Prague Stories

Bus Ride

Roma Band

Today was our excursion to Bohemia. We left around 9:30, almost on time. It has finally cooled off in Prague and it was mostly rainy and cold all day. On the way to Cesky Krumlov we stopped at Frantisek Bilek’s house, which has been turned into a gallery. The sculptures were amazing and I like being able to actually see the actual artwork we talk about in class. We got to Krumlov late and had to rush to make the tour. Rushing so much, in fact, some of us got left behind at Katka’s hotel. After finally catching up to the group we toured the castle. I am always shocked about how much wealth is just sitting in these types of places. They had a ridiculous gold carriage on display that has only been used once. I can’t help but think about melting it down and using the money to feed the homeless. Is that wrong of me?

We walked around the town until dinner. The town was amazing. It was surrounded by a river and full of really interesting museums and galleries. I was so glad it was rainy and cold; I really needed a break from the heat. I think the weather made the town that much more beautiful. We had dinner in a cave-like room inside a restaurant. A Roma band played what seemed like the same song over and over, but they were incredible. The food was pretty good and afterward everyone danced around the cave to the music. Later on we went to a discothèque and some how everyone made it back to their respective sleeping quarters.

Before I left on the excursion I wasn’t sure if I should go on the trip or not. Helen and I had a lot of work to do on our project and I felt like the trip would postpone the work, making it that much harder to finish. Ultimately we decided to go on the trip and come back early to do the last of our filming. In the end I am glad that I went. I knew I would probably never have the opportunity to go to Bohemia again. That has been somewhat of a problem here. I am torn between making documentaries and seeing everything I should in Prague. I think I need to reposition my way of thinking. Making documentaries is the only way for me to experience the city. How else would I have gotten to see an all women punk band play in their studio and listen to an amazing woman filmmaker talk about the intimate details of who she is and how she got to be there? Reflecting back on all my experiences up until this point I realize how amazing this city is and how much I love documentary films. I know that probably sounds cheesy and over the top, but there is truth to it.

Horrible Noise

Losing

Why is there a statue of a Roman goddess at the entrance to the escalator on the subway? Why in a metro stop full of steel and machines is there a towering granite woman greeting everyone as they leave Lesser Town? Why as her robes fall around her shoulders exposing a breast does a man blows his nose while sitting on her pedestal? Why as she grips a large anchor and looks up to the fluorescent-lighted ceiling do people pass by without noticing her?

Today was the second day of classes and the first day of showing our footage. Molly, Clay and I went to our assigned metro stop in the morning. We had a loose idea of what we wanted to shoot, but nothing was set in stone. Our first interview ended up being a large part of our final piece. Two old women sitting on a bench stopped us as we walked past them in the park. The only words they seemed to know in English was “this is mine,” when they were pointing out whose dogs were whose. I wish we had interviewed them later in the week; I don’t think we were quite ready to do an interview in Czech. When we asked if we could videotape them (by motioning to our camera) they proceeded to primp up their hair and strike a pose. They thought we wanted to take a picture. As they continued to speak to us, their dogs barked and growled incessantly and the women kept laughing and telling us about the parks.

I am really interested in the statues that are on the sides of all the buildings in Prague. I think the most incredible one was just outside the park at our Metro stop. A man and a woman are holding up a balcony on the side of an apartment building. I did a brief search to try to find out what the story is behind the couple but I couldn’t find much information. Perhaps I will know more by my next blog. I’ll let you know.