And The Sun Set on Prague

 

Apologies for the lengthy satellite delay; I've had an enforced break to deal with the scary matter of emergency eye laser surgery.  I won't go into details here, but let's just say I can now relate a little to Alex, A Clockwork Orange's protagonist.  I've also stayed off the screen as much as possible, so forgive me if I've missed anyone's posts.

So where was I?  Part way through drafting a post on our last day in Prague, which I was forced to abandon and have been slowly editing over the last couple of days.

We were once again awake by dawn after a fitful final night's sleep in the heat of this beautiful city.  We had one thing on the day's "To Do" list which was to visit the Alphonse Mucha museum, a stone's throw from our apartment in Old Town Square. 

So, dragging our small suitcases, we left the shade of our hallway for the last time, sunscreen generously applied and emerged sixty seconds later into the street outside. 

It's evidently impossible for someone like me to stand anywhere or turn any corner in a city like Prague, without reaching for my camera.  The holes in this sign are admittedly too symmetrical, but I immediately thought of bullet holes, which appealed to my sometimes dark sense of humour.  Why would painted furniture be so provocative?

As our flight was much later in the day, I was able to capture as many of the architectural details and sights of Prague at leisure.  

Cubist Grand Cafe Orient

Onwards to the Museum.  The name Alphonse Mucha is synonymous with the Art Nouveau movement; his artwork gracing everything from magazine covers, book illustrations and theatre posters, to his more commercially recognised work for Moet Champagne and cigarette papers to name a couple.

The museum provided a comprehensive understanding of the Czech artist and offered up an eclectic selection of his work.

I took many photographs here, but I've included just a few of my favourites.  Although it has been said that this museum is a bit of a tourist trap, I think that's grossly unfair.  It was well curated and if you have any interest in Art Nouveau's distinctly decorative style, this is a must.

Theatre poster

Byzantine style plate

An edition of The Burr McIntosh Monthly - devoted to photos of famous people and landscapes

A poorly photographed "The Kiss of Spring"

I was also taken with the part of the collection devoted to photos of Mucha's muses.  It's purely speculation on my part, but it's entirely possible that one of these women was been asked to "hold that pose" one too many times!

To better understand the man and his work however, it's best to see what else he created in the city.  As luck would have it, our wanderings took us to Smetana Hall, the Municipal House.  Here you can enjoy a concert and study Mucha's artwork, which adorn the walls and ceilings.  We didn't have time for a concert, but the building itself is a wonderful example of the Art Nouveau style and I paid the briefest of visits inside, somewhat curtailed by the watchful gaze of a surly doorman.  

No part of the building escaped the movement's influence...from door handles...

....to the beautiful box office inside...

...and this fantastically opulent French restaurant.

Tile envy.

Mucha also designed one of the stained glass windows in St Vitus Cathedral.  Poor research on my part meant that I only became aware of this after our visit to the castle.  Even more unforgivable, I do recall spotting said window and a connection forming in my mind, but for whatever reason, I don't seem to have a photo of it.  I seem to have photographed every other square inch of Prague!  Fear not!  Here's the link for those who want to see it.

Stained glass window St Vituss Cathedral Mucha 1a (2547703719) - Category:Stained glass window by Alfons Mucha in St. Vitus Cathedral - Wikimedia Commons

Emulating the sinuous curves of Art Nouveau, we continued our self guided (or should that be directionless) walking tour, weaving through the streets of the city.  It really is the only way to see a place.  Silly as it sounds, Prague is very much a city for its people as well as being a magnet for tourists.  All the hallmarks of city life were evident just a short walk from any tourist hotspot.

Clearly nothing was off limits for me.  We moved seamlessly from the sublime, exemplified here by interior photos taken the Church of Our Lady of the Snows (founded in 1347 but modified during the Renaissance and Baroque periods)....

Highest vaults in Prague

...to the faintly ridiculous.  Below we have Madame Tussaud's Jim Carrey, an extravagantly dressed marionette, a sand sculpture dog and a glum looking wooden faced chap I encountered in a Bric-a-brac shop caught my eye.

The pedestrian sign's characters appeared rather outmoded and made me smile...

....and how cute was this little local girl, blending in well with the street sign?

We paused to watch Statue of Kafka; an outdoor kinetic sculpture depicting Franz, installed outside the Quadrio shopping centre, standing 11 metres tall and made of 42 rotating panels.

This sculpture, The Cloak of Conscience, was created by Anna Chromy as a symbol for hope and peace.  The faceless hooded figure, shrouded in cloth, is also shrouded in mystery as numerous visitors have reported faces appearing in the cloak on photos taken with a flash.  Not so in my case I'm happy to report!

We spotted some cool rides too, like this handsome Cadillac parked outside a bistro..

 

...a red Skoda with its obliging occupants...

...a denim clad BMW motorbike...

...and this 1937 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet.

Eventually we headed back to the place that first captivated us on the evening of our arrival - Old Town Square.

 

Here's the Jan Hus memorial (Czech theologian, philosopher and Church reformer, a seminal figure in the Bohemian Reformation).  All the cool pigeons hang out here.

Said pigeons' feathered friends took off in unison and flew in front of the Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Tyn's landmark "twin towers" creating this spectacle.  It has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century.  With little perspective in this photo, let me enlighten you.  Each tower is eighty metres tall and each tower's spire is topped by eight smaller spires in two layers of four.

Once again, subliminally influenced by other Art Nouveau characteristics, I spent a good chunk of time squatting in the heat of the afternoon sun to capture the dynamism and movement of life in this city.

I witnessed the comings and goings in front of the famous Astronomical Clock (unbelievably first installed in 1410, making it the third oldest in the world and the oldest still in operation).

Here, the crowds gathered on the hour to see the mechanisms in action.

All too soon it was time to head to the airport.  Naturally, it being Prague, our transfer meeting point was this gorgeous fountain.

Sbohem Prague!  You made an impression!

Hazy Days and The Six

Flaming June is living up to its name and last week we took advantage of the weather.  At the invitation of fellow blogger Polyester Princess (Polyester Princess (polyester-princess.blogspot.com)), we joined Ann and Jos - over from Belgium for a holiday in Shropshire - and long standing friends, Vix and Jon, at Attingham Park for an epic 6 hour bloggers and partners' meet up.  You can read Vix's account of our day with its inspired title here: Vintage Vixen: Attingham Park with the Princess & the Peach (vintagevixon.blogspot.com)

Whilst I already feel like I know Ann quite well through reading her blog, it was the first time we'd met in the flesh and didn't we have fun?

First a coffee and a catch up, so I'll give you a little info on Attingham Park, a Regency mansion under the care and control of the National Trust.

The property was built to impress and commissioned in 1782 for the first Lord Berwick.  Twenty first century suburban equivalents include grey UPVC windows, anti theft driveway car barriers, block paved driveways (in and out even better), key code electric opening Blenheim gates, kitchen bifold doors, double garages and garden rooms.  You get the picture.

We took an exclusive tour of the East wing, occupied from the mid 1980s until his death a few years ago, by one Bronx born Edwin Cohen.  Born into a working class New York family, Cohen developed an obsession with antiques from an early age, courtesy of being taken to work by his mother and being captivated by the furniture and collections housed by her wealthy employers.  A bright student, Cohen ended up attending a minor Ivy League college before embarking upon a career as a stock broker.  The thrill of finding and securing a bargain at auction became a lifelong pursuit and after taking on a lease for Attingham's East Wing, set about installing his ever increasing collection of Georgian furniture and living the life of a member of the landed English gentry. Yes, he had monogrammed towels.

Sadly photos were discouraged, so you'll have to take my word for it when I say that the tour was well worthwhile, conducted by a passionate and knowledgeable guide and, dare I say, more relatable than most.  Aside from the fact that Cohen's story ended here in middle England, it was very much the American dream.

Artist at work in the entrance hallway

After lunch in the former stables, we headed outside.

This land is your land!  

Berwick and his successors may have staked their claim to the estate, but the archaeology of Attingham Park is diverse, covering many different periods of history and human habitation.  People have lived in the area of the estate for around 4,000 years since the Bronze Age, utilising the rich soil for agriculture.   The Berwick name itself derives from the medieval village Berwick Maviston, although Lord Berwick removed the village from his land.  There are seven scheduled ancient monuments across the wider estate, including an Iron Age settlement, Roman forts and Saxon palace remains.

Next, we headed for the walled garden, pleased to note how many areas had been left for nature to claim.

Of course, there were well tended gardens growing alongside their wild border neighbours, in perfect harmony.

Check out these gorgeous double headed Oriental Poppies...

...and I'm pleased to report that the pollinators were out in force.

The temperature was hovering around the mid twenties, but the humidity encouraged us to seek the dappled shade of the apple orchard.  We took some persuading to move from this spot...

...made even more magical by their unusual flowers.

I could do with a few dozen of these mirrored flowers to deter the magpies intent on terrorising our resident nesting blackbirds here at home.

More mysterious figures emerged from the long grass as we explored.

Created by Scottish artist, Rob Mulholland and on loan for the summer, they couldn't have looked more at home in the apple orchard, reflecting the sights and sounds of nature...and these stylish creatures.

From here, we followed the winding woodland path into the deer park.  The park was landscaped by Humphry Repton and incorporates the deer park with its 200-300 Fallow deer (descendants of the original herd).  

The park is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest due to it being home to many rare species of invertebrates.  The amount of deadwood left by fallen trees around the parkland makes it the perfect habitat for a variety of different species, principally beetles.

Despite our floaty summer outfits, hats and copious amounts of sun cream, refreshments were required at this point, our thirst fuelled by the site of the estate cattle, drinking from the River Tern flowing through the centre of the estate.  

Back in the stable yard we continued to chat until the cafe shut up shop.  

Reluctantly, we headed back to the car park and exchanged gifts before saying our goodbyes.  Ann and Jos treated us to some Belgian beers (one brewed in their town, Contje - a not so polite word for "bottom"), sweets ("Noses") and the best chocolates on the planet.  

Ann also generously gifted me these treasures; a camera printed tote bag made by a friend from Berlin, tapestry bag, brooch, honeycomb earrings, vibrant bangles, a funky floral maxi skirt and patchouli scented drawer sachet.  

A couple of days later, we were delighted to hear from Ann that they were planning to visit Kinver Rock Houses.  We met them and took them on an exhausting, but not exhaustive tour of Kinver Edge, taking in Nanny's Rock, Iron Age hill fort and the brass relief map, before leaving them to enjoy the Rock Houses.  

After a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days, the world seems somehow smaller, but brighter.