It’s no mystery that fashionistas gravitate toward Chanel prêt-à-porter for the beautiful fabrics and trims. But once in a while, there will be offerings in more common, or shall we say street, materials such as sweatshirt fabric and velour. Yes, I said the v word. But I happen to love this crazy (and a tad loud) velour top that I got from the 2008 season; I wore it all over Prague…
and kicked myself for not being successful in finding the matching racerback tank top. Not that I would wear them together lest I blind everyone I encounter. Fast forward almost four years, and look what showed up on eBay in brand spanking new condition at a fraction of the price!
NOT that I would wear them together…
well, maybe I would!
PS: dear eBay gods, how about the matching shorts, too 
?
That’s silly. Yesterday I was talking about seeing Prague filled with people then alone, and I forgot to post comparison pictures. So here are a few shots of the city crowded then emptied…
Doesn’t this look like Disneyworld, except…real? Like a Czech Disneyworld?
This is my last post from Prague. Before I catch my afternoon flight out of here, I wander through a street market trolling for trinkets, but in the heat all I want is this…
even though on the street most people are grabbing this:
Here are some places I see on my way out:
I can’t believe from this first shot days ago,
it’s already time to check out again
and then park myself here…
See you in the next town.
Tags: Prague
My mom asked me why, in my earlier European reports, the towns looked so empty, from Belgium to Luxembourg. It’s most likely that tourism is down but even more so that I try to find empty streets wherever I am to take photographs. But here in Prague, it’s been quite difficult to avoid the crowds except when I’m in the more residential areas well outside of the sightseeing quarters. Even late in the evening, people are everywhere, enjoying the summer warmth. So one day, I am on the streets by 5am.
My grogginess is quickly replaced by the thrill of having the city, then bridge, much to myself. The only other people around me are stragglers stumbling home from a night of partying or die-hard photographers trying to capture the still of the twilight hours. Like me.
The problem with being a twilight chaser, besides sleep deprivation, is that you have to move fast. It’s literally seconds to get your shot when the sun decides to set or rise. Once the sun is down or up, it’s game over. And the other problem is, no matter how many times I’ve waited for the moments before sunset or sunrise, I’m always so stunned by the colors when it happens that the photography falls by the wayside. I just want to stand there and watch…and then kick myself for not getting the perfect shots. It’s kinda like that on the Charles Bridge this early morning; in fact even worse when exchanging cameras with others…
Before I know it, it’s full-fledged morning…
and a small peloton has arrived on the bridge:
It’s still very early, but bright enough for me to get some clear, unobstructed shots of the saints:
These are all shiny from the rubbing,
that I myself managed to do during my first visit that day on a very crowded bridge:
I wish I could get a shot of all the saints’ faces on this bridge,
but given their heights it’d be impossible for me to do:
Anyway, one last rub of the saint for good luck,
and it’s time to go back to the hotel for a quick rest before another full day continues..
If I could find a moment of solitude like this in every city I visit, I’d stay a twilight chaser forever.
Tags: Charles Bridge, Prague
Now where were we before I went off-topic about the furkids? Oh yes, lunch in Prague. I’m actually en route to the John Lennon wall when I spot the above sign for the restaurant. I’m famished but I want to see the wall first…
In a quiet corner just within whispers of the nearby, noisy Charles Bridge, the wall stands since the 1980s with graffiti quoting John Lennon lyrics or just idealistic thoughts. It has been repainted many times, and each time, new graffiti would surface.
I’m not a Beatles fan but I am an ardent fan of Lennon’s lyrics, especially those from this song: Across the Universe…
Anyway, I find it appropriate to have a bite at the John & George Cafe:
It is very cozy inside (I suppose even prettier at night) and there’s a secret garden in the back for al fresco dining. I tell myself it’s probably a tourist trap with mediocre food, but now at 3pm I just want to sit down in a nice, quiet place to recharge. Surprisingly the Thai pasta I order turns out to be one of the best meals on this trip!
The salmon pasta isn’t bad either:
I walk off lunch around the Old Town area, souvenir shopping…
and snacking–you know by now I can’t say no to mango sorbet, preferably in a waffle cone…
This is a cool gallery I come across but there’s no time…
because I’m going to the “stepsister” castle next. One parting shot for my family:
The line outside St. Vitus is twice as long now so I take a final shot of one of the doors; I don’t think I quite want to queue up again in this heat. I’d rather go see the changing of the guards…
and tease one of them till I get a smile from him:
When I get to this hill,
I encounter a group of young Chinese 20-somethings carrying very expensive video equipment, in a flutter of activity. Before I know it, one of them jumps out and unfurls a poster. His friends begin filming away…I really wish I could understand Chinese at this point because I wonder if he’s planning to propose to this girl:
A small crowd of curious tourists gathers around him. Some clap and shake his hand. We all hope he gets the girl.
Speaking of love, I also spot a bunch of brides and grooms today:
It’s now around 2pm so I have to head back to the Old Town. On my first day here I’d run across the Museum of Communism and knew I’d have to come back to tour it…and no, I’m not having a spasm. Nor am I making inappropriate gang signs. I’m just copying the matryoshka:
Funnily the museum overlooks a very capitalistic McDo
and shares the same building as a casino…you just can’t make this stuff up!
I am hoping the gift shop will sell a nesting doll with this wonderfully adorable grimace,
but all I find are postcards, tshirts and matchbooks with her image. I’m almost certain everyone who’s ever walked by this sign has done the same thing, because I do it again today:
All this loitering has made me really hungry. Let’s go eat lunch here…
Tags: matryoshka doll, Museum of Communism, Prague, St. Vitus
