Art and Communism

One thing that was nice about our tour yesterday is that everyone is staying at this hotel. We have a nice breakfast talking with Avi and Judith from Israel. Then before we leave we chat with the Australians who bring the Tasmanians into the conversation by telling us they have six fingers and two heads in Tasmania. Good natured ribbing and no they are not traveling together. After our breakfast we head out towards Wenceslas Square. It is already quite warm out but we must get our exercise. It’s either that or give up the beer and good food. I like our choice.
As we walk through local neighborhoods, we see some random mushroom art that is pretty cool.

Too Much Goulash

We also notice a statue up above of a lady that looks like she has had way too much goulash and beer. Always look up!
We reach the edge of the square by the National Museum. There are two things of interest here. One is the memorial near the spot where Jan Palach set himself on fire. In 1989, on the 20th anniversary of his death, large demonstrations swept the city and this started the road to freedom 10 months later. The other interesting thing is some light patches on the columns and facade of the museum. Soviet bullets struck here in the 1968 Prague Spring Uprising.

Patched Bullet Holes

The Russians wanted them filled in so it would be forgotten but the clever Czechs intentionally mismatched the patches so it would be remembered.
We walk and gawk along Wenceslas Square admiring all the different types of architecture. The Square which is more like a large rectangular space commemorates King Wenceslas ( yes the Christmas song guy) who helped bring the Czechs power and Christianity. He was murdered in 929, canonized as a Saint, and is an icon for Czech unity.
We turn off the square and look for the Mucha Museum. We do not know much about him but are interested to learn more. Alfons Mucha lived from 1860 to 1939.

Mucha Graphics

He was more of a graphic artist although he did paint a few works. When he made posters for the French actress Sarah Bernhardt, his fame took off. He had an exposition in Brooklyn in 1921 and the daily news did a two page color layout of his work, a big deal in those days. The museum is small but well laid out with good explanations in English. There is also a 15 minute movie about his life that was very interesting.
We have one more stop in our plans but decide to have lunch first. We go to the market, buy some beer, find a shady bench along a pedestrian street and eat some sandwiches. Then we are on our way to the Museum of Communism. The museum details the history of communism here with an emphasis on Prague. There are old statues of Lenin and Marx. Old posters warn about the evils of collaborating against the communists.

American Police

Propaganda posters tell about the evil oppressive United States and their police. There is a picture of the extremely large statue of Stalin and communists that was torn down in 1990. Vaclav had told us about that. I also noticed that there were quite a few young people going through and reading the information, many of them Czechs. I think it is good to see the younger people gaining an understanding of the struggle for freedom and the benefits they have from it. The museum also had a small display on Korea and its oppressive regime with some smuggled photos. The part about what they do to women and children training them harshly for months to March in a military parade. It explains how much the leaders spend on themselves each year while the population is starving. Very interesting stuff. The whole experience is hard for those of us who have lived in total freedom to comprehend. We hope that the Czechs can continue to enjoy their freedoms and other countries may yet get to find their way to freedom.
We leave the museum and walk toward the Jerusalem Synagogue and the train station. The Synagogue is known for its art nouveau facade which is very colorful. After it, we go to the train station to buy our tickets for Kutna Hora. This way we do not have to worry about lines when we leave in a few days. That done we walk back to the hotel. When crossing the river, we notice a guy walking on the water. It is not Jesus, but some apparently new fun thing to do.

Looks Like Fun

There is a jet ski near him which we can’t figure out if it has a pump on it or is just there to keep him safe from boats. The guy is attached to a hose that exerts water pressure and raises him up into the air. He can also use it to propel himself swimming wise in the water. I am sure this will find a way to the U.S. If it hasn’t already.
Back at the hotel, we eventually try to start out for dinner. We get to the lobby and sitting area where our Australian and English friends from the tour are. They are taking a night train to Budapest and have a few hours to burn. We end up chatting for several hours with them before our hunger gets too unbearable. We now have an invitation to visit in Australia and one never knows. We loved meeting these easy going people and hope they continue to have safe travels.
We make it to a restaurant around the corner that Allan and company said was good. Carol wants beef goulash but they are out. The nerve of them. I order ribs and Carol gets roast pork and cabbage stuffed in a potato pancake. It is kind of like a potato pancake quesadilla. The food is good but when the bill comes, there is a 35 charge for bread and a 40 for service. We were told by Waclav that the service charge is not legal and I knew the bread charge was a scam also. I question him on the legality and say we did not eat the bread and he ends up taking the bread off. I let the service charge go as we were going to tip anyway but even though it was not a lot of money, it leaves a bad taste. We know the locals were not being charged this. Their loss as we will warn all on trip advisor. Another day in Prague is done and we will see what tomorrow brings us. Hopefully less heat.
Expenses
Mucha Museum 480 CZK
Museum of Communism. 380 CZK
Kozel Cerny Beer from Market 33 CZK
Dinner at U Deloveko Krize. 425 CZK
Hotel Julian 79.5E
Walked 8.3 Miles