Wander Prague

Current listening: Matt Fax & Mindset-Plane
Current watching: Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 2

Prior to arriving in Prague, I heard that the cuisine in the Czech Republic was nothing to be excited about. I was clearly misinformed. I have yet to have a bad dish here. Not only is the food absolutely delicious, its completely affordable. Its the price food should be. Although I have dined upon the finest fair, being abroad has also pushed me to improve my cooking skills and become more creative. I really hope to take these new skills and independence back to the US. Here's a little taste of what I have enjoyed.

Current Listening: Thomas Hayes- False Reality 
Current Location: Behind a cup of coffee, Zizkov, Manesova 86, #15, 13:58

Is this post inappropriate? Absolutely. I suppose I don't really care either. This museum was great. The Prague Sex Machine Museum is an exposition of mechanical erotic appliances. "The purpose of which to bring pleasure and extraordinary and unusual positions during intercourse."

The space took up 3 floors with over 200 objects to observe and enjoy. This included an art gallery, a cinema theater (playing porn from the 1920s), erotic clothing, penetrating objects. I found this gallery quite intriguing due to its deep history. There were pleasure/pain objects dating back to the 18th and 19th century. It was interesting to see what past societies found erotic and pleasurable. 

Current Listening: Dinka-Fairy
Current Location: My apartment, Zizkov

Earlier this week I ventured to to quite possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Prague Castle. This Bohemian gem was built in 890. Prague Castle is the largest castle complex in the world. Its houses the Czech Crown Jewels and has provided offices for the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and the presidenta of Czechoslovakia. The castle was originally built in a Romanesque style but later (14th c.) it was rebuilt in a Gothic style. 

 

Snow covered moat

The trip here started as a class outing for my Prague Art & Architecture course. After the class, I threw on my iPod and spent 2 hours wandering the castle grounds by myself. Completely amazed. The detail and flamboyance expressed in the Basilica of St. Vitus and the Basilica of St. George blew away many of the gems that I have seen through the rest of Europe (Notre Dame, etc). Although the Pyramids of Giza and the Colosseum in Rome were incredible, I felt a different connection here. Maybe it was the fact that I was alone or it was the music that I was listening (Shingo Nakamura). It could have been the 1000 year old history that I was standing on. I don't know. 

Underneath the castle grounds, there is the Old Royal Palace museum. The subterranean galley was filled with relics found throughout the centuries. They had found human remains, pottery, clothing, crowns, jewelry, weapons, etc. I was unable to take any pictures inside. 

Current Listening: Jaytech-Headcase

Current Location: My Prague flat

A week in and it still blows my mind that I'm in Prague. This city is incredible. It's the perfect mixture of gothic, romanesque, baroque and communist styles. Prague has been virtually preserved 1000 years of history. I could not have asked for a better apartment or a better set of roommates. We live in the quiet and very beautiful neighborhood of Zizkov, which is in Prague 2. On our street, Manesova, we have a potraviny (convenience store), salon, multiple pubs, etc. At the end of the street, there is a square with a large church. A farmers market is also held here multilple times per week. Here is a mini tour through our apartment and neighborhood:

Our living area is extremely spacious. Since we are on the top floor of our building, we have skylights that provide natural light and a great view of the rest of our neighborhood. A couple of things that differ from a typical apartment in the US: 

• Our shower and toliet are in sperate rooms.
• The clothes washer is the bathroom.
• There is no clothes dryer, we have to hang dry everything.
• No central AC ( Don't need it anyways, it's freezing.)