Special Place: Český Krumlov

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Czech Republic

*I’m back from Rotterdam (which I loved!) but here’s one more Special Place as I get all my pictures and thoughts together.*

A few hours south of Prague is a tiny little city, wrapped in a river and crowned with a castle. Český Krumlov dates from the 13th century, and today it’s a beautiful little jewel of a town, and a gorgeous place to visit. I went there in 2007, on a fall weekend, and fell in love with it. The yellow leaves and rust-red roofs were a perfect accent to the misty autumn days.

We spent our days exploring the corners of the town, peeking into shops, nibbling on treats in cafes, and enjoying the cool weather.

On a hill in the town is the castle, the second biggest in the Czech Republic (second to Prague). It was a bit late in the season, so the castle itself was closed to us, but the outdoor corridors, terraces, and walkways were still open to exploration, and offered amazing views.

I wish I could write more specifics of places we went, things we saw or ate, but I can’t remember. All I know is that we spent the entire time wandering the tiny town, thoroughly exploring every corner of it, and staying out late until the sun set, the street lamps came on, and the mist took on a deliciously eerie quality.

I’ve heard that in the summer season the town gets mobbed (it’s the “next big thing” in Czech Republic), which might make it less magical. But in late autumn it was empty, welcoming, and perfect.

Lovely Object #6

Tags

Czech Republic, drinks, home, Olomouc

It’s still cold and icy here, and we’ve been keeping warm with lots of tea and soup. One of my favorite ways of keeping warm is heading to the brown cafes of Amsterdam, ordering a shot of something strong, and sipping it by a fire. Of course then you have to face the cold again, so it’s even better to do that at home, which is a perfect lead-in to this week’s Lovely Object post.

What: Set of six crystal cordial glasses

Where: On our bookshelf, next to our Dutch gin

How: Found at an antiques booth at the Christmas market in Cologne, Germany, 2011

This makes me look like an alcoholic, I know. I’m not! I promise. But I love the idea of filling these cordial glasses with something special and sharing it with friends.

I was convinced of the magic of this last August in a little Czech town called Olomouc. Jesse and I were couchsurfing our way through the Czech Republic, and our host for a few nights welcomed us to her living room with beautiful crystal glasses filled with slivovice, a plum brandy. The clear, sweet liqueur was made by her neighbors with plums from her own backyard, and she shared it with us while we talked about traveling, history, and literature. I loved that feeling of intimacy and conviviality!

So I jumped at the chance to have my own set of cordial glasses, though I’m not making my own brandies yet! These are the perfect size for just a dash of something to sip while you sit around a table and nibble at the remains of a meal.

This one is full of a Spanish brandy called Rey de Oro, though I also like to fill them with Dutch jenever, and sometimes aquavit. Not all in one night, though. (Yikes!)

The Golem of Prague

Tags

Czech Republic, holidays, Prague

I’m not a fan of scary Halloween stories. Last year I was Red Riding Hood, and that’s about as much horror as I can handle. But I do love a fairy tale rife with suspense, darkness, cultural critique, and monsters, and Halloween is a good time to dig them out of their dusty tomes and read them aloud to the glow of a flashlight.

I’ve just started reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, which opens in Prague and has the main character spending a night in a coffin with the Golem. I was immediately transported to the chilly autumn I spent in Prague.

The legends say that the Golem was created by Rabbi ben Loew to fight the dangers roaming in the Jewish Ghetto of Prague. One dark night he crept to the banks of the Vltava River and gathered the dark mud found there to create his figure, and with the right words the dark form sprung to life, ready to do his master’s bidding. The Golem, brought to life with words of the kabbala, protected the Jews from threats, tearing limb from limb anyone who was a danger. Some versions say he went out of control and in a fit of violence, the Rabbi removed the life from him, collapsing him into dust and clay. The stories say he was interred in the Old-New Synagogue in Prague, left there to fight a future danger.

It’s a myth that’s seeped into our cultural consciousness, asking questions of power and love and what makes a human. If Adam was created from mud and clay, can it be done again? Does Dr. Frankenstein have a right to create life? While it’s an ancient Jewish story, it’s firmly rooted in Prague’s history. The Golem is one of the stories that makes the city what it is, steeped in alchemy and dark shadows that roam the streets looking for a hopeless soul. On a chilly autumn night it’s easy to imagine the giant protector patrolling the Josefov before falling inanimate again for the next day. It’s a story safeguarding the secret ambitions that lay in the dark mud of rivers, under bridges, falling into the depths of black waters.

A Golem spotted in a Prague cafe

Happy Halloween, from the Golem.

Once I Saw A Bunny

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Czech Republic, Day Trip, Kromeriz

Our last stop in Czech Republic was a day trip to the tiny town of Kroměříž, about an hour away from Olomouc. What puts it on the map for most tourists is the magnificent Archbishop Palace and the gardens, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What puts it on the map for me was that I saw a bunny.

Let me put that into perspective. It’s exhausting to travel. I get hungry quickly and easily. We were concerned about saving money. We had already missed a train connection and sat an extra hour. We were carrying all our bags with us, and we found that there were no luggage lockers in the Kroměříž train station. It is so much fun sometimes, isn’t it?

I’m doing my best to not snap at Jesse while trying to be impressed by the gardens, when suddenly this fluffy, floppy, white bunny comes out of some bushes. He hops right past my feet. He looks up and wiggles his nose. I’m pretty sure he said something like, “Buck up, Katrina,” or at least “Hello,” before hopping off to explore a tree trunk.

It made my day. Apparently I am still a 10 year old girl who is in love with anything fluffy, because my mood completely turned around. So thanks, new bunny friend. And oh, yeah, we saw a palace and some gardens there, too.

Stinky Cheese and Plague Columns

Tags

art, Czech Republic, Olomouc

We spent about four lovely days in Prague, but any visit to the Czech Republic has to include a smaller city, somewhere ELSE. That’s true for anywhere, I think. The biggest cities are always beautiful and lively, but everyone knows that New York is not the entire US, Paris is not all of France, and London isn’t small-town England.

So we picked Olomouc (Ol-uh-MOATS). We picked it mostly because (I’m slightly embarrassed to admit) it’s famous for a certain kind of smelly cheese, called olomoucké tvarůžky. And I wanted to try it. It’s also a cute university town with an old medieval center surrounded by lovely forests. So it’s legit, past the weird cheese.

The city is the ancient capital of Moravia, the eastern section of the Czech Republic, known for it’s beer and slivovice, a plum brandy. It rained heavily the few days we were there, but we still managed to wander the town, enjoy a cafe, and have a good time.

Olomouc is also famous for having it’s very own astronomical clock, like the popular one in Prague. This one looks drastically different, since the Soviets reconstructed it after WWII in the Soviet Realism style. You can find little homages to Lenin and other party heroes in there, even their birthdays next to the traditional saints’.

The other famous monument in town is the Plague Column, which is the biggest and best example in Europe. I’d never even heard of a Plague Column, but apparently they were common across the continent, built as “thank-you” for surviving the devastating plagues. You learn so much traveling! Olomouc’ column is huge, built in 1716, and even has a chapel built into the bottom. I suppose if my town survived the plague I’d be pretty ecstatic too, and encrust anything I see with gilded copper.

And yes, I got my cheese. It was pretty good, and very smelly. My life is fulfilled. Although, I didn’t think it through because we also ordered another local specialty, garlic soup, at the same time. I’m lucky Jesse loves me, because that combination on a hot day was pretty intense! That’s true love, friends.

Smelly cheese and garlic soup.

Prague’s Art Nouveau

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art, Czech Republic, Museums, Prague

At the beginning of the 20th century Art Nouveau was sweeping Europe, and it enveloped Prague in its path. Because the city was left almost untouched by World War II you can still see the flowing, natural designs of Art Nouveau everywhere, as if Mucha himself had painted the buildings beside the river.

There are a few well-known buildings like the Hotel Europa, the Central train station, and the Municipal House, but the best way to see it all is just by looking up as you walk anywhere. The entire city is a museum of 1920’s and 30’s style, the creamy pastel rows of buildings the color of an old ice cream parlor. You’ll see details on doorways, windows, railings, roofs, and lightposts.

Inside the delicate doorways is even more beauty, and the best way to peek in is to head to a cafe. Prague’s cafe scene is as important to the city’s history as Paris’, and they pride themselves on excellent coffee (kava), and delicious cakes and pastries. Three of the best cafes to try, both for the architecture and the food, are these ones:

Grand Cafe Slavia

Known for being a hang-out for hip historicals like Milan Kundera, Franz Kafka, and Vaclav Havel, it has a gorgeous Art Deco interior, luxurious coffees and a great location across from the National Theater. Sit by the window to enjoy a perfect view of trams trundling down Národní Street on their way to the castle. We didn’t hatch any revolutionary plans like Havel, but we did share this delicious crepe with real whipped cream and honey on top. To die for.

Kavárna Obecní dům

The most well-known Art Nouveau building is the Municipal House (Obecní dům) at Náměstí Republiky in the center of town. You can take an official tour of the building, catch a Dvořák symphony, or just walk inside to see the lobby and the cafe. Sip your kava in style while taking in the high windows, crystal chandeliers, mirrors, and artistic decorations.

Entrance to the cafe

House of the Black Madonna

If all those natural leaves and vines are too much to look at, get a change of pace with some Czech Cubism at the House of the Black Madonna (named for a statue on the outside of the building). While there’s a great museum there, there’s also the beautiful Grand Cafe Orient on the 3rd floor.

Photo via Grand Cafe Orient

Whoops, I didn’t take any photos. I borrowed this one from the cafe’s website–there are plenty more to see there, too!

Somehow we always managed to find time to squeeze a cafe break into our days in Prague. Try the honey cake, medovik. It’s the perfect ending note on any Art Nouveau tour.

Medovik and coffee at Kava Kava Kava

Prague’s Pivo

Tags

Czech Republic, Prague

The first time I went to Prague, I wasn’t much of a beer drinker. I made myself try it there, and it was pretty good, you know, for beer. It wasn’t until I moved to Portland and had all these great microbreweries to choose from that I really fell for the malted suds. And then I went back to Prague.

Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other nation in the world. Pilsner beer is named for the town of Plzen. Our American Budweiser gets it’s name from České Budějovice, whose German name was Budweis. All this is to say that the Czech Republic is a pretty good place for beer-drinkers. And since a tall, frothy glass costs about two US dollars, Jesse and I took it upon ourselves to taste as many as we could.

Beer culture is different here. In Portland I’m used to a microbrewery offering lots of choices (IPA, Black IPA, Amber, Red, Stout, Porter) with different flavors like cherry, juniper, smoke or even bacon. Czech beers are much more simple, all delicious, and are mostly Pilsners that come in a light or dark variety. Speaking Czech might have helped me find other types, but since I don’t, we stuck with the main kinds.

Notice the menu-- cramberries, anyone?

After testing about a dozen kinds, I think my favorites are Staropramen Light, and Krušovice Dark. I have no good reasons to back that up, I just liked them. We also tried Pilsner Urquell (of course!), Kozel, Gambrinus, Lobkowicz, Budvar, Branik, and a few from the Pivovar Strahov brewery near the castle, by the Strahov Monastery.

After a long walk up to the castle, their St Norbert IPA was the perfect reward. In fact, the sudsy glasses from any corner bar were the perfect reward for our tired feet any time of the day, even at 11:00 am! You know, beer was often served for breakfast to hungry workers in the middle ages. So don’t judge me. Exploring a city is thirsty work.

Delicious on a hot day!

My advice when visiting Prague? Leave plenty of time to relax at an outdoor table, a big glass of pivo in hand. Cheers: Na zdravi!

Prague Castle

Tags

Czech Republic, Prague

While it’s a delight to get lost in the dark streets of the city, no matter where you turn it’s hard to escape the watchful eye of Prague’s castle, nestled on a hill above the city. Built in the 1300s, Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) is a complex of churches, administrative buildings, towers, small streets, gardens, and today, museums. Because the layout covers so much space, it’s known as the biggest castle complex in the world.

View of the Castle from Petrin Hill

Inside the Castle is an exhausting array of buildings and tours. The first version of the castle was built a long, long time ago, in the 9th century. Since then it’s been added to, built on, torn down, and generally fiddled with, resulting in a lot of buildings. In the center of it all is St. Vitus Cathedral.

A Gothic powerhouse, the biggest Catholic church in the Czech Republic, and the burial site of numerous kings, St Vitus is a big deal. The two large spires are what you see from anywhere in the city, and they give the castle a regal feel. The Gothic part of the cathedral was built in 1344 under Charles the IV, then left unfinished for centuries. Styles change, of course, so when it was finally finished, it was designed in Baroque, which is why the third (green) spire stands out so much. (Check the first picture!)

Stained glass window by Mucha, inside St Vitus.

My favorite part of the castle involves a legend that varies with the telling, as all good legends do. Behind St Vitus and around a few corners there lies a tiny cobbled street with tiny colorful houses. A certain King of Bohemia, Rudolf II, was a devotee of the occult sciences, and spared no expense to bring scientists and magicians from all across Europe to Prague. Legend says that the best alchemists stayed on this little street, which is now known as Golden Lane, and that the chimneys were kept smoking in the quest to discover the Philosopher’s Stone. Legend is silent on whether they ever discovered anything, though Rudolf kept searching all his life.

It’s also known that Franz Kafka worked and wrote in #22, the blue one, for a short time. Some even claim that the overbearing building in his book The Castle is Prague castle’s itself. Today you can go inside some of the buildings (watch your head!), and peek out along the castle walls. There’s not much except tchotchkes and various Kafka editions in five or six major languages, so I prefer looking at the outside.

Golden Lane

Tiny house!

One of my regrets is that I never went to the castle at night, either when I lived in Prague or on this trip. You can wander around the streets without going inside, and on a warm summer’s night it must be beautiful. Up high on a hill, overlooking the Prague lights and the boats on the Vltava. Maybe they light up the cathedral, and the bright beam shoots shadows over the already-eerie gargoyles. Maybe the streets are left dark except for the occasional pockets of light under the lampposts. Maybe the darkness brings the myths of Prague to life, the alchemists and golems hidden behind old doors.

Maybe, but I don’t know. I guess there’s always next time.

Prague

Tags

Czech Republic, Prague

It’s time this blog takes itself to Prague, Czech Republic, our first stop on this European Adventure. I have to admit that I’ve been avoiding it a little. Prague means so much to me, and I love it so, that I’m afraid my little words and pictures won’t do it justice.

I know many girl’s dreams center around Paris, but if I had to pick a favorite, I would choose Prague. It’s a beautiful old gem of a city, encrusted in Art Nouveau and crumbling facades, it’s streets teeming with stories of golems and rabbis, kings and Communists, alchemists and saints.

The huge city full of busy modern life that is Paris exhausts me sometimes, but I find Prague to be the perfect size, wrapped snug around the Vltava river. In the late summer sunshine the water sparkles, the beer hits the perfect note of hops and malt, and the small streets with big cobblestones wind their way to the next discovery.

A street in the Castle District

Praha (Prague) means ‘threshold’ in Czech, and at risk of being too literal, that’s exactly what it was for me. I taught English there for six months after college, and it served as a bridge from college to the real world, from dating to marriage, from good friendships to more, better ones. There were some dark nights, but going back to Prague on this trip reminded me even more why I love it so.

Like Paris, I’m going to dedicate a few posts to Prague and the surrounding towns we visited so stick around for awhile! Hopefully I can convince you, too, that Czech Republic is worth a visit. Or a few months.

Days at the Museum

Tags

Czech Republic, Museums, Prague

We’re on the train headed out of Prague after four lovely days of exploring. I feel like I showed Jesse everything, though our feet are sore from walking and ready for a break!
I have lots of pictures to show, but because that has to wait, here are three of my favorite museums in Prague. If you ever go, I recommend these ones.

Franz Kafka Museum

A small exhibition documenting Kafka’s connection to the city and it’s influence on him. Kafka, a German-speaking Jew, grew up in Prague’s Jewish neighborhood in the late 1800s. His life was spent wrestling with questions of existentialism and purpose, and his work as a lawyer contributed to his writings on the absurdity of of bureaucracy, as in The Trial and The Castle.
He popularized the absurd, so much so that the term kafkaesque is often used to describe the strange, the mysterious, and the ridiculous. For example in The Metamorphosis, his most easy-to-digest book, a man wakes up one morning to find he has been turned into a giant insect.
The museum has journals, photos, first edition books, and talks about the influence Prague had on the young Kafka. His Jewish struggle for a place in Prague society along with an overbearing and judgmental father influenced him greatly.
The museum does an excellent job giving information while also creating an eerie, experimental space. One room is simply a dark hallway with floor to ceiling black file cabinets and enough turns to make you feel trapped.
If you don’t have time for the museum at least stop by the courtyard in front where you’ll see a statue of two men urinating. Parts move, water comes out– it’s worth pointing and giggling at. A lesson in the absurd.

Kafka Museum
Hergetova cihelna, Cihelna 2b
Praha 1, Mala Strana
Www.kafkamuseum.cz
130czk, adult ticket.

Mucha Museum

A world away from the dark tone of Kafka is the Mucha Museum.
Alfons Mucha is considered the father of Art Nouveau, and his posters and illustrations pop up everywhere. Known for being highly stylized, Art Nouveau uses a lot of natural influences: curling vines and flowers, ladies with flowing hair and long dresses. It’s more the idea of beauty, personified, without being a picture of a certain woman.
Mucha got his start creating posters for French actress Sarah Bernhardt in Paris, and continued creating his ideal of beauty with exhibitions across Europe and America. Towards the end of his life he created the many panels of the Slav Epic to show his patriotism.
Prague is steeped in Art Nouveau, and Mucha is the greatest. The museum has originals of many posters and prints, along with some paintings and sculptures, and a good video of his life.

Mucha Museum
Panska 7
Praha 1
Www.Mucha.cz
180 czk, adult ticket

Museum of Communism

Last is the Museum of Communism, nestled right beside a casino and above a McDonalds. Did they plan that irony, or was it by chance?
Cute and a bit kitschy, the museum is aimed more at visitors than Czechs, and walks you through the years of Communist occupation in Czechoslovakia from 1968-1989. The history is fascinating for its complete influence on society and culture, and for the struggle for freedom. In 1968 Russian tanks rolled into the city to occupy it, and Czechs protested by destroying their own street signs to confuse the Russians, and by staging mass protests. A year later a young student, Jan Palach, set himself on fire to protest and died a few days later, becoming a national martyr. Any rebellion was crushed as the Communists tightened their hold across Eastern Europe. Things got progressively worse as they gained power. Everyone had a job and no one was homeless, but nothing got fixed, buildings fell down, stores remained empty, and culture was suppressed. If you didn’t profess support for the party you were arrested. No one could leave, and everyone was suspicious of everyone else.
When the 20th anniversary of Palach’s death rolled around in 1989, students again staged mass protests in Wenceslas Square. While they were violently stopped, by November 1989 the people again gathered in the square, 1 million strong, to watch Vaclav Havel announce Czechoslovakia’s freedom. Called the Velvet Revolution because of the peaceful transfer of power, the country experienced it’s first freedom in over 50 years.
With Soviet artifacts, pictures, propaganda posters and an emotional film with footage of the demonstrations and revolution, the museum is worth seeing. What strikes me is that the Czechs around today lived that. The students in the film, demonstrating during the 70s and 80s, were my parents age back then.
History is not so long ago.

Museum of Communism
Na Prikope 16
Praha 1
Www.museumofcommunism.com
180czk- adult ticket

Location:Prague