|
|
I did get things done, only not as much as I would have liked. I went out to the museums Saturday. The national museum is really just about the neatest thing I've seen since the state of NY's at Albany, or perhaps the Smithsonian Institute.
Most people say not to bother with it unless you're into old bones and rocks'a plenty. However those are two things that I happen to dig on in a pretty big way so that may explain some of my reaction. But it's more than bones and rocks, they have a wonderful Zoological collection, as well as displays on Anthropology, Paleontology (bones turned into rocks!) along with the Mineralogy collection. They had cut diamonds the size of a golfball! But also an extensive collection of the prehistoric peoples remains, in the form of actual human remains and pottery, bronze work, sculpture, ect. Maybe the best display was an exhibit on the Czech republic but mainly Praha throughout history. There were old propaganda posters in Russian. They said something to the affect that America was killing them with it's potato beetles, it had the arm and cuff of Uncle Sam but it had a skeletal hand spreading potato beetles on the crops. Maseryk's belongings were on display, along with many other items denoting particular times in Praha's history. A very good display on the 1969 Prague Spring and 1989 protests.
I'd fully recommend that if you're going to be here in Prague that you go to it and check it out.
Next I walked over to the Ruldolfium, it's in the Jewish Quarter of the city and across from the dept. of Philosophy U-C. They have by far the best location in all of Prague for there faculty to be based. It's just amazing to be located in-between the Ruldolphium, and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Now the Ruldolphium is a concert hall, but they also had a display open called Wings of Glory. It was a lot of state sponsored, romantic period work, but still very nice. I didn't see it fully, and have to go back to say that I really did the place. Perhaps I'll be able to take in a show there, that would be ideal.
It was there that I decided to sit down and watch the river for a while. The Vltava is slow and dark this time of year, it looks cold, but the mallard ducks floating on it seem to think otherwise. Here next to the Ruldolphium along the river are benches. All cast to look like sea serpents on the ends, where just a pipe bent like an -S- would do. Across is the Hradchany, the castle Praha. So it's a very picturesque place, and I was only disturbed by a bum that wanted 20Kc and the fact that it was cold out.
Saturday was good, and Saturday night was long. Marty and I didn't want to really go out, we both figured that it would be more useful to get up and get some work done here during the day. However, we ended up staying up late, and getting to bed early rather than getting up that way. We wandered the floors last night, we decided that it was the most normal res. game we could think of, and hadn't done yet. You have to walk the floors if you want to see who lives in your building, right? What we found was that some floors were totally destroyed, or rather under construction. Some were much nicer than ours and had more plants, desks, and generally nicer appointments. Then on one we found a lot of old Germans, all in a tissy. Someone had taken one of the ladies things, and they now couldn't get into there rooms. Some such things like that. It was late and they were tired and not happy. In my broken German I got the gist of things and asked if they had called the police in yet. The lady looked horrified, and in English said that, that was an extreme and wasn't necessary yet. But no sooner had the words come out of her mouth than two Prague police men came in, and Marty and I decided to step out, heading back to our floor. We came back to our lounge and found some music videos on the tube to watch. Sort of a Czech version of MTV and so sat and watched for a little while. Erica and Kary and eventually Ali came out too. But things turned sour as soon as Ali was called on his conduct again. There is something very wrong with that person, and I hesitate to write person, for I don't consider him one. I wouldn't even use his name except that we need something to denote him, and any random mathematics variable would still be too good. He once again proved how arrogant, strangely pathetic yet totally oblivious to the fact, and self centered he was again. I'm honestly surprised that some Czech hasn't beat him silly, but then again I think that most of the Prague he's seen must be his room, this hotel, and a few other establishments about town. Now if you ever what to experience, or try to understand what he is, I do have a way. You should go and get Plato's Gorgias. In this dialogue pay attention to Gorgias, and Callecles they are what he is without any doubt. And after reading this you'll know what we all live with.
Getting to bed not much after that, I stayed in mine dreaming of home till I woke up today, and seeing how late I had risen sighed and fired up the hot plate one more time. I'm finding the thought of going home more bitter sweet not than before. It's nice to have my live here, and my place, even if it is just a dorm. Here it's come to the point where I'm no longer a tourist. Or I don't present as one. I had a kid come up to me and ask the time, and I responded just as plainly as I could. It's taken four months, but I'm finally starting to integrate into the community here. And I like it here, but it's still not the same. Mom said that I'd never be happy in Waverly, but I'm always happy in Waverly. My home is there, in the hills and valley's that I've know all my life. But it's good to leave it all behind for a while now and then so that you can really see what's there, how much you have.