Prague Journal

Tuesday, June 21, 2005.

Today is mid-summer and the sun is smiling on us to remind us that this is the longest day of the year. I wish there were more hours in the day today, since I have a very busy schedule.
After a very hurried breakfast meeting with Anna at Anglo-American College, I raced to Republic Square to the K+K hotel. By a strange stroke of luck, Matt’s former Spanish teacher and her husband are in Prague for a few days, on their way to Italy. I tracked them down at their hotel last night and left a message, but when I called back this morning, the hotel said there was no one there by that name. I also sent her an e-mail note last night, since the hotel has high-speed internet access. Luck was with me, because when I got to the hotel, they were still there, just preparing to go out for the afternoon. They had not received either message from the hotel, but the e-mail had worked and they had tried to call me only an hour earlier, with no success. But the stars aligned, and we had a lovely chat over coffee on the terrace of the grand Municipal house, not far from their hotel. Then, I took them on a brief and informal tour of Old Town and across the Charles Bridge toward the castle where they planned to take a tour that met at the Golden Keys hotel at 1pm.
My lunch date with Marketa was set for 1pm, so the timing was nearly perfect. Within 5 minutes, I found Marketa, and we went to lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant near the Malostranska square just down the street from the American Embassy. I had wanted to talk with Marketa for quite a while, to get a Czech perspective of the Embassy – and sentiments toward Americans here. Things are as bad – perhaps worse – than I feared. The Czechs who, at one time, loved everything American are now nearly hostile. Several Americans here say they’re from Canada or even the UK. As if our foreign policy weren’t bad enough, the hoops that Czechs need to go through to get a visa are humiliating, and the process is much harder than it used to be. Even people who have visited the US before are being turned down for no apparent reason; no excuses or explanations are ever given. Fortunately, most of our luncheon chat was about culture, kids, and life in general, not about either Czech or American politics.
I had time to go home for dinner before the solstice festival at the French Institute, and I also had time to stop at the jewelry vendor on the Charles Bridge. Here is the earring saga, long version: Many of the vendors on the Charles Bridge are the same folks selling the same wares as were here 8 years ago when I first came. In 1997 or 1998 I had purchased a necklace-and-earrings set, made with slate and wire. I had lost one of the earrings sometime last year, and made a mental note to stop and see if I could find a match. I had passed the stand several times and not seen anything exactly like mine, but last Friday I brought the lone earring and necklace with me. I showed the set to Arthur who commented that I had purchased it 8 years ago. He knew this because he made them himself! I asked him if I could buy only one, to match the one I had, and he said yes. Unfortunately, all the earrings he had were slightly different in size or shape. Rather than buying a new pair, I asked him if he thought it was possible to make a match to the one I had. He seemed to think he could, so I gave him the one earring – of no use to me without a match anyway—and told him I’d stop by on Monday. I did stop by on Monday, but Arthur was not there. Instead, Martin was manning the stand. Ever helpful, Martin explained that they no longer had the exact materials to match my earring. However, he called Arthur on his mobile phone, and told me that I should come back the next day (today). So, there I was again at the jewelry stand, hoping that I would not have to buy another set of earrings. Arthur greeted me warmly, proudly showed me the new earring which almost perfectly matched the one I had given him, and deftly put both earrings in a jewelry bag. I asked him how much I owed him (hoping that it would be half the price of a pair) and he responded by saying “nothing at all.” Where would I get such service in the USA?
The pleasantries of the day nearly ended there, however. I went to the French Institute for the solstice concert, promptly at 5pm. Luckily, Bonnie and Helen were there, so I had a nice chat with them, perhaps our last before they leave town next month. Unlike the Czechs, the French do not start on time, so the music did not start until nearly 6pm. The first group, a jazz band, could have been forgiven for the awful music if it hadn’t been amplified. Trumpets and trombones do not need amplification, especially in a courtyard venue. Rather than wait for better music to come, we all left. I was home in time to watch the second Svejk movie (DVD) with Rick and enjoy what was left of the evening.
On my way home I glanced briefly at the outdoor sculpture exhibition that was unveiled on Wenceslas Square today. What I have seen of it thus far is disappointing, especially when compared to the interesting sculptures on display last fall. This “Sculpture Grande 05” is organized by the Gallery Art Factory nearby. This year’s theme is “Without Borders,” interpreted by 17 young contemporary artists.

posted by JWinn @ 8:14 PM