Prague by Boat

~One evening in Prague, our group went on a pre-arranged tour boat ride up and down the Vltava river, which runs through the middle of Prague and is crossed by several bridges (most notably, Charles Bridge). While aboard, we enjoyed a buffet-style dinner and complimentary drinks. I noticed "grog" on the menu and ordered it, and was disappointed when all I got was a Pilsner beer. It turned out that I hadn't said "grog" correctly: in Czech, it sounds like "grok".

^ This was not our tour boat, but the one we rode on looked a lot like this.

^ Charles Bridge, taken from the boat in the evening.

^ I'm told this picture makes me and the girls look like we're in a band. Supposedly, I'm the band leader and they're my all-female backups.

^ A statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (or "Karolo Quarto", as it says on the pedestal). Charlie here is the greatest hero of the Czech people, a legendary monarch who ruled over a golden age of culture, victory, and prosperity. Charles University, Prague's oldest and most distinguished institution of higher learning, was founded by him. This particular statue lies at the East end of Charles Bridge (also named for Charlie), although it has been moved repeatedly eastward over the centuries as the area became more and more crowded.

Prague is filled with art and statues, but some of the statues are more unusual than others. Here are a few of the more unusual statues I saw in the city:

^ The tower on the east side of Charles Bridge holds this unusual statue. Seen from behind, he seems to be scratching himself. How embarrassing to be frozen like that for all time!

^ "Let me give you a hand!" These hand statues, of which I found at least three, seem to be scattered around Prague at random. I don't know what significance they have. Perhaps the gesture the hand is making is some sort of secret recognition signal, like the "Live long and prosper" sign of Star Trek fame.

^ Another of Prague's most famous sons is author Franz Kafka, who wrote "Metamorphosis" (among other weird stories). This statue, located on the edge of Prague's old Jewish district, was made by Czech sculptor Jaroslav Rona, and was inspired by Kafka's story "Description of a Struggle".

By the way, did you know that Kafka wanted most of his stories to be burned when he died? His executor couldn't bring himself to carry out his Kafka's dying wish, and instead had them published, bringing Kafka great, if posthumous, fame. This, to me, raises an interesting philosophical question: are we, as humans, obliged to honor the wishes of the deceased? Or do their desires and wants become meaningless when they die?

While you ponder that, enjoy the panoramic image of Charles Bridge below. The original is heavily overexposed, so I used PhotoShop to tone down the brightness. The result looks a bit strange, but much better than it did before. As always, please click on the image for a better look.


~More to come soon!