olšanské hřbitovy

in žižkov (prague 3), there is an old, seemingly endless collection of twelve cemeteries called olšanské hřbitovy.  one of them, called prague cemetery, is where the victims of the 14th century plague epidemic are buried in mass graves.  there is a cemetery reserved for orthodox and greek catholics, and a jewish cemetery, where franz kafka is buried.  also here is jan palach, a student who committed suicide by self-immolation on václavské náměstí in 1969, in protest of the soviet occupation of czechoslovakia (the square on which my school is - náměstí jana palacha - is named after him).  i went on a quiet walk among old and forgotten graves, some completely overgrown with vines.  i didn't look for any of the famous graves - in fact i didn't think of them until now - but i think maybe that is better, as in search of them i would have missed everything else.

the world is quiet here: vyšehrad

i went to prague 2 to vyšehrad, the "other" castle, situated on a hill over the river and completely free of crowds.  the castle dates back to the 10th century, but the saint peter and saint paul basilica, the twin-spired neo-gothic cathedral in its center, was built in the late 19th.  behind the cathedral is the vyšehrad cemetery, the final resting place of  antonín dvořák, bedřich smetana, alfons mucha, and other famous czechs. 

many of the headstones have intricate detailing and the mausoleums surrounding the central plots are very beautiful, especially those decorated in art nouveau style:

simple, simple golden lines, it's perfect.  i just came here to walk around in a quiet place; i did not expect to find so many interesting colors, shapes, and patterns to think about.