

Labels: Prague, Sv. Tomas, The Augustine

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Saturday, June 06, 2009

Ghost Tour

I finally got around to taking a "Ghost Tour" of Prague the other evening, courtesy of McGee's Ghost Tours. (There are no pictures, as I still really haven't mastered the art of night photography.)

This would really be a tour best taken on first arriving in Prague, as a lot of it was old hat to me. For example, the tour starts at the Astronomical Clock with the story of the blinding of the clockmaker (so that he couldn't replicate the clock elsewhere). And some of the stories weren't really "ghost" stories, although to be fair, the tour is billed as "Ghosts & Legends of Old Town".

Some of the new stories I heard were:

• The Young Turk in Ungelt: Once upon time, a handsome, wealthy Turkish guard fell in love with a blonde beauty in a shop in Ungelt. Being devout, the Turk returned to his native land to receive the Muslim blessing to marry the girl. He begged her to wait, and she did. For years.

  Finally, she despaired and agreed to marry someone else. On the very day of her wedding, her Turk returned. Concealing his rage at her betrayal, he asked the girl to come away with him for just a moment's private conversation. Feeling sorry for him (and perhaps a little guilty), the girl agreed. Neither girl nor Turk was ever again seen (alive). Some time later, a servant found the girl's headless body, still dressed in her wedding finery, in a cellar in Ungelt. And now, the Turk haunts Ungelt, carrying the head of his beloved.

  A classmate of his saw the Turk late one night, claimed my tour guide.

• Palác Kinských: This palace was built in the 18th century for Count Jan Arnost Goltz. One thing that makes the palace very special in the Old Town Square is that it doesn't stand in line with the neighboring buildings; rather, it protrudes a bit into the square. The legend says that the town council didn't want to permit the special position of the palace and so count bribed three councilmen in order to obtain the permit.

  (Ed. aside: This is an icky story. Consider yourself forewarned.) One night, just as the workmen had finished laying the foundation, they went to nearby pub for an after-work beer. They were approached by a stranger who told them that the land on which they were building was cursed and that the foundation wouldn't stand. When they arrived at the work site the following morning, they found that, indeed, the foundation had crumbled overnight.

  That evening, they sought out the stranger and asked him what they could do. The land was cursed by a demon, replied the stranger, and the only way to vanquish it was to convince the demon that they were even more evil than the demon. To do this, they had to slaughter an innocent child and bury the remains under the foundation. The workers, in fear for their jobs, went to a neighboring village, abducted a young child, and buried the dead body under the foundation.

  The construction continued without further difficulties. The workmen, however, never again saw the stranger, leading to speculation that the stranger had itself been the demon, sent to lure them into evil.

  Coda: By the time the other city council members noticed the position of the palace, it was almost finished and nobody wanted to destroy it. Nevertheless, the count was brought to trial, but, because he had a permit, he was released. The three council members, on the other hand, were hanged in front of the palace. Let that be a lesson to city planning commissioners everywhere!

• Three Roses House: This is currently the site of the recently opened Hard Rock Cafe. Long ago, however, it was home to three sisters of a wealthy and loving family. While their parents were alive, the sisters were much beloved. But after their parents's deaths, they gave themselves over to vanity and idleness and extravagance. They bought expensive gowns and jewels and would sit for hours at the window, brushing their long hair.

  One day, a handsome prince from far away came to town and began wooing the older sister. They agreed to marry, and she packed her gowns and jewels and gold and rode off with her prince.

  Some time later, a dashing baron from a far country arrived and began wooing the second sister. They, too, agreed to marry, and she packed her gowns and jewels and gold and left to make a new home for herself.

  At last, it was the youngest sister's turn to fall in love with a successful young merchant from out of town. And off they went, with her gowns and jewels and gold. And the house was left empty.

  The years passed, and the neighbors occasionally speculated aloud about the lives the three sisters must be leading. One day, an out-of-town visitor overheard them and set them straight.

  The sisters had each been wooed by the same man, in disguise, who murdered them as soon as they were safely past Prague's outskirts! (Tell me you didn't see that coming.)

As I said at the outset, this would be a tour better taken on first arriving in Prague. Even so, it was an enjoyable walk around Old Town and I liked seeing some of these familiar sights through this different prism.

Labels: ghost tour, Prague

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

St. John of Nepomuk

Last year's celebration of the feast of St. John of Nepomuk was a modest affair: Vespers at sv. Tomáš followed by a procession to St. John's statue on Charles Bridge and finishing up with a Benediction at the church of St. Francis on the other side of the bridge.

This year, though, there was a grander celebration. Apparently someone affiliated with the Charles Bridge Museum wants to revive the old tradition of a festival for the feast of St. John. And so this year, there was a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Vitus (with Cardinal Vlk presiding) on Friday, the eve of the feast. Like last year, a procession followed, winding through Malá Strana from the castle complex, across Charles Bridge to the statue of St. John of Nepomuk and thence to St. Francis for Benediction.

It didn't end there, though. There was a concert, some festival booths, and a sound and light show on the River. Unfortunately, the plaza in front of St. Francis is too small for a proper festival.

The program by Muzeum Karlova Mostu (as translated by Google Translate) gives more details. On the actual feast on Saturday, there was the Vespers service at sv. Tomáš, but no subsequent procession.

Labels: Charles Bridge, liturgy, Prague, St. John of Nepomuk

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Easter Markets

I went out the other day to play tourist and visit the Easter markets. Not, mind, with the thought of buying anything, but just to look.

My outing coincided with the "Right to Life" (anti-abortion) March:

The more Easter-specific booths tend to feature decorated eggs:

As at Christmas, though, a lot of booths just sell the usual tourist junk:

These dancers were preparing to go on stage at the market at Staroměstské náměstí:

The Easter egg tree at Staroměstské náměstí:

I also paid a visit to sv. Mikuláš in Malá Strana. Sv. Mikuláš is no longer a "working" church; instead, it is mainly used these days as a concert site.

The square outside sv. Mikuláš is home to a plague column that I haven't previously photographed:

Labels: Easter market, Prague, sv. Mikulas

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Watching the Inauguration

It was of course possible to watch the inauguration streaming online, but I really wanted to be with like-minded folk for this. So off I went to the Globe Bookstore. Turns out I had more than enough company:

The speech was well-received, and I was particularly pleased that Obama specifically refuted the idea that we should compromise our ideals in the name of security.

I didn't stick around to watch the parade: for that I came home and settled for online streaming.

Labels: inauguration, Prague

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Caledonian School Warning

Before leaving Caledonian School, I tried to present my medical bills for reimbursement. However, the insurance clerk was out sick the week before Christmas. No problem, I was told, just come back in the New Year. This was a bit of an annoyance, since it would have been nice to have the money before Christmas. That, and I didn't have any other reason to go into that part of town. But there was nothing else to be done.

So, this week, I returned with my bills. And was told that I could not be reimbursed because they had already closed the books for 2008! And everyone I spoke with told me the same story.

I wonder if there's a National Labor Board to which I can appeal?

Labels: Caledonian School, medical insurance, Prague

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas Eve

December 24 is the first day of the three-day Christmas holiday, and the Czechs take this seriously as a holiday. There's little, if any, last minute running around to buy Christmas presents or groceries, and any stores that are open at all close by early afternoon. The Christmas market at Náměstí Míru was virtually shut down before noon:

Some merchants weren't even waiting 'til after Christmas to dismantle their booths:

Midday, there was a little more activity at the market near Václavské náměstí:


But by evening, after the 6:30 Mass at sv. Tomaš, even the big market at Staroměstské náměstí was pretty well shut down.

Staroměstské náměstí is the site, however, of the outdoor concert performance of Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass (Rybova Mše Vánoční) at 9:15. Despite the (light) snow, it was well attended:

And, despite the weather, the singers were in excellent voice.

After the performance, the square emptied out pretty quickly:

Only a few of the booths selling food and drink remained open, though even they didn't seem to be doing much business:

Coming home by way of Václavské náměstí, I took this picture of the market's nativity scene:

It's a little strange for an American brought up on arguments against public Nativity scenes as a violation of separation of Church and state to see so many nativity scenes as a matter of fact part of the decorations, especially in this largely atheistic country!

Labels: Christmas Eve, Christmas market, Prague

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Teaching Au Revoir

I came back from Milan to a web development job that promises to take enough time to interfere with teaching. It also promises to last long enough and pay well enough to make the decision whether or not to continue teaching a no-brainer. And so I have told Caledonian that I won't be coming back after Christmas.

My students have been gratifyingly upset (or at least disappointed), even to the point of trying to make me feel guilty about abandoning them.

Labels: Prague, teaching

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Saturday, December 06, 2008

Feast of sv. Mikulas

In Czech, St. Nicholas is sv. Mikuláš. He does not visit children on Christmas Eve*, but rather on the night of December 5, the eve of his feast. Unlike his English-speaking counterpart, sv. Mikuláš is still a bishop who wears his miter and chasuble and carries a bishop's crook. He is also accompanied by a devil, who doles out coal or potatoes to bad children (or even threatens to carry them off in his sack), and by an angel, who gives sweets and toys to good children. After answering questions about his or her behavior the past year, the child is supposed to recite a poem or sing a song, I suppose to purchase forgiveness.

Mikuláš and his companions traditionally visit households with small children. There are also public celebrations at Staroměstské náměstí and Náměstí Míru.

These pictures were taken at the Náměstí Míru celebration:

Caledonian School was soliciting teachers to dress up one of the trio to visit classes for children; my schedule did not permit me to do so, however. One of my students observed, though, that dressing up as the devil is much more popular than dressing as the angel. Not (only) for the obvious reason, but because it's hard to reconcile the angel's filmy robes with the season!

*It's the Infant Jesus (Ježíšek) who delivers presents on Christmas Eve, and don't you forget it! Even the most vocal atheist in Prague seems to have no compunction about, or to perceive any contradiction in, identifying Ježíšek as the source of Christmas gifts.

Labels: Christmas, Mikulas, Prague

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Friday, December 05, 2008

Christmas Market at Namesti Miru

There is of course a Christmas market at Náměstí Míru this year. It seems smaller than last year's though: about 20% fewer booths, and much less well attended. Is the economy making itself felt here?

Labels: Christmas market, Namesti Miru, Prague

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Good Deed for the Day

On the tram this morning was a group of American students, four girls. I wasn't paying much mind initially, but I soon realized that they were paying close attention to the display board that shows the upcoming stops. I finally asked one of them where they were going and was told "Krymská". I pointed out that they were headed in the wrong direction and needed to hop off an catch a tram going the opposite direction.

One of the students complimented me on my excellent English (!), before asking me where I was from. I admitted to being an American myself, living in Prague for just over a year, and was immediately pumped for advice on sights and food.

Turns out that they're exchange students at a university in Rome. They have a 10-day holiday and are spending it travelling. They had just arrived from Germany, and will be in Prague 2 days before moving on to Budapest.

I certainly hope they found their hostel and manage to enjoy themselves!

Labels: Prague, tourists

posted at 10:24 PM permalink  2 comments

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Playing Tourist: Saturday in Mala Strana

Prague Castle

Last Saturday, the weather was so perfectly glorious that I had to go out and do something, so I wandered over to Malá Strana and Prague Castle. My ostensible goal was the Three Women Sculptors: Věra Janoušková, Eva Kmentová, Alina Szapocznikow exhibition at the Summer Palace.

As art goes, I'm not a great fan of painting: I prefer my arts to be more tactile, and so I (usually) particularly like sculpture. However, my taste in art is sufficiently old-fashioned that I also like things to look more or less recognizeable. And so, I was not way thrilled with the exhibition.
A piece by Eva Kmentová, outside the Summer Palace:

But it was still a nice day for wandering around the gardens:

After last month's trip to Plzeň with its requisite Marian plague column, I started to wonder about whether or not Prague had a plague column. After Googling™ around, I found references to one that had been in Staroměstské náměstí, but that had been demolished as a symbol of Hapsburg domination shortly after the Republic was declared in 1918. But I also found a reference a reference to this one, in Hradčanské náměstí:

There's also supposedly one near sv. Mikuláše (St. Nicholas) in Malá Strana, but I haven't seen that one yet.

Hradčanské náměstí is also where the Archbishop's Palace can be found:

A statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia, looks towards Prague Castle (the residence of his successors):

I'm not sure what these guys were about, but they were attracting a lot of attention on their stilts:

Wallenstein Palace

On leaving the Prague Castle complex, I decided to visit the grounds of Valdštejnský Palác (Wallenstein Palace), the seat of the Czech Senate. There's an entrance to the gardens conveniently near the Malostranská metro station.

The gardens are really lovely, with a huge pond:

There were a lot of people taking advantage of the fine weather to visit:

The gardens are populated by peacocks and peahens, who seem to have no fear of, nor interest in, people. They roamed the gardens every which way, paying absolutely no attention to the humans doing likewise.

Are there albino peafowl, or is this something else?

Perhaps the most striking feature, though, is the dripstone wall:

From a distance, I had thought it was just moss, but the color was wrong. On coming closer, I could see that it had been created and there were the faces and forms of frogs, snakes, and other unspecified animals in the wall:

I can't imagine what effect that wall might have on Senators if they come out to wander in the garden between sessions, but I found it rather creepy!

The Senate website has some very nice videos of the palace and gardens, if you'd like a closer look.

Labels: Prague, Prague Castle, sightseeing, Wallenstein Palace

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