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.

honey in the sun

i found one i found one!  i went to divoká šárka, again like yesterday, and sitting on the very top of the cliff, i noticed one of my yellow fields on a hill far far ahead.  i thought, i have all day, and set off in what was approximately the right direction, since when i got down i could no longer see it.  i walked through fields and hills and streets, and just when i came out onto a road and was about to give up, i noticed a sliver of yellow to my right.  i turned into a small pathway, and came out into this giant sea of yellow.  from the center of it, i could see the hill i was sitting on when i spotted it.  one, two, three, four... despite all letdowns, i am lucky like a four leaf clover.

říše loutek

t. and i went to the puppet theater called říše loutek ("kingdom of puppets") in a side street near our school.  i love the tiny art deco theater with green walls, glowing stars on the ceiling, and a miniature stage with red curtains. the dolls are funny with little leather shoes.  we were mostly surrounded by children, who understood the plot of the play better than we did, but it made sense, and i think the moral was something like, "beating people that have wronged you with a stick will solve all of your problems."  oh, i just translated the title of the play, "obušku, z pytle ven!" and it means something like, "wooden stick, come out of the bag!" we found the theater by chance once, and it is like a little secret.  the performances are every saturday and sunday, and i think i might become a regular there.  good way to learn czech, too.

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.

folkin' around

i found a hidden gem today. the historické muzeum, a branch of národní muzeum tucked away in a little white chateau in a corner of the park kinského zahrada, houses a precious collection of czech costume, toys, embroidery, and other traditional crafts. each room is dedicated to a different part of czech traditions, such as crafts, feasting, customs of spring, summer, christmas, birth and death, and wedding.

 everything is in czech, but between buying a student ticket, turning in my coat, and being given directions to where everything is in the museum, i am happy to say that i did not have to resort to english for one second.  the museum is quiet and not very big, but was clearly put together with such love and care, that i felt so happy and calm to carefully observe each beautiful object, to the sound of traditional music in some rooms, and simply chirping birds in others.  i want to come back here every weekend until i have drawn every item on display!

čajovna u kostela

n. and i went to another tearoom this evening.  they had better halva than the clock tower tea club, and something very very delicious called masala chai, which is a sweet indian tea brewed with milk and strong spices.  this was a good way to spend the evening because i was like a zombie all day.

artěl: art for everyday use, 1908-1935

last tuesday, when the city gallery was discovered closed and exhibition-less,  our weekly guide zuzana bauerova took the group to the uměleckoprůmyslové museum v praze (the museum of applied arts in prague), which currently has on exhibit beautifully designed objects for everyday use, and especially the most precious, cutest little wooden toys from the czech artěl applied arts scene of the early 20th century.  no photography allowed in the museum, so i drew some of them instead.

no. 31, ulice čechova

if found this house yesterday, on the next street, and immediately and inexplicably wanted to cry.  i have come back to stand in front of it twice today, my head filling with stories about who must live in the top floor, where the door leading to the decaying balcony is open.  it must be the home of someone like the canterville ghost.  judging by the inscription "léta páně mdccccv," it was built in 1905.

then later today, i saw one of "our" men, in a black trench coat, walking down the street toward me, and decided that he, without a doubt, lives, slightly miss havisham-style, in this house.  he drinks cold tea and sits at a three-legged writing desk, writing detective stories.

park stromovka

i finally went to explore my neighborhood, bubeneč, and found this very, very large and dismally beautiful park behind the street where i live.  there are many hidden places and twisty trees, and mysterious mansions visible on hilltops.