unique Prague
So, I spent a whole week in Prague, walking, visiting, savouring. There are already so many beautiful (even highly photoshopped) photos of Prague on the internet. I wasn’t that skilled at taking photos and would only like to share some photos of the objects that I personally got very attracted to.
First of all, I must say, the beauty of Prague isn’t replaceable or replicable. I insisted on walking in the old town which is much bigger than many old towns in European cities, and would walk approximately 15KM a day. Just because there was so much to see, and each time I turned, in every corner I discovered something amazing – aesthetic historical buildings, statues, paintings, etc. Below I will introduce you to two unique statues and two paintings that I found particular in Prague.
“Piss” by David Cerny
It is right in front of the Franz Kafka Museum. The two standing men are peeing into a Czech-shaped pond. Sometimes they rotate and sometimes they move their penises up and down. It’s said, their pee is not random, and they actually write famous quotes from Prague residents into the water! Oh, how come I didn’t recognise that their intelligent penises could spell letters!
“Youth” by Milos Zet
I had heard of the superstition – if you touch his penis, it will bring you good luck. So I especially went to the old castle compound to look for it. How could I ever miss such an opportunity to have more good luck?!
The funny thing is, I looked and looked, but couldn’t find it. I think I circled around in the castle’s compound at least five times and was too shy to ask anyone about the statue. When I finally entered the information centre, I saw many people line up waiting to buy tickets for visiting the old castle and the magnificent cathedral. The serious atmosphere beat my courage off. I left without any more info and decided to visit the last sight before leaving the whole compound. I was honestly disappointed and texted a dear girl friend back in Shanghai, telling her that I should be more positive, and not be affected by such a small unfulfilled wish.
I entered almost each little tiny medieval house in the Golden Lane imagining their lifestyle in the 16th century, and then skipped the dungeon after spotting a hanging skeleton – oh no, please no bad dreams at night. Then, something wonderful happened. The boy with the golden penis was just standing there, as if waiting for me all the time. The moment I saw him, the handsome but lonely young boy who had a proud and tenacious look on his face, I associated him with the main character in Paulo Coelho’s classical novel “The Alchemist”. The shepherd boy was on a long journey looking for the treasure that he had dreamed of, only in the end when he was about to give up, he found it in the place where he had started.
I then proudly went up to touch the golden penis. My treasure of the day.
“Zodiac” by Alphonse Mucha
Stepping into Mucha Museum was another happy surprise for me. I was always a big fan of Japanese manga. Now I guess I know where this kind of manga art originated. The Art Nouveau seems very similar to the Japanese mango that I like. Mucha became famous overnight in 1895 in Paris by creating posters for the then most famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt.
When I was strolling through and around Charles Bridge, I suddenly spotted this on a wall. Passion! I saw passion. When the woman in red presses the man against onto a wall and fills him up with a French kiss, meanwhile one of her feet lifts up from the ground, her heart is full of passion for him, and for life.
I loved my Prague trip and will definitely go back, hoping to discover more.
Jinglei Zhu 