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!

West Midlands Wanderer

The West Midlands area has been buzzing.  For once, it's not Peaky Blinders we have to thank for our popularity, but the Commonwealth Games.  

As of last Thursday, we had yet to visit our second city to soak up the atmosphere, although the cycling timed trials competitors directly passed Himley Hall, a ten minute drive from our front door.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out any information on the start time, so to get a glimpse of the action would have meant carrying a deck chair, finding a suitable spectator's spot and camping out potentially for hours.  Later, there were tales of woe from neighbours who successfully found a spot, only for their view to be obscured by a load of late comers who thought nothing of taking up a position directly in front of them, resulting in some stereotypical British behaviour.  Say nothing, but stew inwardly and have a good moan later.  

We watched the action live from the comfort of our sofa, which was weird given how close events were unfolding and I was a little disappointed to not capture any of the action with my camera. Mercifully we were able to see all of this without anyone's balding head obscuring our view.  There was much excitement when one cyclist crashed on the bend and some hesitancy as to the best course of action.  Whilst the unfortunate athlete tried in vain to free his bike from the barrier, the team took a little too long in taking the decision to provide him with a replacement.  Given my lack of visuals, I'll let my friend Lynne's brilliant photo do the talking, captured on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

Photo:  Lynne Hewitt (@wmidsphotos)

Post road closures, we visited Himley for an evening walk around the Capability Brown landscaped grounds and the lake.  Incidentally, is there a country house or stately home in the UK not landscaped by Capability Brown?  He must have been exceptionally busy during his time on this earth!

Not Brum's bull, but bulrushes, dancing in the summer breeze.

A fabulous weeping willow providing shade and texture lakeside.

Rewinding a little to last weekend, we squeezed in a visit to the ruins of Buildwas Abbey, just down the road from Ironbridge in Shropshire.  Formerly a Cistercian abbey comprising church and claustral buildings, Buildwas Abbey opened its doors in 1138, although ultimately, like many others, was suppressed in 1536 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.  That said, the remains are remarkable and substantial...see for yourselves.

English Heritage Strimming

As impressive and imposing as the ruins are, my favourite part and the biggest surprise for me, was the Chapter House, or meeting place for monks to discuss business, receive important visitors and mete out punishments to rule breakers. 

The details still visible in the decorative stonework blew my mind and this view instantly made me think of the work of Escher.

But even more amazing was the incredible Medieval tiled floor.  Just incredible!

Visitors, though thin on the ground, appeared perfectly in frame on more than one occasion and even a local swallow obliged me by flying into view at a particularly opportune moment.

The Abbey is managed by English Heritage and free to enter, although parking is quite limited.  I can't believe it's taken me so long to visit.

Another day, another West Midlands destination.  This time, a visit to the city of Worcester's Art Gallery and Museum, principally to see the Magic of Middle-Earth exhibition, celebrating the fantasy world brought to life by Tolkien and the generations of writers, artists, musicians, film makers, environmentalists and game designers it has influenced.  Originally written as a bed time story for the author's son and not intended for publication, a friend of the family read Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and pushed for him to publish the work.  Tolkien deliberately left parts of the story somewhat vague to encourage further development of the world in the minds of the readers. The exhibition contained around 200 rare objects and artworks, including first edition copies of the books...

...Tolkien's hand drawn map...

...artworks inspired by the world he created...

...scale models depicting key battle scenes...

...and albums featuring songs inspired by the books (including local lads Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath).

This song, The Wizard, from Black Sabbath's debut album, was directly inspired by Gandalf. (More on Ozzy later).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKY--qaHWSw

It may not surprise you to note that we were possibly the only visitors to this exhibition devoid of black hair dye and facial piercings, although curiously there was no reference to the influence of Tolkien on the "Goth" look.

We wandered off and in the time we had left on the parking meter, checked out some of the other exhibits celebrating the area's industry.

Some early incarnations of the famous Worcestershire Sauce....

A reconstructed Victorian pharmacy...

An Albatross from the Natural History section.  As impressive as this bird is, I was more interested in the window reflections on its glass case!

I was drawn to this portrait and the subject's slightly troubled, pensive expression, by the Ukranian artist Meninsky.  Fast forward 24 hours and Gareth would be playing croquet at Himley Hall with a couple of Ukranian refugees (a free activity he was drawn into just before our Sunday morning walk and coffee), such is life.  War and art, two of life's constants.  

This incredible bronze sculpture by William Calder Marshall (1880) is titled "Throwing Sabrina into the Severn" and tells the story of Sabre and and her sister, Estrildis, being cast into the River Severn on the orders of their mother's lover's wife Guendolen, to remind the world of Guendolen's late husband (King Locrine's) infidelity.  It's a complicated and tangled story of love and betrayal.  You can read it for yourself here. Sabrina and the River Severn (severntales.co.uk) However, Sabre (also known as Sabrina in the Romanised language of the time) was henceforth the name attributed to the River Severn and it was known as Sabrina for centuries until it became Anglicised.  

Outside, Queen Victoria was maintaining her watch outside the Worcester Crown and County Courts.

But I can't really leave this week's blog there without touching on the star attraction and location at the centre of that catchy earworm of a tune on everyone's lips right now, Brum!   Did you know we've been hosting the Commonwealth Games?  Yesterday, we finally made it into our second city on the final day of the games.  In 27 degree heady heat, we walked in through Digbeth, where the local street artists had made their own Commonwealth Games tribute to a young Scottish boxer.

In the centre, the city was heaving, awash with colour and the party was still in full force.

We obviously headed to the star of the show.  Nope, not this one (which incidentally, I have to thank for putting my back out after daring to bend at a 45 degree angle after doing so well lately).  

This one!

I got a little carried away with my camera, desperate to capture the bull from a different angle.  For the sake of this blog post and for my own sanity, I created a Facebook album of the day, which you are welcome to view here.  (1) Facebook

I confess I became somewhat fixated with the bull's rear end and his impressive chain and anchor tail.  I suppose you could say it's a bum ting! 

Vix will be pleased to learn that we also finally made it to Dishoom, the Indian Restaurant on Chamberlain Square, savouring our choices of Chilli Broccoli Salad, Gunpowder Potatoes and Dishoom Chicken Tikka Rolls, washed down with a Kingfisher beer.  I was persuaded to try the Basmati Kheer described as "silky caramelised basmati rice pudding cooked with vanilla-infused coconut milk, cardamon and cashews, cooled a layered with blueberry compote."  All very impressive and demolished before either or us thought to take a photo, so you'll have to make do with one of us!  

We continued on our way, suitably refreshed.  As I stalked an orange haired woman through the crowds, we noticed a reassuring police presence (although the automatic weapons were new).

We ended our day with a look around Red Brick Market and made it back home in time for the closing ceremony and Birmingham's own Prince of Darkness, Ozzy, performing with Black Sabbath.  

A perfect day!  

I'll leave you with a short video of the bull in action.  In the coming days we will be heading off over the border and into Wales for a much needed break.  Don't hesitate to leave a comment.  I love to hear from you.  See you shortly!

It’s a Brum Ting! - YouTube