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| Strossmayerovo náměstí, in Prague 7 |
Until 2016.
It is an ugly modern brutalist building in northern Prague. I walked up to the building, asked the woman at the desk if this is where "The Slav Epic" was on display and I was told "The Slav Epic" is in there no more. The masterwork of the preeminent Czech artist is on display nowhere. It is locked in warehouse until they figure out what to do. Which they have not been able to do in the three years.
So I went under a bridge. The famous Charles Bridge. To Kampa Island.
Right along the Vltava. Yes, an island is found along the waterside.
I was searching for one of the more famous works by a contemporary Czech artist, David Cerny.
Babies!
David Cerny is the whimsical Czech artist who did the peeing men fountain outside the Kafka Museum, or the statute of Good Ling Wenceslas riding an upside down horse.
These are his babies. Or, to use the Czech, "Miminka."
Some people think the heads looks like TV screens from the old cathode ray tube era.
They look like rotting fruit to me. Whatever. They're awesome. See I don't hate all modern art.
Just when its mediocre.
Time to cross the river and leave Kampa Island.
It's not much of a river on the west side of the island. Anyway, cross the river, get to the Újezd tram stop and I see ...
Lanovka! And Lanovka is the Czech word for ...
Fun? Close. It's the Czech word for ...
Funicular! Lanovka = Funicular.
There is nothing better on a gloomy, rainy Wednesday in a foreign capital than to ride a funicular.
This one goes up Petrin Hill.
Petrin Hill is known for its Tower.
The Petrin Tower is a "replica" of the Eiffel Tower. It is smaller than the Eiffel Tower, but taller, if you start counting its height from the bottom of Petrin Hill.
Which, truth be told -- and I like Prague -- is something that only a boastful Praguer would say to justify why there is an Eiffel Tower copy in their city.
I saw four stations of the cross up here.
The last four, Stations XI, XII, XIII and XIV, I believe. I'm not sure where you go for Stations I through X, or if they even still exist -- the communists could have done something unspeakable to them -- but I only saw four stations here.
And an Orthodox Church.
And I tiny chapel. Not sure of its religion. We'll call it "interfaith" and be very 21st Century about it. Or maybe merely "ecumenical."
And then there was this ...
The Mirror Maze. Put atop Petrin Hill for an international exposition in, I believe, 1891. Normally, I wouldn't go for a funhouse mirror room, but (a) it's historic, from 1891, and (b) I'm on vacation. So I paid my 90 Czech crowns, about four bucks, and in I went. For the history.
And the Mirror Maze most definitely was a period piece, looking very much from the late 19th Century. Although, truth be told, the maze was not very difficult.
The middle section was a mural of an important event in Prague history from 1648:
And the last section was the beauty mirrors:
This mirror distorted my physique to make me look fat. 'Cuz I am.
I had a friend in law school who was built like this:
Even though he had little short legs, he was the same height as me because he was all torso.
And in this one, my face looks fat:
'Cuz it is. It is.
Anyway, to paraphrase that fantastic awesome incredible disco song from 1979, "Boogie Oogie Ooogie": If you're thinking you're too cool for the Mirror Maze / Boy oh boy have I got news for you. I'm never too cool. For anything. So I end up getting to do cool things like the 1891 Mirror Maze.
The rains were starting to fall harder, so time to end the day's mozying for photos. Well, one last photo set. The Czech national theater.
And the newer national theater. And people wonder why I hate modern architecture so much,
One last look at the two together.
This is the last day in Prague. Tomorrow I catch some sort of transportation to the spa town of Karlovy Vary.
So I went under a bridge. The famous Charles Bridge. To Kampa Island.
Right along the Vltava. Yes, an island is found along the waterside.
I was searching for one of the more famous works by a contemporary Czech artist, David Cerny.
Babies!
David Cerny is the whimsical Czech artist who did the peeing men fountain outside the Kafka Museum, or the statute of Good Ling Wenceslas riding an upside down horse.
These are his babies. Or, to use the Czech, "Miminka."
Some people think the heads looks like TV screens from the old cathode ray tube era.
They look like rotting fruit to me. Whatever. They're awesome. See I don't hate all modern art.
Just when its mediocre.
Time to cross the river and leave Kampa Island.
It's not much of a river on the west side of the island. Anyway, cross the river, get to the Újezd tram stop and I see ...
Lanovka! And Lanovka is the Czech word for ...
Fun? Close. It's the Czech word for ...
Funicular! Lanovka = Funicular.
There is nothing better on a gloomy, rainy Wednesday in a foreign capital than to ride a funicular.
This one goes up Petrin Hill.
Petrin Hill is known for its Tower.
The Petrin Tower is a "replica" of the Eiffel Tower. It is smaller than the Eiffel Tower, but taller, if you start counting its height from the bottom of Petrin Hill.
Which, truth be told -- and I like Prague -- is something that only a boastful Praguer would say to justify why there is an Eiffel Tower copy in their city.
I saw four stations of the cross up here.
The last four, Stations XI, XII, XIII and XIV, I believe. I'm not sure where you go for Stations I through X, or if they even still exist -- the communists could have done something unspeakable to them -- but I only saw four stations here.
And an Orthodox Church.
And I tiny chapel. Not sure of its religion. We'll call it "interfaith" and be very 21st Century about it. Or maybe merely "ecumenical."
And then there was this ...
The Mirror Maze. Put atop Petrin Hill for an international exposition in, I believe, 1891. Normally, I wouldn't go for a funhouse mirror room, but (a) it's historic, from 1891, and (b) I'm on vacation. So I paid my 90 Czech crowns, about four bucks, and in I went. For the history.
And the Mirror Maze most definitely was a period piece, looking very much from the late 19th Century. Although, truth be told, the maze was not very difficult.
The middle section was a mural of an important event in Prague history from 1648:
And the last section was the beauty mirrors:
This mirror distorted my physique to make me look fat. 'Cuz I am.
I had a friend in law school who was built like this:
Even though he had little short legs, he was the same height as me because he was all torso.
And in this one, my face looks fat:
'Cuz it is. It is.
Anyway, to paraphrase that fantastic awesome incredible disco song from 1979, "Boogie Oogie Ooogie": If you're thinking you're too cool for the Mirror Maze / Boy oh boy have I got news for you. I'm never too cool. For anything. So I end up getting to do cool things like the 1891 Mirror Maze.
The rains were starting to fall harder, so time to end the day's mozying for photos. Well, one last photo set. The Czech national theater.
And the newer national theater. And people wonder why I hate modern architecture so much,
One last look at the two together.
This is the last day in Prague. Tomorrow I catch some sort of transportation to the spa town of Karlovy Vary.
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