Fantasy Fotos

Rich and I decided to view a photography exhibit located in a gallery on the old town square. Well, really, we decided we had to get out so we stopped for coffee at Cafe Louvre right on the busy Narodni Trida. We climbed up the significant stairs and it was a lovely and interesting spot for a bit of hot drink and even a nab of lunch from the looks of it. Then it was my big idea to see the exhibit I had read about. Women. Lots of women. A man taking pictures of lots of nude young women, mostly in the Carribean. A college student's dream that I paid for. Hmmm. The photo here was snapped at our tram stop at Namesti Miru.

Walkman walking

Rich and I decided to go exploring on Petrin hill. We wanted to see the rose garden and the "original" rose with only five petals. The garden was a little past bloom but we did identify the rose with five petals. Then we headed downhill. We had taken the funicular ride up the hill and now walking down was surprisingly steep. We saw some lovely views of the rooftops of Prague. And what should we pass along the way but this "barbershop" style post. The sticker on it looked intentional, but inspection proved it was nothing of the sort. I thought it was cute.

Finding Friends

On the last night, my brother and grandfather came with me to visit friends on the Old Town Square. Prague has a million beautiful sights, but it also has a lot of wonderful people too. George even showed us the wine display/conference room in their offices adjacent to their apartment. Very impressive!

Cubed at the Black Madonna House

My brother and I went to the Cubist museum in the heart of Old Town in the Black Madonna House. It was small but interesting. There was an Emil Filla creating cubist paintings and scultures in the Czech Republic. See, I knew that artistic blood runs in my veins and now it is confirmed! ;-D

I found the most interesting part about the trip to be the staircase. The elevators were "out of action" according to the sign so we were not given a choice. Good thing.

Man Meters

My brother and I were wandering a bit and came across these curious creatures. They were standing along the curb line like parking meters, but instead of taking money they each greet you with a different expression and perhaps warn you of the folly of parking on the sidewalk. We also discovered Via Musica, a music store that has postings, information and sells tickets for concerts in Prague. There was so much more information here than anywhere else online! Smart store owners.

Baroque

My brother, my grandfather and I all went to hear some music play at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Mala Strana.
It is a grand Baroque church with a lot of gold glitter and oversized figures. The music and voice hung in the vaulted ceilings - a majestic loveliness designed for inspiration. Back at home we opened a bottle of wine and sat around the table getting a bit silly.

Three men on a rail

My brother and grandfather have come for a visit in Prague so we decided to take the "tram tour" on the first day. We took the tram all the way to the end and we are waiting in the sun for the return ride. It has been a bit rainy and cool, but our guests have brought us sunshine and warm temps!

So many doors, so little time

Prague may be a city much like any other, but there is a flourish for color here that I thoroughly enjoy. Besides the painted building facades and beautiful flower plantings there are rich, colorful woods. This elaborate door knocker can be found on the door of the U.S. Embassy. It is a very large wooden door.

Sculptures at the Tram stop

I took a long walk to take photos of some sculptures I had seen at a tram stop. Fallen angels mostly but they'e got WoW.

The only sculptures not on the ground were without wings, but they were just as dramatically figured.

The sculptures were so accessible too. When I first arrived in the morning there were two young children running all around the sculptures which are set on a dais in a nicely sized square.

Dobry Pes (good dog)

So many dogs in Prague! And often of such good disposition and well socialized (they know their manners). But many times a dog will be tethered outside a store or inside the market, as the dog on the picture was, and he'll be so anxious. I've seen some dogs bark incessantly until the owner came out of the store again.

Tied up

This is different living. In the States we had closets and furniture with drawers. There were places to store things and things to store. But here we have just what we packed in our suitcases and there is just one closet (or cupboard if you're British). We have two armoires in our bedroom. One has shelves and the other has hangers. But not very many so I've hung blouses over blouses. What do you do with belts - or ties for that matter? As you can see, one armoire has its doors always open.

There are drawers under the beds and I've put linens in them and then put two drawers under the spare room bed. There is the cupboard in the spare room but it has no shelves and nowhere to hang anything. There is no armoire. Where would our guests unpack their clothes? Hmmm. No bedside tables either, although we have added them in the master bedroom. And no vacuum, just a broom. I find it to be most curious living.

Nocturnal Nurturing

Prague is beautiful during the day, but at night it reveals a different luster. Yesterday I had the strong urge to wander - so Rich and I hopped the tram and meandered along the streets and alleyways until we found ourselves at this breathtaking spot. Prague Castle is in the far distant center. There were so many seagulls and to hear them flying and calling around the tops and towers of the buildings set against the mixed royal blue hues of the sky was to be transported.

The Colonel

We come up out of the metro onto the street and walk towards Starometska Namesti because our friends live on the old town square. And every time we pass by the Colonel it disturbs me. It feels like I've been presented with blue tomatoes.

Defining small

Rich and I went for a visit to our local park and as we were walking home we passed by this Fiat. Rich was quite amazed at how small it really was. It almost looks like a toy! But small cars are very good when gas is over US$8.00 a gallon...

Fabulous Flooring

This is the floor in my bedroom. And, yes, I was messing with the colors again. There are parquet floors throughout the flat and they are truly lovely.

Shopping at Andel

I've been foolin' with the photos again. It's just so much fun and there's so much to learn. Yesterday we went to Smichov to buy train tickets and so we decided to shop at the big grocery store in Andel where we switched trams. I took one of my favorite store window photos and then tooled around with saturation, hue, sharpness and finally tiling. Does it get better than playing with photos while sipping smooth coffee and eating dark chocolate? I think not!

pillow therapy

I was having troubles sleeping. Rich has been sick and I've had an avalanche of work. So I did what any good American would do. I sat down with a specialist. I described my symptoms - the terrible back pain with nerve pain radiating down my left arm and leg.

And sure enough after just one consultation I felt better. Not just a little bit better, but a LOT better. I had an entire night's sleep without significant pain. Hallelujah!



And I know it's wrong to get involved with a therapist, but I just couldn't resist. So soft, so supportive of my neck. Well, after just one night together it's true love! Who knew one pillow could make such a huge difference in the health and well-being of my back.

Kazdy den...

Every day (or nearly every day) I wake up and take a walk in the park. There are several small parks sprinkled all around our neighborhood. The weather has been so lovely and sunny, especially in the mornings. The picture shows one of my favorite parts of the walk. This park is up on a hill and I get to look past the flowers to the neighborhood below. Then I walk gradually downhill to the tram stop and then up several flights of stairs to yet another park with fragrant roses in bloom. Then I find myself back on Korunni for a block until I reach #56 - home.