Prague Journal

Saturday, April 2, 2005.

Today is the Prague Half-Marathon, and Veena and Terry (Fulbright friends) and Yehudes (Bejt Praha friend) boldly signed up, and Rick and I went to see them – and 3,450 others – run. The race started on the Charles Bridge, so the bridge was cleared of all vendors until after the start, and ended at Kampa Park. The course went through the Jewish Quarter of Old Town, to the National Theatre, along the river to Výtoň, to Vršovice, and back along the river to Podolí, then to Palackého square, across the Palackého Bridge to Smíchov, through Janáčkovo and Vítězná street, and finished at Kampa Park (below the Charles Bridge). The first runner finished after only a minute more than one hour, a full 38 seconds before anyone else. The first six finishers were from Kenya. Robert Stefko of the Czech Republic was the first non-Kenyan and the first European in 7th place. The first two women finishers were also from Kenya. Veena and Terry finished in about two hours, with Yehudes about 25 minutes later. After the race, Veena and Terry and I went to Bohemia Bagel for lunch to celebrate, after which they both went home to rest for awhile, before venturing out again for the evening.
Howard and Marketa had arranged to see the glass exhibition at Nosticky Palace near the Maltese Square, and I was fortunate to get in on a guided tour. The exhibition was called From Brussels 1958 to Aichi 2005, to highlight the successes of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at World Expositions. One of the pieces on display is the winning design of the Czech exposition for the upcoming EXPO 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. This exhibit featured Czech atelier glass, titled Trapped by Light and Space, featured unique pieces of Czech glass making, large sculptures of clear and colored glass, from artists who are not only well-known here, but who pioneered these glass-making techniques. I must say that I have a renewed appreciation for glass works, not just the versatility of the medium, but the incredible effect that light gives these varied pieces. Howard and Marketa are glass collectors, so I was fortunate to be able to benefit from their knowledge and perspective, as supplements to the information from the guide.
Rick met us for dinner at Cervena Tabulka (the Red Tablet), which turned out to be fancier and more expensive than any of us had anticipated. The combination of unfavorable exchange rate for the US dollar, and the increase in prices overall have made most restaurants pretty pricy these days. This restaurant is among the many that was extensively renovated after the flood in August 2002, and is now quite upscale.

posted by JWinn @ 9:51 PM