Debonair David: Important Knowledge: "Where Is The U.S. Embassy?" Is "kde je americké velvyslanectví?" in Czech

~The day after our visit to Krumlov, my group was given a tour of the Czech Parliament building and the attached library. The Parliament building is located not far from the castle complex where the Czech President lives.

^ The main entrance to Parliament. I assume they only open the larger doors for special events and/or furniture additions.

^ A closer look at the crest over the doorway. Note the metal netting over the statues. I'm told the nets are there to keep the statues from accidentally falling and killing a VIP.

^ The Czech Parliament, like the U.S. Congress, is bicameral (divided into two Houses). Above is the Session Room of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower (and more powerful) House, analogous to the U.S. House of Representatives.

^ The Session Room is opulently decorated with gilded statues, chandeliers, and so forth.

Which makes me wonder: when Slovakia broke from Czechoslovakia, what government buildings did they get to keep? I'm guessing that the Czech Republic, with Prague, got the better part of the deal in that department.

The parliament library, as you might guess, consists mostly of law and reference books. The librarians there were very friendly and told us about how the books circulate (no, they don't fine lawmakers for overdue books, as much as they wanted to).

^ Above is a centuries old government document that hangs in the parliament building; you can see dozens of seals, each belonging to a different nobleman, attached to the document.

^ After touring the parliament, our group went to the U.S. embassy (seen above) for a tour and presentation at the American Center, an embassy division that promotes U.S. culture in the Czech Republic.

Nowadays, the job of U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic is considered a relatively easy diplomatic assignment to a strong, if small and relatively unimportant U.S. ally. Hence, the job usually goes to a fundraiser for whichever U.S. President is in power. Currently, the job is held by Richard Graber, one of President Bush's top fundraisers and former Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.

Of course, being ambassador to the Czech Republic wasn't always an easy "reward" assignment. When Czechoslovakia was behind the Iron Curtain, it was an important posting that demanded a lot of diplomatic skill (diplomacy hint: Don't Drink the Water). The most famous ambassador to Czechoslovakia was former child star Shirley Temple, who was wildly popular among Czechs when she was posted in Prague.

Currently, the most pressing issue facing U.S.-Czech relations is the proposed installation of a NATO radar station for tracking missiles in 2012. Many Czechs are upset about the base; older citizens remember when Soviet troops invaded and are apprehensive about foreign troops again being stationed in the country. Others believe the radar will have detrimental effects on the health of those living nearby. The government opposition party is trying to hold a national referendum on the issue, which if successful would almost certainly result in the cancellation of the radar.

The U.S. embassy is heavily promoting the radar by touting it as harmless. All over the American Center are posters of lush, tropical Pacific islands where the same kind of radar installations are set up, and the posters show happy-looking locals who are completely unconcerned about the gigantic white domes behind them.

The American Center also contains a library of books about American history and culture, and many periodicals. They provide assistance to students researching the U.S. and can help businesses who want to conduct business in America.

^ The "David Restaurant" is near the U.S. embassy. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to sample its fare. Maybe next time.

^ When our tour of the embassy was over, we were given a lecture about this "baroque" library, which belonged to a town-dwelling nobleman in Prague many years ago. You know what they say...if it ain't baroque, don't fix it.

The books in this library are in many different languages, including Latin, German, French, Czech, English, Dutch, and Italian. It's unlikely the owner was able to read all of the books in his own library, but scholars often requested the use of such libraries. Thus, owning a well-stocked library was seen as a way of raising one's status and popularity.

^ Actually, there are some things that ARE being fixed in this baroque library. Above, you can see blurry paintings that are on the ceiling. These paintings were only recently re-discovered during a renovation of the library, as they were concealed under paint for centuries. Restoration is in progress.

^ One of the coolest things about the baroque library was the secret door (it seems like all the libraries I saw in the Czech Republic had one). This bookcase swings open...

^ To reveal a passageway leading to a stairwell, which takes you to the otherwise-inaccessible second-floor balcony of the library.

^ When our scheduled events for the day were over, I went with some friends to see the famous "John Lennon Wall".

After Lennon's murder, this wall became filled with memorial graffiti for the fallen Beatle, and anti-Soviet screeds. The communist authorities of the time painted it over...only to find that it soon became covered again in Lennon graffiti. The cycle of paint-to-graffiti went on for years, until finally the authorities gave up. The wall has since become a colorful cultural attraction.

Another interesting fact: the wall is currently owned by the Knights of Malta, who allow new graffiti to be put on the wall.