Prague

Parking our van a few kilometres out of the city centre and catching public transport for a few days provided us with more opportunity to take in Prague and its cultural sights.

First we headed to the old town Square, where we found a free festival that included music, outdoor entertainment and food stalls. We enjoyed beers in the sun, together with Bratwurst on rye while taking in the music and people watching. 

Prague has a vibrant and an edgy arts scene and the band we saw was no exception. They were dressed as members of the delinquent gang in Stanley Kubricks 1971 movie A Clock Work Orange.

By chance we had arrived in Prague on the first Saturday of the month, a day when all of Prague's public museums open their doors for free from 7pm onwards. We loved the Fall of the Iron Curtain photo exhibition at the Castle Summer Palace (refer to other blog, entitled Fall of the Iron Curtain).

That night we had a meal at U Flecku. Since 1499 U Flecku has served beers and meals to the people of Prague. It also served Tanya and her classmates from Munkensdam Gymnasium in 1991 when they were on a school trip.  

U Flecku has 8 large rooms it uses for bars, most of which are set up in a beer hall style. We sat under the trees in a courtyard and ate pork knuckle and goulash with beer. What was interesting is U Flecku consciously limit their range of food and drink. There was just one beer on offer, a dark pilsner that was as good as remembered from 28 years ago. The food menu consists of no more than five items. There were three types of spirits in shot glasses that were actively pushed by the waiters.

Male waiters carried heavy trays some of 20 x 0.5L beer glasses others had a section of spirits in 50 or so shot glasses. The waiters went from table to table continuously offering drinks. Meals were delivered by the waiter carrying 12 or more plates. The waiters kept tabs on your account by marking a scrap of paper under your beer coaster this was later taken to a cashier for payment.

The next morning we walked the city looking at street art. In Wenceslas Square, there is a famous statue of King Wenceslas on his horse victorious post battle. 

Just off Wenceslas Square, there is a David Cerny sculpture parodying the King Wenceslas sculpture. In the David Cerny version Wenceslas is sitting on a dead horse.

Davis Cerny is a Czech artist who was commissioned to make a number of public art pieces displayed around Prague. Another piece of David Cerny art is of Czech jewish author, Franz Kafkas head. The head is horizontally sliced into 20 different spheres which rotate (individually and collectively). They break up the sculpture only to reform it facing another direction. The sculpture is made of highly polished metal which reflect the light and surrounds.

Another oddity of Prague was the open elevator. It is a constantly moving elevator that you step into as it goes by. You step out of it, at the floor of your choice. It has no doors so would not pass any OHS test in most of the rest of the world. It made Tanya feel very uncomfortable, but Craig loved it.

Parts of Prague are full of tourists, the Charles Bridge is the most popular attraction, it is closed to cars and we added to the throng packed across shoulder to shoulder all the way. 
In all we loved Prague.