Heading South

I have arrived in Prague, Czech Republic!

After a mini meltdown when I first arrived in Germany (before I met everybody) I decided I needed to slow down and stop trying to cover as many countries as my Rail Pass would allow.

So after Germany I changed my frenetic itinerary. I have been craving some kind of music concert and figure between Prague and Vienna I had a good shot. I had heard there are symphonies, shows or concerts every night.

I took today to walk around and orient myself to the city. I walked towards Old Town and found the National Museum. They had a flier out for a Mozart opera concert today at 19:00hrs inside the museum. I bought a ticket and continued my walk.

Walking into the square at Old Town took my breath away. The architecture is so ancient, so ornate. While I do like museums, I prefer the less obvious choices. I found a photography exhibit of Czech photographers- professional and amateur- of Prague. It was a great exhibit in an old building next to the Bell Tower.

Just next to the square I walk over to find a HUGE fashion show going on. It's Prague Fashion Weekend. Big names, expensive cars, killer clothes all around me to the sounds of a well known DJ spinning. A ridiculously long runway set up outside shops like Hermes, Dior and Prada under the eaves of the ancient buildings on old cobbled streets. The dichotomy was striking.

The crowd was suffocating but I couldn't stop watching for a long time. There was a really great old guy dancing around on the sidewalk next to the show. Maybe he was drunk, maybe he was just way into it. Didn't matter- he was as fun to watch as the Gen X Design come down the runway.

Tonight I attended the mini concert in the museum. It was an intimate affair where we sat on cushions on the stairs or chairs in the main staircase of the grand lobby. There was a piano and three opera singers. Performances included Mozart, Verdi, Bizet. My favorite was the solo from Carmen: Aria of Carmen. It was a tiny affair in a magnificent setting with brilliant acoustics.