Posts Tagged With: urban art

Joe Gill has a gift: finding free live music and beer! After eighteen (!) hours of travel, including a stop in London to pay our respects to QEII, we took a short nap in our Prague lodgings and then set out to find dinner. We had only walked a few blocks in light drizzle when we stumbled upon a park hosting a free concert! We think it was a Christian rock band fronted by women. A priest came out to thank them before beginning 7 pm Mass at the church behind the outdoor stage. We enjoyed our first Czech beer (pivo) while dancing with locals!

Dinner was delicious at a neighborhood restaurant. Our waiter and the bartender were patient teaching us proper pronunciation and etiquette in Czech hospitality. We both loved the warm, filling flavors of český guláš and svíčková.

After twelve hours of sleep, we woke up to a lovely buffet breakfast at our hotel and then set out to meet our tour guide, Ivitsa. Starting at the National Museum on top of the hill, we walked down through New Town (established In the 14th century!) and across the medieval stone arch Charles Bridge to the Lennon Wall. Our archaeologist guide was super-knowledgeable and is a great storyteller!

In addition to learning about the history of Czech people, we were treated to modern art sculptures by David Černý located throughout the city. This particular artist has been active since 1991, when he was briefly jailed for a controversial piece involving a former Soviet tank painted bright pink and a sculpted obscene gesture protruding from it. He has made a reputation in Prague with his provocative large-scale sculptures that walk a thin line between controversy and obscenity. We both appreciate an artist with a point of view and the audacity to display art in accessible public spaces. Viewers are free to discern their own interpretations.

Our tour group included folks from India, Macedonia, Mexico, and Pakistan. Part of our motivation to travel is to meet people from other parts of the planet and to learn more about our commonalities and differences. This diverse tour group signed up for an english-language walking tour of Prague and ended up spending the day together, concluding with beers at an Old Town restaurant. Joe and I enjoyed hearing about our fellow travelers’ adventures and motivations. What a great day!