Czech Out This View

The one picture I could get to load on our hostel wifi.....

Well, we said a sorrowful farewell to the Czech Republic this morning as we made our way to Salzburg at an hour of the morning I firmly believe no one needs to be awake at (8am). Luckily, we had a fun, adventure-filled last day in Prague. We first journeyed to the music instruments museum, which had a full collection of instruments that were both incredible to look at and instruments that its probably a good thing we don't play regularly (violin-ophone, anyone?) I, for one, was both amazed by their collection of baroque bassoons and bassoon predecessors like the dulcian but also glad that the contra bassoon has evolved so it doesn't nearly touch the ceiling anymore.

We then made our way to the John Lennon wall, which was just a short walk from the museum. I had never heard of the wall prior to this trip but the story, I learned, is quite beautiful. The Czech people set up a memorial for Lennon after he died by painting different pieces of art and song lyrics on a wall. However, the communist government that controlled the Czech Republic at the time did not like this display and decided to paint over it. The people would then come back each time the wall got painted over and create new art in the space and the wall became a symbol of rebellion, especially by the young people of Prague. We were concerned on our way to the wall that there might not be anymore artwork, as we had heard that about a year ago some people had decided to paint it completely white except for the words "The Wall is Over" because they believed that the wall didn't stand for anything anymore. However, when we visited, the wall was just as colorful as ever, complete with various portraits of Lennon referencing the original purpose of the wall as well as some more modern additions, like small memorials to David Bowie. I think its really powerful that, even after all of these years, the Czech people and visitors are still finding a way to make the wall meaningful in their lives through the ever changing artwork. The most powerful message of all was where someone had taken the text "The Wall is Over"and turned it into "The Wall is Forever." That sent a simple but potent message that small symbol of rebellion and evolving history was here to stay.

A few of us then decided to make our way up to the top of the infamous astronomical clock tower, something that our tour guide had recommended we do on day one. This was the perfect day to do it because we had gotten at least a couple inches of fresh snow and the rooftops were covered (as you can see above). We also made a new and unexpected musician friend at the top of the tower! I noticed his trumpet case and mentioned that Claire also plays the trumpet. He then proceeded to ask if Claire would like to play on his instrument and handed it to her, which was something I was definitely not expecting! Thus Claire ended up giving an impromptu performance to some gathered tourists at the top of the freezing tower. What we didn't realize is that the trumpet player's job was actually to play outside on each side of the tower each hour from 9am-9pm. It was so much fun to follow him to each window and hear his sound echo out over Prague.

Next we decided to spend the rest of our extra Czech crowns by going out to a fancy lunch. We ate on a boat (or a barge meant to look like a boat because I am not totally convinced that thing could actually move) on the Vltava. The food was incredible, as was the view, which featured snow gently falling on the waterfront.

Finally, we attended a beautiful concert that evening. The venue was Saint Marin's Church-in-the-Wall, which is a church from the 12th century. The "wall" part references a wall that was built to separate the old and new city of Prague which the church made up a part of. This concert was really interesting because it felt like going back in time and listening to the kind of concerts people might actually have attended in that church when it was first created (not to mention the quartet was wonderful). This chance to experience history on an interactive level was greatly appreciated.

Now, on to Salzburg and Mozart week! While I was very sad to leave Prague and I hope I may visit again one day, Im excited for the two cities that lie ahead.

Sbohem,
Megan Cummings