The apostles start heading outside.

We got to be inside the astronomical clock when it struck the hour, and all the automata whirred into action. Through the stained glass, you can see the poor slobs down below outside waiting for it all to begin .

The first day of our "non-traditional" Czech language course, they took us to the part of the Old Town Hall that is not open to the public. They served us champagne and a Town Councillor with a hulkin' silver chain of office around his neck addressed us. That is one of the charms of being in a small country.
Here Elena and I enjoy our exclusive vantage point, far above the tourist crowds.

Once again, Shellen catches me in the act. She's a swift one!

Sunday brunch in the 'hood. Right after this
we headed for the fleamarkets.

Shellen catches me in the act as I go for my gigantic latte bowl. They know the right way to start the day in Berlin.

Shellen toppling a gigantic stack of German literature.

Wandering
through the Hackeshe Hofe

Berlin is like a gigantic outdoor Apple store. There is cool shit everywhere. Here we paused in front of some cameras that make flowers sprout when you walk in front of them.

Shellen and I decided that it was high time for a feet tour of Europe. Here our right feet get some camera time in front of the library.

It was pretty hot in Berlin, but great men cast large shadows. Here I am cooling down beneath Friedrich Wilhelm, on Unter den Linden.

Here I am in Hamburg, I trekked out here on Friday and looked at four manuscripts in the library. I'm on my way back to the bus station, and I stopped for a photo beside the big lake that is in the middle of the city.

Wolfenbuttel has many beautiful canals winding through it.
After my 4 hour trek from Berlin, and several hours looking at manuscripts in the library, I'm looking pretty exhausted here.

The last weekend in July was the great library tour of Germany. Here I am in Wolfenbuttel at the Herzog August Bibliothek.

The fountain sent out a cool breeze on what was a really hot day. This July was the hottest for the past 200 years in the Czech Republic.

I went to pay my rent in the bank to the left of the Prasna Brana, one of the many gothic towers of Prague.

This is a pretty well-known art deco cafe to the right of the Prasna Brana. I indulged in sacher torte with whipped cream and an espresso.

This is my fabulous teacher Helena from the July course. Unfortunately I no longer have her this month. On the board behind us is the genitive case!

For some reason, last week they took us to
a graduation ceremony in the magna aula
of the Carolinum, a university building in constant
use since 1348. I particularly liked this grumpy
little dude. The only part of the ceremony I understood
was the Rector's Latin speech.

Until now, I used to do my work at Cafe Fuzion in Wenceslaus Square. But then the side of a building randomly fell down there, and all trams have stopped going to W.S. (even though it is sort of the hub of town). Plus fuzion's wifi hasn't been working for a week. So my new place, where I am now, is Cafe Metropole in Vinohrady. They have a little English-language bookstore attached - and any bookstore with a Borges quote on its bookmark must be good.

The metro system in Prague is pretty amazing. They have incredibly long escalators, that also move extremely quickly. It is a little scary getting on, but the speed also generates a nice wind tunnel. Very refreshing in the terrible heat we've been having.

Appropriately enough, in the Muzeum subway station, there is a display of a soviet era ticket collector. Her wrist, attached with several layers of tape is cleverly concealed behind a wicked ticketbag. I have to find one of those. The postwomen today still carry something similar.

Viewing some architectural excesses inside the St. Nicholas Church. some of the architecture is painted trompe l'oeil.

Outside the St. Nicholas church in Malostranske Namesti in Prague. The Castle looms in the background.

Compared to the beautiful fountains at the Zwinger in Dresden, the grottos at the Waldstein palace at Prague help you understand why grotto-esque became grotesque. There are live eagle owls in this section of the grotto.

More chillin' at a fountain

A happy foot surveys the Zwinger

I really enjoyed cooling my feet in the fountain at the Zwinger after looking at
Old Masters in the painting gallery. But I looked rather dubiously at Leslie in the picture when she suggested that I say "Kase" (cheese).

Get on the Vera bus!

They've done a great job rebuilding Dresden in time for its
800'th anniversary this year, but clearly they didn't get everything quit done in time. Can you pick out the cardboard facade?

Tea houses are a big deal in Prague. In addition to a kavarna or two on every block, you can also find a cajovna now and then. These are often more than a little orientalist, but very relaxing. At this place Hana had "Lady Hana" tea, I had hot mead and we shared strudel and traditional honey cake (medovnik). I want to try the place called "Dobra Cajovna" (Good Teahouse) on Wenceslas square. They have a bamboo garden.

Czech of the day:

Kavarna = cafe

cajovna = teahouse

nahore bez = topless (literally "upstairs without")

Sometimes only gelato will revive a beat Hana. Here some emergency blackberry/lemon gelato is doing its thing in the Franciscan Gardens outside the Panna Maria Sezna church.

This mug is so ugly it's beautiful. Hana and I call it the toad cup. I'm getting the whole set.

The train winds through beautiful contryside along the Vltava the whole
way to Dresden.

This is the view from my window. In the background you can see steps leading up to a wall - part of the gigantic fortress of Vysehrad. On top of the fortress is a village, including a beautiful cemetery where Dvorak is buried. You can walk all around the fortress on the ramparts for stupendous views of the Vltava river and Prague. Prague has almost too many beautiful views.

Just spent a totally amazing research weekend in Dresden at the fabulous Sachsische Landesbibliothek and the Kunstbibliothek. I stayed with my lovely and amazing host Leslie (pictures coming soon), and we watched much soccer, visited the Green Vaults (kunstkammer objects), Mathematical Instruments collection, the Gemaldegalerie, a fab flea market, and several pubs. I'm a big fan of Dresden.

Czech of the day:
emailovat = to email
emailuju = I email

Prague Slet

Czech fashion is pretty damn bad. . . but certain groups circulating around town have been notable even here for their bad fashion sense. Gangs of middle aged to elderly men and women have been filling Prague in the past few days, all dressed in identical, plastic clothing. I have at last discovered what's up. They are all members of Sokol - a Czech patriot athletic organization with chapters throughout the world. Today is the Prague Slet, when these fashion challenged athletes gather in mass color co-ordinated gymnastics.

Given the issues that the Czech people seem to have with the Romany population (according to the Prague Post, Romany women are still being sterilized against their will), and the fact that we have now reviewed the phrase "I am not Czech, I am a foreigner" at least 20 times in my class, Czech nationalism seems to have some rather unsavory racist undertones. The Sokol demonstration on T.V. looks rather like footage from a fascist era.

Czech for the day:
I am not Czech, I am a foreigner* = Nejsem Ceska, jsem cizinka.

*according to my teacher, a foreigner is somebody who was not born in the Czech Republic. Even if you have a Czech passport, are of Czech extraction, or have been living there your entire life, you are a foreigner unless born in the C.R.

Hus Day

To me, Jan Hus is a name out of the history books, and I in fact had no idea that Hussites were still around. Lo and behold, I now live right next door to a Hussite church, and I set my clock to its bells which ring every quarter hour. There is Hussite iconology everywhere, and a gigantic statues of Jan Hus in the old town square. Today and tomorrow is even the Jan Hus national holiday, so a lot of stores are closed. yet we still have our five hours of class a day. yawn.

Fun Czech word for the day:
ctvrtek = thursday