Such Loveliness Beyond Compare

I was pretty harsh on Vienna looking back on it, but Prague has made up for it.

I definitely feel the weariness of travelling setting in and this morning I wanted nothing more than to sleep for another six hours, but checkout was in fifteen minutes. I took things a bit easier today, I didn't necessarily see all the big sights but I still have more time.

My first mission of the day was to find tickets for a show this evening. I had originally planned on getting tickets for a performance of Swan Lake but my guidebook pointed me to some of the other theaters, most notable The Estates Theater. This was the theater where Mozart premiered his Don Giovanni and they were putting on a performance of The Magic Flute. I had never seen an opera and I thought it would be great to say my first one had been in Prague. I found the theater and luckily they had one seat although I would have settled for standing.

From there I went to find an english language bookstore. I only brought a few books not wanting to carry around the extra weight, but I've also been reading a lot on the trains, and in cafes when I take a break. My father helped me out and found a couple, and it turned out one of them was mentioned in my guidebook, more so for the cafe attached. It's called Globe and it was a wonderful find. The bookstore itself wasn't very big and it didn't stock up to date bestsellers, but there were plenty of good finds. I was able to pick up a short story collection by one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami, and also Middlesex by Jeffery Eugindes, I've been meaning to read it forever but can never find the time. The cafe attached to the globe is somewhat famous for being a hangout for expats, and so naturally I wanted to count myself in the ranks of those who have eaten there. I settled in began reading and had a nice sandwich. I almost didn't want to leave.

My next stop was actually right by my hostel. I had to check back in because I had made separate bookings this time in a single room. The Old Town Square is only a few blocks from my hostel. Right now it is hosting the Christmas Market, which is where I spent my first evening here, eating and listening to a Czech cover band. I also ran into another Christmas Market on my way to the theater and picked up a really delicious donut type thing. I can't remember exactly what they call it but it seems to be a traditional Czech treat. Around the square though are some of the main sights of Prague, Tyn Church and the Astronomical Clock. These were all crowded when I got there so instead I went to a gallery showing in an old theater. It was a photography exhibit on the history of communism in the Republic. I don't know much about the history of the Czech Republic and I was a bit confused by the leanings of the captions of the photos. A lot of them featured people coming together in celebration by working, building roads and buildings. It was somewhat odd. I wasn't sure what to do with myself after, it was chilly outside, I was running out of money and my show for the evening wasn't until seven. I was going to head back to the hostel and just read but I noticed a large sign across the square. It was advertising for an exhibit of Mucha paintings. Mucha was a bohemian born artist who helped define the Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century. I really like Art Nouveau and so with the little money I had I bought admission. It was pretty extensive and the paintings were beautiful. I wanted a few things from the gift shop and was disappointed they wouldn't take cards, so I settled on two items and used up the last of my money.

I went back to my room and read for a bit. My second mission of the day was to make my reservation on the train to Amsterdam. I was concerned it wouldn't work out like it hadn't in Barcelona so I made a few back up plans, but when I got up to the ticket booth and made my reservation all went smoothly. From the train station (where don't worry mom I picked up more money) I headed straight to the theater. The theater was gorgeous, it was like being inside of a birthday cake, sky blue layers with a bit of creamy white and gold gilding to top it off. It was in beautiful condition and I could easily picture Mozart there premiering his operas. I was lucky enough to get the last seat due to the fact that it was located behind a pole. I was told this when I bought the ticket but I was okay with it, prefering to sit than stand. The pole was somewhat annoying but not impossible, I wasn't able to see the bottom left hand corner of the stage but I didn't miss much. The opera was gorgeous, I was picturing ornate stage designs like you see in period films, but what I got was almost completely different. It was very minimalistic, the entire set was dictated by a large dyed sheet that faded from marigold yellow to azure. It hung over the stage and a series of weights and counterweights would lift and shape it to create the scene or engulf the characters. Sometimes they would project images onto it, stars for when the Queen of the Night appeared, or when Tamino first sees Pamina and sings Such Loveliness Beyond Compare they actually filmed the diva sitting in the audience and then emerging up to the stage. All in all it was a wonderful experience and it only cost me 50 Korunas or about 2.71 US dollars, I kid you not. To top it all off as I emerged from the theater, it had begun to snow. A nice snow with heavy flakes. The christmas market had closed when I got back but I walked around the square anyways, enjoying all the lovely buildings and the giant sparkling Christmas tree. It was like the Christmas night I didn't have.

I have most of tomorrow here, I catch my train to Amsterdam at around 6:30 and I'll be ringing in the new year there. I probably won't be writing til after then so I'll wish you all a happy new year now.

Happy New Year!