Prague 2

With the new 'label' feature you can find all the photos from one place no matter where they are on the blog. So I thought I might add a few more photos gradually!

Towers on buildings.... a fairly typical sight in Prague.
A statue of Kafka. There were many reminders of him in the city.
A beautiful street in Prague, still with 'winter' trees. This street was not far from the river, and they were erecting metal 'stopbanks' against possible flooding before I left. I wonder how the street and its inhabitants fared.

Prague

Prague had quite a few memorials that reminded you in various ways of the horror of some of its recent past. One day I passed this sculpture of a set of humans who appeared to be marching down the steps on the hillside. When you saw the figures from the side it became apparent that the figures had varied parts of their bodies missing. The image of these figures was haunting.
The plaque reads: "The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims not only those who were exiled or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism. "

Prague - springtime

I arrived in Prague at the very beginning of spring. The week before it had snowed, and it seemed like the week I arrived there was suddenly a dramatic warming.





But with the warming came problems. Heavy rainfall elsewhere in the country, as well as snowmelt, led to flooding. Here people are checking the river and erecting flood barriers.

Trip highlights - Europe

Prague: A sculpture remembering the victims of the totalitarian regime - the haunting nature of the series of statues with lessening parts of the bodies present remains in my mind.

Florence: works by Michelangelo etc all over the place!

Assisi: the landscape and the climb up the hill above the church.

Rome: Attending the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday evening.
Attending Mass on Easter Sunday in St Peter's Square.

Naples: Climbing to Vesuvius crater and seeing the ruins at Herculaneum surrounded by the present day town.

Switzerland - my week staying in Locarno and walking in the Verzasca Valley near the village of Corippo where my Scettrini ancestors came from.

FRANCE
My cycling trip !!!! + (see separate cycling post)
Arles: the quality of light on the stone.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer: flamingoes, and horses being ridden in the sea in a traditional ride.
Lourdes: A place that has made a deep impression on me and given me ongoing food for thought
Cahors: the way the town was encircled by the River Lot; meeting so many doing the St Jacques pilgrimage walk; buying new smaller jeans in a nearby village and getting them hemmed up to fit me there and then in the shop!

Orleans was not my favourite place, but here I was picked up by a 'good samaritan' - when I was lost and totally drenched in the rain, she picked me up in her car and took me to my hotel.

Angers: the old and the new Apocalypse tapestries.
Tours: learning more about St Martin, whose 'presence' had been in the French countryside I had cycled through.
Amboise: great view of the Chateau from the camping ground
Blois: realising how fit I actually was when I cycled a long route to the chateau.

JERSEY
-coastal walks
-stained glass tour to see the works of Bosdet
-finding Payn family locations
-friendly helpful rural locals
-neolithic remains

IRELAND
Glendalough: walks/climbs in the fine weather
Kilkenny: - friendly hostel and lots of music pubs you could stroll into in the evenings
Cork:- the activity in the Franciscan church = heaps of people there on weekdays for Masses and confessions.
Cobh:- quite emotional place - knowing so many emigrants left poverty behind and never returned to their families in Ireland
Glengarriff: - walks (on the road) up high into rugged rocky hills, especially in the Kenmare direction
Dingle: archaeological tour on peninsula, finding a harbour walk away from the traffic, a wonderful music concert
Limerick: Knowing I was close to where my ancestors had lived. Finding people who knew how to spell my surname and who told me it was a 'really Irish name"
Westport: climbing Croagh Patrick
Donegal: the 'Hills of Donegal" bus tour ( only runs in summer).
Derry: learning about the tragedy of Bloody Sunday and gaining a little understanding of what had gone on here.

Paris: Going to Notre Dame as my farewell to Europe - seeing audiovisual display in the darkened cathedral Saturday evening; going to Mass with Gregorian singing then hearing the bells pealing out over the square as I left to get my baggage to head off to the airport.

Petrin Hill and Loreta

It was a quieter day today, with time to sit in the laundromat this afternoon so I have some fresh-smelling clothes again before I hit Florence tomorrow.

What amazes me about this city is that you think you have seen it all, then you take a different road or a different bridge and the perspective changes again. This morning I headed straight down hill to a bridge that crossed on the upstream side of Petrin Hill. As a result, I saw a tragic and moving sculpture, commemorating all those who suffered under Communism. From a distance, the sculpture looked like a series of men marching down some steps down the hill. As I got closer I realised that not all the men were whole, only the front one was. The others had increasingly severe losses to parts of their bodies. The sign acknowledged all those who were executed, imprisoned and who in other ways had their lives diminished under the totalitarian regime of Communism. When you are here, you know that the whole place has been affected by all the years of Soviet dominated rule. But this was the first categorical statement I had seen of the evil of those past years.

I continued on to the beginning of a path to take the funicular to the top of the hill. I really recommend this ride. For the price of a standard 20 Kc metro transfer fare, (about NZ$1.35), you get whisked high on Petrin Hill, looking down on the Castle and getting a great view of the city. Not a ride the tour groups seem to take. Then it is a pleasant walk along and down the hill to get to the Castle etc. I actually walked through the Castle environs again today as I knew there was a Post Office there. Still crowds of tourists - Florence shouldn't be a shock after this!

I visited the shrine of Loreta which I had missed the other day. Another place of Catholic pilgrimage I was ignorant of. The Madonna was surrounded by bright silver. As I didn't really want the weight of a guide book and am running out of Czech currency, I never bought the guide book, so can't fill you in on the significance of this one sorry!

Next time you get a blogging entry it should be from Florence as I fly there tomorrow. Thanks to Helen and Johanna for making comments!! (You brave things you!)

Concert

The highlight for today would have to be the concert I attended late this afternoon. It took place in a chapel at the side of St Giles church. The chapel was interesting in itself as it had modern art at the front- a refreshing change to the diet of Baroque in Prague. (The art, in mosaic, showed a family, with three children plus a baby, all looking towards a clear plastic cross.)

In the concert there was an organ accompanist, a violinist and a cellist. Many of their tunes were popular but some I had not heard before. They blew me away. The tone of the violinist was wonderful and filled the little chapel. The cellist I know I am never likely to hear the likes of again. He played with such passion and control. I just feel so privileged to have heard these two men play. It was the kind of music that made me tingle with ecstasy that I was hearing something so wonderful. ( Hard to explain but you know what I mean maybe!)

This morning I made myself a little list of 'sights' I hadn't yet seen. A very pleasant one was a Franciscan garden attached to the church of Our Lady of the Snows. Both the church and garden are around a few corners and not so visited by tourists. The church even seems to have tour guides giving their spiel on its list of prohibited things. And the silence symbols even seemed to work here, as opposed to in the church of the Infant Jesus of Prague where cameras are clicking in what is for some a very sacred place. (Mind you, the Carmelites are fundraising to bring some order to the tourist side of things, and some quiet into the church itself.) Most churches here seem to shut tourists out completely behind a grill or the glass in a door. Not many places locals could slip in to pray (though the Snows church above was one such place with real quiet - if you can stand baroque ornamentation one more time!)

I was interested to visit some market stalls in the morning as opposed to the afternoon. There was much more fruit on sale and much fewer souvenirs. I bought some mandarins and some strawberries. I was stunned when I arrived in the Old Town Square, to find that what had been a lovely big open square for people watching, was being converted with lots more market stalls. Maybe there is an event this weekend, or maybe it is like this all summer. Not sure, but I preferred the emptier look.

Nice thing about the sunshine, the buskers come out on Charles Bridge. Late this morning I saw a violinist and a trio playing traditional Czech music. Great to wander past.

The other event of note in town today was that the river levels are quite high. The modern metal equivalent of sandbags were being erected in low lying areas, and firemen were pumping away water in places. I don't know whether the water is expected to get much higher, and I guess snow melt is to blame. I hope for the people that serious floods are not coming.

Kutna Hora

It was a "yeah right" day today. "It was lovely and sunny yesterday so I don't need to put my raincoat in my backpack. " Yeah right! I went to Kutna Hora, and it rained from the moment I stepped out of the Ossuary until I left the town!

I mastered the foreign signs at the Railway station and got my train ticket successfully. I ended up in the same train compartment as an Aussie couple. The young woman's mother cycled for four months in Europe, after starting on a very difficult Jordan road. She loved cycling in France. This is the kind of inspirational story I love to hear!

I enjoyed the train trip out into a rural area, passing villages, woods and farms. At one stage there was a lot of police activity near the tracks. The young couple had seen a VIP in town yesterday, complete with a circle of bodyguards. Perhaps he was visiting where we passed today.

When I got to Kutna Hora I opted to visit the Ossuary first, then walk the few kilometres into town to see all the other main sights. I didn't know it was about to hose down with rain did I! The Ossuary is one of a kind. It contains a lot of bones. The cemetery got rather full after plague and wars. In this chapel they have been arranged somewhat imaginatively - a coat of arms, a chandelier etc. Macabre. But I had to see it.

The walk into the main part of town was interesting albeit wet. I should have found out about the bus, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I passed housing blocks and a lot of the buildings had the feel of the Communist era, though there were also new supermarkets etc. The middle of town was quite different and it is really being all done up for the tourist market.

The main place I was aiming for in town was the St Barbara Cathedral which was at the highest, furtherest point. There was a lot of evidence of the former wealth of this silver mining town along the way. The mining museum looked interesting but doesn't open until April!

The St Barbara Cathedral was impressive. (Fortunately I hadn't come yesterday as it is closed Mondays!) St Barbara was the patron saint of miners. There was an altarpiece in 3-D, with a "Last Supper" in it. Some fresoces featured miners. There was a statue of a miner wearing a bulky leather apron that he used to "slide down" into the mine, for his 12 - 14 hour day, six days a week. There were beautiful wooden carvings on the sides of the pews and discretely beautiful Renaissance confessionals.

I was totally drenched and decided I needed to aim for the faster 3pm train home rather than the two hour journey by slow train at 4pm. Trouble was I got lost finding the bus station. Finally the words "This stop, next bus" provided some relief knowing I would soon be out of the rain. I took the metro once back in Prague for a fast trip back to the hostel and a shower and complete change of clothes!
Signing off for now!

Jewish section

Today I visited the Jewish section of Prague. My experience of the day began with this older lady meticulously and carefully entering the date and price details on the ticket.

It was fortunate that I was not doing the sites in order, so I was ahead of the tour groups and had quiet in places that needed quiet. The first synagogue I entered was covered in the names of all those from Prague and Bohemia who had perished in the death camps. Names were listed by area, then alphabetically by name, with family members grouped together. Each person had their birthdate, and the last known contact date with them listed. The names covered the walls of the synagogue. Yet they represent only a fraction of the Jews exterminated overall.

There was another building that covered in detail all the burial customs the Jews practised, obviously of great cultural significance. None of these could take place for those exterminated.

There were many items of Jewish cultural significance displayed. Items used to reverence the Torah scrolls were prominent.

The Spanish synagogue with its rich decoration reminded me of being in Spain. It had many informative cases. Near the end were ones that dealt with the Holocaust, having actual forms and photos. Photos of people getting ready to be transported away were moving. There was a final case of some children's art that had me in tears. It had photos of the children concerned with their birth dates, and in every case their end was in Auchwitz. The art reminded me very much of the farewell pictures some children from school drew for me, that I have in the front of my trip diary. Our New Zealand children are so very fortunate in so many ways.

I needed some quiet sitting time after this last visit and fortunately there were some seats outside in a square and the sun was actually beginning to shine. (It got a lot warmer and I ended up with my jacket, raincoat, hat and gloves, and jersey in my backpack! - I nearly made a metro trip back to the hostel to get rid of them!)

I walked over a bridge and into Mala Strana. In another little square I found some tiny yellow crocuses bursting forth from the earth under some trees. A first sign of spring!!!

I had lunch at Grill U Seminaristy and had very good service there. Very reasonable prices and friendly waiters. When I walked back via the Charles Bridge the sun was shining strongly and there were some buskers out entertaining the crowd.

Discovered the internet cafe where I am writing this about 5 minutes walk from the hostel. Half the price of in town for an hour. Very friendly guy running it. Might be back in a day or two before I leave Prague!

Prague Castle et al

I can hardly believe it is only a week since I left home. Lasting memories of Singapore will be the mobile phones attached to so many ears, the food halls everywhere, the 'human' design around the apartment buildings and the good service provided especially when you ask someone's help to go somewhere.

And now I am on the other side of the world in Europe. Still a bit jetlagged if this doesn't all make sense - the exhausted at 8pm and wide awake at 1am feeling.

Flight from Singapore on Lufthansa was smooth but the service was a shock after Singapore Airlines. Maybe it was our crew, but there were a lot of raucous tones and authoritarian commands. (The travel agent did ask whether I wanted to go for service or price!) A pleasant surprise to get a lovely hostess on the flight to Prague.

Czech customs was efficient but some orders were barked. Our non-EU line got stuck behind a Vietnamese woman with her paperwork not quite in order. Someone had the temerity to see if they could be served at the EU line, long since empty. They got a very rude "EU only" for their trouble!

Feeling jetlagged, I decided to spend the first day wandering in a 'random' manner. (A child from last year's class used 'random' to give me the highest praise: I am sure he would have approved. It was a sunny but cold afternoon. I enjoyed following my nose and taking a look at whatever tower or building embellishment drew my eye next. So much to see. I soon bought a map though to make sure I never got irretrievably lost! It was quite nice to be exploring in places without many tourists for a start. I found my way to the famous Astronomical Clock just before 4pm (quite by accident) so watched it with the throngs. I can't imagine how crowded this place must get in summer because it sure is crowded now!

Hostel (Advantage - IYHF) is pleasant and I am in a roomy dorm with really white sheets. Not much privacy in the shower though. Quite an international crowd, with a few from South America.

Yesterday I did the Castle thing. Has to be done and everyone does it! I took a wandering route in the back way, up a hill some locals were using to walk their dogs and cycle. Got some wonderful views back down over the river and the city, looking through the bare branches of trees that have just endured a cold winter. Passed the royal gardens but they are closed for another week. The crowds in the Castle complex were something to behold. It was a lot less crowded after 2pm though once all the tour groups had passed on through.

St Vitus Cathedral is the main drawcard in the whole complex. Variety of stained glass and many interesting side chapels. Signs at the entrance ask for silence but with the hordes of tour groups that is unlikely to happen.

I loved the simplicity of St George's the best: always love the simple curves of a Romanesque Church.

Came home via the area at the bottom of the hill that suffered so badly in the flooding a few years ago. All restored now it seems, though one wall is still unpainted and shows where the water level reached. Finally got to walk over the famous Charles Bridge. Lots of people and stalls. Some Czech children doing folk dance and some music passed over the bridge - a huge procession of them.

Had sore feet after all the day's walking!

This morning it is raining more than drizzling. Was going to go and visit the Jewish sector but am hiding inside from the rain. Might head there tomorrow when it is supposed to be sunny and "hot". I went to Mass at a church I had passed the other day. Not many churches around that seem to be used as churches and they are mostly closed during the day. This one turned out to have very Baroque embellishment. Even though the congregation was quite small (about 25) there was still a pipe organ and cantor. No heating though!

OK enough for now! Heading out into the rain again in the name of world exploration!