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A Farewell
Morning Glories | 27.06.19
Last day of Prague.
A farewell to Prague, at last. It’s in the final days when you begin to appreciate the small consistencies. The small daily Prague adventures that, once is left, is gone. My time is done here. The early morning and late night trips to Flora Atrium. The strange, ‘I have no idea what anything is in here but I love you at the same time’ relationship with Alberts. Waiting for trams to come; getting blown over by the approaching subway. Finding that hidden gem, a friendly and conversational Czech, whom helps us to feel more at home. To all of this I say goodbye.
Saying farewell to each other came shortly after. This farewell meant something different to everyone. To the kid who finally had some freedom, he says goodbye to that. Goodbye to the freedom of staying up late, wandering the city all alone and never having to report to anyone. For one person, they’re saying goodbye to relationships. For a month, they thrived, living next to people who truly understood this person for who they were. Now they say goodbye to friends, returning to a home of searching. For the kid who came here to find themself, they are saying goodbye to their old self. Returning home with a better self, one that is maybe not completely sure, but confident in that we are all just trying to do our best.
For me, I am saying goodbye to a place that pushed me. Pushed me to walk farther, look harder and think more creatively. A place that inspired writing and easily allowed me to press my camera shutter. To early morning sunrises and dark of the night moonlight, to green parks and bus trips, to the people. The people who laughed with me, cried with me, got drunk with me, ate with me, danced with me and inspired me to take better photos.
Facing You
Small Wonder | 26.06.19
Day twenty-nine of Prague.
Facing you, Prague. We have walked all along the tops of you. Through your crooked cobblestone streets, climbed to your highest of high points, and have swam deep below your frigid waters. Today, we got to go below you and uncover your darkness.
Boy did we find it. You are a smelly one Prague. Despite the smell, your brick walled tunnels provided us a cool escape from the Central Europe heat wave. We also discovered our favorite tour guide of the trip. It’s interesting that we would be going to a sewer on our second to last day in Prague, but this guy made it all the worth while. His witty comments and his way completely outsmarting us while keeping himself humble gave light in the smelly and rather chilling sewers.
The last way I’d like to face you, Prague, is from the skies. To glide over your spire filled sky, sailing up and over your hilly landscape. I have my bearings by now and would be able to view all of my favorite places I got to experience while here. With only a month with you, I couldn’t have possibly discovered all of you. Yet from the skies, I could see it all. Every local, every tourist, ever dog, every building, every drunk, every park bench romance.
Prague Bible
Not From These Parts | 25.06.19
Day twenty-eight of Prague.
The hard work week is over, the kids are out of school and the dogs are on leashes. It may be the middle of the week now, but Prague has some amazing things to do that can cost so little. You can tell crowds of people can agree as the hustle and bustle of the city is really hustling and bustling with tourists when Friday comes.
As it’s the last week of my time in the fairytale city, I am going to write and list all my favorites of Prague. The places that have made me cry, made me laugh, made me angry, made me miss home- the places that made me love this new home of mine.
Food: Cheap and good. Everything is under ten bucks and everything is delicious. My favorite Italian restaurants were Pasta Fresca, Pizzeria La Ventola and Lasagniera. The best Thai/Vietnamese/ Asian places were Lemon leaf, WokIn and Pho Vietnam Tuan & Lan. Best coffee shops/cute, or ‘froo froo’ as my dad would call them, were 1902, Cafe Jedna, Home Kitchen Jungmannova, Cukrárna Alchymista, Bistro 8 and The Farm. Sandwiches- Bread Gap and Sisters. Pizza for sure Pizza Letna, biggest pizzas you’ve ever seen in your life, take it to Letna, get some wine, go crazy ! Best meats at Kantyna and Dish. Finish your day with ice cream at Angelato and Creme De La Creme.
Bars: Number one, Dog bar. M1, James Dean, Anonymous and Roxy. U Malého Glena Jazz Club.
Cities you need to visit: Cesky Krumlov, more like KrumLOVE. 😉 Carlsbad and Kutna Hora.
Places/things that made me oh so happy but oh so nostalgic: Letna, Riegrovy Savy, Lucerne rooftop bar, Kampa Island, swimming in the Vlatava and pedal boating on the Vlatava. Anything on the Vlatava.
Prague is amazing because everything is cheap. Money is the biggest robber of our happiness so I’m happy to be in a city where I can for once feel comfortable.
Night Tram 92
Nocturnalist | 24.06.19
Day twenty-seven of Prague.
Tram 92. The saving grace. The small little tube that carries us home once the moon replaces the sun. This is place that is a safe house for many, which gives me the opportunity to witness a mysterious side of Prague.
Typically when walking through the streets of Prague, you are terrified you’re going to get run over by a tram. They are relentless and unforgiving at times. The drivers will stare at you in the eyes as they quickly approach the area of the street you are crossing. When you are running down the sidewalk prepared to squeeze your body through the closing doors of the tram you see how little patience it has for waiting up. If you make it on, its a bumpy ride that feels like a surf park. A hard turn here and a fast stop there, either will send you flying into the arms of an even more unforgiving stranger.
Yet the night tram brings us out of darkness and into safety. It takes the tired, drunk and lost people home. I witness little kids become mesmerized by the ground moving so fast below and the lights dancing as we quickly pass by buildings. A couple, who have drunkly fallen in love for the night, uses this tram to have just a few more minuets together before the sun rises and everything is forgotten. The tram becomes lively when a stag group of overly buff men step on and think this city is their own. Never speaking English, you only get to witness how their shorts barley reach mid-thigh and their pitchy singing.
Honey, Honey, Lets Go With These We Know
Morning Glories | 23.06.19
Day twenty-six of Prague.
Prague is booming and blooming. Booming with growth and blooming with life. Directionally- near, far, high and low. Relationally- big, small, fair and dark. As I trek through these weeks in Prague, I get to experience many walks of life. My favorite being what some might call the tourists, the travelers, or the dreamers.
Solo Searchers. The people who decide to do and experience life for themselves. To release all attachments to their homeland and explore what is unfamiliar to them. Along the way, they find a few familiar faces in the evening, yet come the morning, the solo searcher leaves the familiarity and returns to the unknown, hoping one day they will find what their feet are searching for.
Definite Duos. The tag team that is free from doubt and certain for an escape. It’s from that one night when they stare down onto a city busied with others, they want the world for themselves. A drop and go, leave and forget, live and relive dream. The type of dream to take them to the unexpected that’s completely unplanned. Living from a hostel to a car to a stranger’s back house. Uncertain, but so sure of the adventure.
Capable Crew. The “Hey dude, let’s just buy a plane ticket” kind of conversation. Where all of your buddies grab a backpack and decide to experience a new time. A time where you can go out to dark and electric bars and discover your new favorite band. Deciding last minute to skydive over mountains that don’t come close to your plane. Finding unlikely strangers to host and feed a your motley crew their favorite dish. They’re in it together.
Näked
A Thousand Words | 22.06.19
Day twenty-five of Prague.
Prague likes to show me everything and more. Sometimes more than I want to see, sometimes just the right sweet spot. There are sweet moments of couples embracing under the fairytale like castle views, transporting someone into a real life movie. Kids dancing along the Vlatava trying to keep up with the swans that both flock and disappear like snow. Groups of people gathering in Riegrovy Savy’s sweet spot that over looks the city, playing musical instruments that you’d never know how the strings move to songs.
Yet sometimes Prague is like this naked man. Exposing its more interesting parts to those who happen upon them. I see a city that is hidden in shadows, driven by alcohol and drugs. Intimacy that should be left behind closed doors, has its doors wide open to those who pass by. And of course the forwardness of men on women.
The beauty of studying abroad is getting to leave the honeymoon phase of traveling to a city. You get to see the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The way the sun kisses the city to wake it from its sleep, to watching the moon give drunks the little bit of light to continue into their ways of fulfillment. Living here gives me the opportunity to pick what light I want to be seen in and appreciating the culture of the light I wish to not partake.
Bone Dance
Architecturally Speaking | 21.06.19
Day twenty-four of Prague.
The funny thing is, our bodies are all going to be left like this. Give or take how the body will be handled and displayed, but our physical bodies are destined to decay.
It’s even more interesting how people come from all over to this tiny city of Kutna Hora to witness this church. Sedlec Ossuary is a small Roman Catholic chapel that contains about 40,000 bodies. The bones are carefully crafted into a dark and ominous yet beautiful architecture. From a bone chandelier to skull draperies, wherever you look, a soullessness is looking upon you.
The church buried so many people there that the priest decided to decorate the building in the bones rather than removing all of the bodies and restarting. There were still many people who wanted to get buried here, and the church is said to never turn down no-body.
A man stands face to face with what looks like it should be him. It’s what he is made up of, yet it seems so obscure that we are just bones. He stares and looks at his fate, how he soon will be nothing. Lifeless, as his soul ascends, his bones are on this earth forever. And just like the skulls in this church, they are left as an object, completely forgotten, none of their hard work and good deeds remembered.
This church represents how life has ended here, but their souls haven’t eternally.
Letna’s Canopy
Weekend Miser | 20.06.19
Day twenty-three of Prague.
Space for the city and room for life to breathe. All of the people within it, never hesitate to make it outside and enjoy the green playground. It is the best free weekend activity the Czech Republic has.
I really appreciate just how many parks are in Prague. Not to mention how covered they are with the richest of green grass and heavily forested with trees. The grass invites its guest with open arms giving a nice platform for picnics, Prosecco and naps. The trees offer a commercial break to the hot, midday sun. Some may use them to scale towards the clouds, getting the best view of the park and the city.
The parks are carefully placed to where many of them rest upon a hill. Although a hike to reach, a little exercise warrants a long, lazy lay. If you can keep you eyes open, the view from the top dazzles and jumps. You get to watch the hustle and bustle of the five 0’clock rush hour, without having to be among it. The busiest traffic in these parks has to be the large amount of dogs that dance in the sun light. If you’re lucky, they’ll pay your picnic blanket a visit.
Sun Crawlers
Morning Glories | 19.06.19
Day twenty-two of Prague.
Watching the sun set on an evening blurs into a sunrise. The warm glow of the sun starts to mean different things to whomever treks below it. The light can signal that it is time to go home. Time to kick up you feet and throw your head back, far enough to where your own mind begins to slip like the evening sun.
To some, when the light grabs a hold of your bedroom curtains and starts to peek through them, trying to catch a glimpse of what’s sleeping past them, this is their wake up call. A call to rub the eyes, give a groan, and give it all you got to not snooze the alarm. By the time the static fuzz rubs away from your eyes, you find yourself in front of a mirror, ready to give the best pep talk to help you rise like the morning sun.
Yet, there is an in between. A group of people that I like to call the sun crawlers. Chasers of the light, populates of the dark. Here for when everyone goes home, yet alive before they’re back up again. The sun crawlers find both the sunset and the sunrise, And they find perfection in it. They turn loose in the night, and let imperfection settle in.
These two girls passed through the night, letting the booze carry them to Charles Bridge. They didn’t tell the sun to rise, but it knew it was time to bring light upon their night. They laugh and giggled, probably confused if the night had even happened. Was the sun actually rising, or did their minds slip too deep when throwing their heads back at the end of a day, finally waking up from a dream state?
The rest of Charles Bridge began to busy with early morning commuters. Rather than just passing through like the rest, these girls were there to stay, just for a little while, just for now.
Bird Watch
Nocturnalist | 18.06.19
Day twenty-one of Prague.
Iv’e discovered a hidden gem of Prague. One that you can only discover when the sun has set just beneath the red roof tops.
Your eyes can only view it when it lets go of the barrier and allows the sun to go down and the moon to come up. A view that is only attainable through a never ending elevator and a spiral staircase. This if a fairly cheap, yet worth every moment, activity. One that will restore your faith in Prague after being drained by its constant business.
Yet when you make it to the view, it is a whole new side of Prague. It is the same Prague, just with a new set of eyes. Eyes that allow me to see it as a calm yet intentional city. One where two people share a glass of Prosecco while watching the sun set over the Vlatava river. Or a man and a wife getting to watch the sun set like it’s their last.
At the top, there was a woman who was sitting all alone. She was listening to the birds sing to the dance of the sun, watching them flutter like they weren’t even enclosed. Im sure just like the birds, this woman wanted to fly freely off of the rooftop away from everything, yet she was in fact enclosed by society.
Afternoons in Prague
Location Notation | 17.06.19
Day twenty of Prague.
The best part of living in Prague is taking part in Europe’s tradition of a siesta. Every afternoon, Czechs get into a daytime snoozing habit. Disregarding any workload, a break is taken typical after their midday meal.
Czechs value their lunch the most, so therefore it is the heaviest meal of the day. A stuffed stomach combined with the heat of the early afternoon reaching its peak, a perfect opportunity to sneak away for a nap is born.
I personally have started to immerse myself in the culture by partaking in a daily siesta. It is the one thing I can count on while living in such an unfamiliar country for a month. We tend to finish our excursions in the early afternoon and then take a lunch break. After this, I return home and pop on my sleeping mask. From then, I dream about the next great meal or of the things I miss from home.
However, you can see people taking part in siestas all around the city. Czechs find a shaded area of grass or a nice quiet park bench to rest their heads. The shade provides a refreshing break from the day and allows their minds to wade in the cool air so they too can dream.
We’re Taking The Tram to Flora
Around Here | 16.06.19
Day nineteen of Prague.
I applaud Prague most thus far for its public transportation system. Above ground or below, two wheels, eight wheels, electric or manual, there are many alternatives to the planet-draining-cars everyone seems to prefer and giving us new eyes for the city.
Prague has taken a course in sustainability and provides many ways for citizens to help the environment. The subway is not only an underground escape from the heat of day, but a quick rocket ship to your next destination. It transfers millions of people each day, helping cut down on above ground traffic. There are many trams that run day and night through every nook and cranny of the city. People strap on a helmet and ride their bike to and fro. The best part of all of this is that I am seeing less and less C0 emissions.
My favorite part of the public transportation system is the opportunity it gives me to see. It allows me to look up from my phone and see the city before me. While taking the tram, I see this has a perfect opportunity to scout out my next morning coffee or dinner spot. Yet it also lets me relax. As we ride over the Vlatava river, I can watch the sun set over the buildings and see how it begins to put to bed the winding down Czechs.
While riding the subway, I get to people watch. I try to watch how one person gets on and they become a unique individual. This person is so different from me and is so intriguing as I study them. Yet when the subway comes to a stop, the person flees into the crowd losing their individuality that I once witnessed.
I am probably an individual to someone, yet as the Subway pulls up to my stop Flora, I am like the person before, lost and perhaps forgotten.
Window Whisperers
Architecturally Speaking | 15.06.19
Day eighteen of Prague.
One man lets his head peep out of his window for just a moment. A quick smile downward and a soft wave towards his friends below. The man sends some playful banter downward while his friends make some rowdy noises upward. They have claimed this little alley way.
Another man sits high above, yet here is in his own world and he is to stay there for a while. Ignoring what’s happening below, he looks towards the sky. High above the red roofs, the Painted Tower rises above. He outstretches his arm tracking the buildings height upwards. With a pencil and his thumb, he measures each nook and cranny of the tower’s exterior. The artist has claimed what’s above rather than what’s below.
I have noticed the Czech Republic’s cities has million of window whisperers. I see all throughout the city little people peering out of big buildings. Sometimes there are very important things to be seeing. Protests, concerts and parades. Yet sometimes some are looking simply just to look. They watch people stride below them, knowing they will never see them again. For a quick moment they are able to imagine a life other than their own, and then the moment is gone with the passerby.
Red Roof, Red Roof, Red Roof
Location Notation | 14.06.19
Day seventeen of Prague.
Under each red titled, short stacked, tightly knitted roof, is a story. Some stories we will be able to discover in this lifetime. Some might become exposed after the household has passed away. However, some will never be discovered.
Under my own little red rood, is my story. The story of the apartment Slezská 107. We have just breached into week three out of four. I have eaten a whole bag of parmesan goldfish, and only have half of a bag left. I accidentally ripped down the curtain rode in my bedroom. The green tea I bought is fruity flavored. My clothes dried in the shape they were laid. And I today I have laid in bed all day sniffling.
Even within my own red roof, there is more than just my story. Just below, there is an apartment that contains best of Prague. This apartment is home to the only cat I have seen in Prague so far. And that is an apartment that has story worth telling. Just next to me is my roommate, who has a story of her own. I only get a four week glimpse into the life of this girl. From then, I wait and look in the history books.
You Again
Noticed | 13.06.19
Day sixteen of Prague.
I appreciate how much the Czechs notice each other. It seems like the whole city is interconnected in some way. (The man has a wife who is friends with the fruit seller who has a kid that swims in the Vlatava that the man lifeguards for) (TBD). A round-about scenario like that.
They appreciate time with each other. I see the value of having a beer at a beer garden or grabbing Prosecco and cheese and heading to the river. They find time in the morning, have a siesta at lunch, and spend the evening being amongst their friends.
“Dobry den!” The most common and useful phrase, which means hello, that you need to know when going to the Czech Republic. You will pick it up pretty quickly since it is used every time you walk by someone. Even if you dont know know a single person in a crowd, you will hear a symphony dobry dens. This is probably the most vulnerable Czechs will be with one another.
I wonder how I have only been in Cesky Krumlov for two days now, yet I have seen so many of the same people. Even as I walk through through the city’s streets, I see myself passing by familiar faces. Making the unfamiliar land a little more familiar.
Evening On The Vlatava
Around Here | 12.06.19
Day fifteen of Prague.
Vltava River runs all throughout the Czech Republic. It’s slowly flowing waters provide a relaxing musical. The chilled golden water gives a burst of refreshment to those who enter it during a hot sunny day. The twists and bends make a town all the more interesting when exploring.
This is the town of Cesky Krumlov. Roughly two and a half hours outside of Prague’s city center, it is the place where all fairy tales can take place. With huge castles, a tower that waits for Rapunzel to descend and buildings that glow with the evening sun, you find yourself in a magical land.
You can venture just ten minutes and find yourself in large fields that overlook all of Krumlov. As you run through the grass, you start move with the wind that shapes the flowers. We feel the crisp cool morning air trying to live its last breath before the warm sun starts to shine.
The city is haunted by many of their past residents. From a princess that haunts the castle’s halls to a school boy and a nun thats said to still be battling out their classroom drama. One should pay close attention when passing through the city’s streets at night.
Beyond the City’s Hills
Location Notation | 11.06.19
Day fourteen of Prague.
Today we ventured outside of Prague. We went to a place that can loosely be called a city. We hopped on a bus and travelled west. The row of buildings slowly morfed into rolling hills, exchanging between fields of crops and fields of small towns. The traffic became none as did the sounds of a loud city. It was quiet and barren. We had made it to Lidice.
The city of Lidice lies roughly an hour outside of Prague’s city center. One roughly calls it a city because there is nothing there but a couple of lost, but not forgotten, pieces of rock. The field that lied before us was once a whole village of people back in June of 1942. The day before it became nothing, people were playing in the village’s small lake and sitting outside on their porch with their dog. One day later, all that was left was the memory.
During World War II, 7 Czech men planned and carried out a successful assignation on Hitler’s right hand man. In response, Hitler took revenge on the Czech Republic and gave order to completely wipe out the entire city of Lidice.
In just a couple of hours, the buildings were burned to the ground then blown up by bombs. Men, age 15 and above, were lined up against a wall and were shot in the chest and head. Woman and children were taken to work camps, many of them being gassed on the ride out there. The cities trees were all cut down, and the graveyard’s bodies were all brought up. By the end of the raid, there was no evidence of Lidice. Hitler had wiped Lidice off the map.
What amazes me is that Prague is still a city that’s standing today. The man above can look out on this overlook and still see almost all Prague’s original buildings. Hitler raided these city’s streets yet left the walls standing. With this view, we remember Lidice.
A Man and His City
Not From These Parts | 10.06.19
Day thirteen of Prague.
It has been two weeks since I first stepped foot in the Czech Republic. I still get uncomfortable and I am still found in unfamiliar places. I pass by millions of people each day who never speak with words that my mind can register. I sometimes find myself swept into the hustle and bustle of 5 o’clock subway traffic. Yet, I sometimes find myself alone, only surrounded by the buildings that tower beside me.
However, by now, I can stand on the edge of an overlook and point out the city’s landmarks and neighborhoods. I’ve learned what narrow passages I can weave through to avoid the tourist traffic. Parks have become my escape by day, while quaint coffee shops by night.
Sometimes I feel like this man in the photo. Surrounded by a city with millions of people, people of all different shapes, sizes, religions, cultures and political views. Yet this man is still an individual. He is one person moving through the city, mirroring the flow of the Vltava river. Sometimes moving too quickly, yet will always slow down trying to pass through as much of the city as one can.
It’s History
Small Wonder | o9.06.19
Day twelve of Prague.
Moments come and ago. Just like the whirling tide, just like plump white clouds, just like many people. What’s left are the emotions that cling to the last bit of memory left. The small details that are worth appreciating.
On Saturday, Prague held their annual museum night where over 50 museums were free and open late to the public. From photographs to paintings to sculptures to interactive art; women, men and children flocked to the buildings that held past memories of history.
The couple pictured above visited the House of Photography featuring Jiří Hanke’s work. His photographs span from families to street photography to panoramas. As this man and woman walked through 45 years of history, I have a feeling they were focused on their own.
Their hands graze as their heads stare blankly at the photographs, focusing on their slowly intertwining fingers. Appreciating this small moment of hesitancy, a moment that will come and go. Yet the emotion of this electric touch will stay frozen in time, just like the photographs that hang on the wall before them.
The rest is history.
Falling in Love on a Park Bench
Noticed | o8.06.19
Day eleven of Prague.
Park benches. Home to many butts, a better home to intentionality.
A park bench teaches one to be still.
A park bench teaches one to be close.
A park bench teaches one to be.
In this garden and around these park benches, a rose grows as it watches love bud. They have witnessed many different love stories in these gardens. Jealous for the roses.
I’ve seen young love, where a couple of teens share an unfamiliar kiss beneath the late afternoon skies. As they part ways, they both give a glance back to each other, giggling as they return to their own worlds, yet now with the memory of the other.
I’ve watched the quick hustle and bustle of being parents move into a dreamy state of relaxation. As a woman drapes her tired body on the man’s shoulder, he pops a smile as they close their eyes and become still for the first time in a while.
I’ve seen an older love. One where you can see the weary struggles of life pull on the skin of a man’s face. Yet, they sit hand in hand beneath a sea of roses, remembering how they have taken on the world like they dreamed they would when they were young.
Prague teaches one to be. Seems like all around the city, people are taking time to appreciate another. To be present and grateful for the intimate conversations during an early morning coffee or a late night city walk. To pull one aside on a bridge and have a familiar yet distinct kiss amidst the busied people.
Up Here
Around Here | o7.06.19
Day ten of Prague.
Up, down, around, here. So many places to explore, so many things to climb, so many ways to hang. Parks, rivers, restaurants; bus, trams, trains. oh me oh my. I appreciate those who do whatever and find wherever to make it home.
In the late afternoon, most people are slumped from food and beer. Breakfast for yourself, lunch with your friends, give dinner to your enemies.
A common Czech saying, one that is supposed to help maintain a healthy diet. But what about the beer? It seems to me that Czechs completely disregard the health aspect and expect a nice cold Pilsner with every schnitzel, goulash and meat.
This country was explained to me in that although it’s small, it’s still here. And that says something about the heart of it. Not only is it existing, but it is putting its name out there through the respect and passion the people have for their unique food, drinks and siesta culture.
GNO
The Nocturnalist | o6.06.19
Day nine of Prague.
What wanders under the darkened Prague sky? What lurks beneath the shadows of the spires? What crawls with life through the twisted uneven cobblestones?
As I ventured out onto my first night crawl, I found a city even more full of life and excitement than when its lit by the midday sun. The iron lamp posts illuminated the narrow streets of Prague, showing me just enough.
There were many different moods and spirits as I made my way onto Charles Bridge. On the left, I passed by a man begging for money. With his head bowed and knees to the ground, he was as silent as a thief in the night. Yet, with a hat stretched out, he was waiting for the people.
On the other side of me, I passed a lively group of older woman who are pictured above. With alcohol in one hand and a feathered boa in the other, they were ready for the night. These five women razzled and dazzled and whipped their hair. Camera shy was not a fear that night.
Just underneath the bridge’s archway, stood a man and a woman. Gently was the woman’s head lying on his shoulder. A dark, cool and intimate space the archway provided them. A place where they found in each other’s eyes an escape. The sun fell and the moon rose for them.
As I looked straight ahead, there were millions of lights. The city glowed all by itself, giving light to all the creatures of the night. Great secrets the city will get to keep, as it gets to witness each passerby’s story.
Hear Us!
Weekend Miser | o5.06.19
Day eight of Prague.
People stood as high and wide as the streets of Wenceslas Square could manage. They chanted in unison, hoping their voices would reach the heavens.
The best thing about this protest was the peacefulness and the youthfulness. All around me people were respectful. They knew their place and were there to be receptive. They were there to represent every soul that couldn’t be there. I did not feel scared or alarmed at any point. I felt united and inspired. Why do people see violence as an answer?
What also surprised me was how youthful the crowd was. Parents brought kids of all ages to this. They were just as decorated as the adults. Seeing change at a young age empowers them to do great things when they’re older. The youth were also the main workers of this protest. They stood on the sides managing crowds and also passing out pamphlets to other people.
Coming from a very progressive city that Austin is, I get to see how involved the youth is with politics. So it was very neat to see the same spirit across the world.
Hopeful Wonderer
Weekend Miser | o4.06.19
Day seven of Prague.
This young woman looks out onto a crowd of tens of thousands. Watching Czech flags wave higher than all the heads and listening to a man’s voice vibrate through the crowded feet. Wondering and hoping if this will be the day.
Today, Prague held the largest political demonstration in its history. The last protest of similar scale occurred in 1989, the fall of communism. Today, protesters flooded in from all over the Czech Republic, filling the streets and side streets of Wenceslas Square.
“Shame! Shame!”, the demonstrators yelled.
The country of Prague is demanding the resignation of their Prime Minister Andrej Babis. A multi-billionaire who is accused of illegitimately profiting from EU funds in his business dealings.
Today I witnessed a country come together for a need. Typically when I am walking around in a crowd in Prague, people are very unapologetic and don’t smile. However, today as I made my way from the back of the mass to the front, I was dug a flawless twisting river of smiling people. There was a sense of community that pushed me through the men, woman and children.
Will this massive turnout move the government into action? Will the hopes of over 120,000 people who attended this rally be gifted?
Peep
Small Wonder | o3.06.19
Day six of Prague.
Just one small peep into the entirety of these two’s lives.
The part that we see is a man talking to a woman. He looks confused, could be the brightness of the early morning sun starting to peek over the building’s red clay roof. Or a deep conversation between two lovers. We will never know the whole story. and I think that is the beauty of Prague
Prague will always be a part of a whole. I will walk past thousands of different people each and every day and probably will never see them again. I will never be able find and try every restaurant whether on they lie on street corners or hidden deep in the alleys. As I spend time here, I will gather all these little parts of Prague, yet will never completely see Prague in its entirety.
That’s the beauty of every city, state and country. It teaches me to appreciate the moment that is right before my eyes. To grab it and hold on to it. True moments of emotion and rawness can never be recreated. Prague is a magical city that will change with every sunrise.
Prague you crazy ! Can’t keep up !
Concrete Jungle Gym
Architecturally Speaking | o2.06.19
Day five of Prague.
Prague has been a playscape for me too. There are many things to climb on and wheels to ride on. A concrete jungle as some might see it. The buildings hug each other tightly, only giving way for the rushing river. Down below the buildings, the trains run speedily, blowing our hair every which way.
Today we were sent on a scavenger hunt to help orient us around the city. While at first I thought about drinking a king sized Gambrinus pre-scavenger hunt, it ended up being an okay time. It’s hard to get lost in a city when a map to the entire city is at your finger tips. Luckily the phone thief came in the night so I had a better time learning my way around the twisting cobblestone streets.
We happened across this post office off of Jindřišská street. The small doors opened up into a high ceiling building, quite like a train station. This is where I purchased my first Prague postage stamp. Stamps that I will probably never use. An avid letter writer, but a bigger knick-knack hoarder.
Across Town
Not From These Parts | o1.06.19
Day four of Prague.
Out of place but confident.
The woman, pictured above, drove a small black car into the middle of Old Town Square as the parade was progressing. To watch or to partake, I do not know. I just hope her GPS didn’t take her down the wrong route.
Prague feels more unfamiliar to me due to the amount of tourists here. I look around and see all different races and cultures. Now that Asia has a direct flight to Prague, the amount of Asians far outweighs any other group of tourists. Yet there are also many other types of people who visit, speaking all different languages. This makes it hard for me to point out what exactly Czech people look like.
This photo was taken during the Roma parade in the city of Prague. This parade gave me a better insight into what Czech culture was really about. The dancing, the music and the outfits were all shining and glimmering. There were still many tourists who attended the event, but you could guess start to pick out the Czechs based on their attention to the parade.
My goal by the end of this trip is to not look like a tourist. I know I will and that it is inevitable, but I hope to know my way around the cobblestoned streets. To feel, as much as I can, like a Czech.
Blooming Roma
A Thousand Words | 31.5.19
Day three of Prague.
A frozen moment amidst the racing feet, twirling dresses and clapping hands.
Crouching low to the ground, I was surrounded by Romas above. As I looked up, each woman was singing and clapping as they picked up their feet repeatedly, moving to the rhythm. On either side of me, men held guitars and trumpets to progress the procession.
This was a moment where I felt frozen in time. I was looking with my eyes rather than my camera and saw a specific type people group. The girl’s faces glowed as they dancing in a circle around me. The girls, for the first time, looked like they weren’t here for the parade, but rather for themselves and their culture.
Romas have had a long history in the Czech Republic. These people have been an ethnic minority making up 2–3% of the population. Day to day, these people experience hardships and are rejected for their culture. Yet every year the Romas parade from Wenceslas Square and end at Old Town Square. This event is known as the Khamoro festival.
As I stood in a field of red and gold dresses, my view was interrupted by a bright orange garbage truck bustling itself down the cobblestone road. The Czech have put a red target on the Romas. The Czech culture recognizes this people group as garbage. In a Czech parade, never would a garbage truck be moving through the center of it and its people.
I love this photo because of the innocence. Many adults in the parade knew of their hardships and walked with them on their backs. The parents let the children dance and escape into a dreamy wonderland. One day this little girl will grow up and her back will carry what once her parents’ did.
Feathered Female
A Thousand Words | 30.5.19
Day two of Prague.
Flocked but not frightened, this woman sat on a tree trunk at the edge of Vltava River welcoming any and all pigeons with pieces of bread. Just below her were people flocking to and posing with the famous white swans. Yet this woman chose to sit with the less beautiful and otherwise called, “rats with wings.”
Every second a new pigeon entered her realm, she gladly opened up her lap for them. She sat there feeding the birds and gave extra love to the ones that glided into her lap. They sat calmly as she caressed the backs of the birds. She later picked up the birds and moved them away to make room for the next winged creature.
She brought smiles to many of the people surrounding her. Kids laughed and wanted to help her while older people tended to be more hesitant as they fearfully saw the pigeons as for what they were.
Although Prague is a city of 100 spires, its skies are still ruled by birds. Wildlife is able to flourish so well in Prague due to due to diverse urban habitats and the Prague basin and the Vltava valley. With the help of large amounts of land, parks and woods, about 130 species have been confirmed to breed in Prague.
I enjoyed the way this woman pictured the way people should see everyone. Equally and lovingly. That is why I wanted to capture this moment.
Just Around The Corner
Noticed | 29.5.19
Day one of Prague.
Finding a cafe to sit down at in Prague is the opposite of finding a needle in a haystack. One thing that I couldn’t help but notice was how almost every street corner housed a couple of tables, drinks and good conversations.
The cafes in Prague are numerous and each uniquely designed. Prague’s long history has given every cafe its own story and feeling. Architecture design and art blend with businesses to create a unique experience for each visitor.
This particular cafe, Café Alfredo, was decorated with fresh little flowers and colorfully tiled tables. It sat just at the edge of the market, Havelské tržiště. This market is unique in that it has been around since 1232 and is now urbanized with stalls selling local fruits & vegetables, plus art, crafts & souvenirs.
The couple pictured above sat still, enjoying a mid-afternoon drink as the crowds from the market roared beside them. Straw hats hung above them, as empty glasses lay beside. One could only guess what they were talking about, your Czech is as good as mine.
My favorite part of visiting cafes is getting to witness all the different types of people and conversations that are taking place. Singing or silence, angry or nostalgic voices. Kissing or yelling, wrinkles or frowns. Each table at a cafe holds its own inviting story, one that only few would ever hear.
I enjoyed the symmetry and colors of this moment. You can tell the woman might be drowning out the sound of her husband with the sounds of the busy market just beside her.
czech it out 