Sunday 29-06 - Mucha, Movies

I woke up at 9, not getting much sleep. The plan was to go back to the Old town, Stare Mesto. We were there yesterday but were too tired to take anything in. We showered and took a last look at our room. We had a cool loft with a ladder and a fourth bed. The roof was slanted near the beds so as to cause one to hit their heads as they woke up.





Our hostel has a party reputation, so breakfast is from 9 to 1 (most are from 7 to 10 or so). I enjoyed spreadable cheese on toast, plus cereal. I was never much of a cereal person, but on this trip I´ve eaten it alot. The same goes for cheeses and olives.

We took the metro to Charles Bridge (Karluv Most in Czech). There were guys with French accents in sailor suits selling boats rides down the river. We walked through crowded Karlova street, with all its tourist shops. We came onto Staromestske Nam, the main square.

Now with sleep behind us, the place looked very different. In front of us was the old town hall. It has clocks all around it. Best is the astromonical clock that keeps time with the stars and planets.



Beyond were buildings with cafes and restaurants. Beyond them lay the spires of the Tyn church. They were beautiful shadows full of form, gothic watchmen over all Prague. We could also see the top of St Nicholas Church.





We spotted a Mucha museum across the square, so we went to Czech him out. Alfons Mucha was a large part of the Art Nouveau movement and I guess graphic design movements. He did a lot of menus and postcards on top of his paintings and grander works. I didn't know much about art nouveau but thought it would be interesting.

I was inspired by his work. It was so intricate and full of movement but with these amazing bold lines seperating sections of work. I could see his influence in so many artists I know. I loved standing and staring at his line work until I was completely immersed in each piece. This was a huge discovery for me. I felt an inspiration to create when I saw his creations.

In the same building and on the same ticket we went to a Salvidor dali exhibit. It had a lot of his smaller works and sketches and plates and statues. It had something I didn't even know existed. Dali did A4ish sized pieces representing every Canto (chapter) of Dante´s Divine Comedy. Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. This exhibit had almost every original piece in the set. I didn't count them to check and they were out of order, but I think they were all there. They were wonderful, to discover this new side of an artist I thought I knew so well.

They had a plate created by Dali with the name ¨Infraterrestrials adored by Dalí at the age of six when he thought himself an insect¨. It was good.



They also had ¨Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening¨.

We were hungry and with sore feet after the museum so we found some baguettes. We sat in the shade, on the steps of an old church to each. I watched all the people pass by as I ate.



Near the bridge was a museum of medieval torture instruments. We didn't have anything else we really wanted to do at that point but didn't feel up to going home. Also I was in a macabre mood and felt like a good cringe. There were all sorts of torture devices inside. The lesser tools included old cuffs, chains and whips. There was an old iron maiden and a rack. There were saws for cutting people in half, starting with the genitals. I cringed most at a large stone pyramid onto which naked women were weighted. Apparently there was often permanent genital damage. Back then they had a good imagination for ways to inflict pain and terror in people. Almost as much as people today. They had old school water torture devices and spikes. Good fun.

We came out of the museum and headed down a less crowded back street. Our feet were all in great amounts of pain. We found a café to sit at outside for a while. We rested our feet while drinking coffee/tea and listening to the Lord of the Rings, which was playing inside the cafe.

We started talking about about movies that we loved. We talked about all that was great about them. We came apon the idea of seeing a movie. Quick reference to the map revealed a cinema quite near by. we made our way to the cinema. The only english movie on that we wanted to see was Wanted. I hadn't planned on seeing it in the cinema but it didn't look aweful. I thought it might be a fun, brainless action flick with a comic book twist (which is always good).

It was a welcome relief. Traveling has been incredible and indescribable, don't get me wrong. But we have been living in the foreign and unknown. We have been living in cryptic languages and cultures, constantly being lost. This was a break. A chance to relax and let the familiar flow over us. It was refreshing. I think I needed it.

We left the film satisfied and started blogging when we got back to hotel. We lay on our bunk beds to type. Suddenly waves of fatigue hit me. I couldn't keep my eyes open. The past few days were catching up with me. I hadn't even made the beds with the hostel clean linen. I had just enough energy to grab my bed liner and pull myself into it. I was still in my clothes as I let myself drift into sleep