Prague etc.
So Prague was excellent and there was so much to do, there was absolutely no time to go to Dresden or Wroclaw or Karlovy Vary. You would need 5-6 days to exhaust the Prague essentials before the museum explanatory panel fatigue sets in. I reached that point on my final sightseeing day in the Museum of Decorative Arts, in the 300 Years of Czech Porcelain room. In previous rooms, I’d gawked at the underwear from the 1700s, questioned the functionality of Czech cubist furniture, and giggled appreciatively at the Kitsch Cabinet.
(“Kitsch is the complete fulfillment of the consumer’s expectations” - Miroslav Petříček, philosopher. The panel goes on to note that the objects displayed “show that excessive gratuity and ostentation in both shapes and decorations have plagued porcelain production from the beginning. Overly colourful transfers, gleaming lustre or ingratiating themes have always earned consumer affection… We succumb to them every day and yet it is very hard to collectively agree on what is or is not kitsch. Did we choose well?”)
But then, faced with the 3 centuries of Bohemian porcelain, the previous days caught up with me. There was no room for new information. It was time to meet the friend waiting for me in the museum cafe. Time to wind Prague down.
→ Previously on LP: Off to Prague soon, but what do I know about Czech culture?
Here are my absolute top must-sees, should you find yourself in Prague. More detail, and an also-ran list, for the subscribers further down.
The top of the Klementinum tower, once used for astronomical and meteorological research. The formerly Jesuit-owned complex of buildings and courtyards is now run by the national library.
The ancient Jewish cemetery.
The Kafka museum.
The Castle - a collection of historical palaces, churches and current Presidential apartments and banquet halls (those are closed to the public, but you see the occasional black BMW inching over the cobblestones and delivering people dressed in business attire).
The Theatre on the Balustrades - any live show that this ensemble presents with English surtitles. I watched the adaptation of Balzac’s Illusions perdues.
To wit: