Unexpected views of the City- Day 3

Today was a very late day, and tomorrow we head for Cesky Krumlov to begin the bicycling part of our trip. Let me start a post, and maybe finish it later.
Today we slept late. Did I mention that we were out walking a lot last night? Today, our major goal was to take in some quality music. We have purchased tickets to "Rusalka", an opera by Dvorak, at the National Theatre while we were stateside. We were not, however, certain how to find the tickets; we could not find the confirmatory e-mail saying how we were to pick them up. So, after a latish breakfast, we had our hotel call the company. They assured us that their guy would meet us at the theatre. So what to do with the day? The weather forecast said 80% chance of rain, but the sun was out. We hit upon a plan: explore some of the greenspaces on the east side of the Vltava River, starting with a walking tour of the Lesser Town outlined in the guidebook. So off we went to spend some time on the Karlov Most.
Karlov Most or the Charles Bridge is a romantic spot for strolling, with street venders and musicians, and nice views of the river. It is also a summary of the Counter-Reformation in Eastern Europe, where the Catholic Church met a variety of heresies, and drove them back with logic, daring and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope. There were Jesuits here, and statues of their saints Ignatious Loyola converting heathens. There were Swedes who invaded in 1648. And there were lawyers, like this one. I forget his name, but apparently, when the law students pass their exams, they put a beer in his hand. There were martyrs, killed by the city and/or church on various sides. Their statues now have traditions of conferring luck to those who rub their base. Pretty place. Gruesome history. All part of Prague.
We crossed the bridge into the Lesser Town, going through a really cool gate, and turning to the side, passing a memorial to Beethoven outside of his favorite hotel. We visited the Church of the Prague Jesus, a wax infant Jesus that has achieved iconic status, especially among South American Catholics. Pretty church, with nuns who put a lot of time into stitching costumes for the little wax infant. After leaving the church, however, we found a real treasure. The guidebook was understated, saying something like “The houses at this corner front upon a classic Baroque Garden, which can be viewed for a small fee”. The Vrtba Gardens are gorgeous in design and scope. Terraced into three levels, the flowers implanted with a maze of shrubbery were just a joy to behold. Looking upward, we noticed an American Flag at half-mast. Turns out the American embassy is located up the hill, and it was, indeed, 9/11. Beauty and tears seem to be a theme on this trip. The best thing about these gardens was that they were a complete surprise. Worth stumbling on, as was the art gallery in the archway. That one featured some really neat sculpture and blown glass.
When we left the Vrtba Gardens, it had started to rain, so we ducked into the Chuch of St. Nicholas, the major church of the Lesser Town. The interior defined Baroque architechture; built over 80 years by three generations of architects, it had the vaulted ceilings and the dramatic statuary designed to bring awe into the souls of men. Many of the statues, however, depicted the violence of the counter-reformation, which is what the building was all about. Hussites and Turks, coming into the true faith. We left looking for calm in the endless history of warfare that seems to crisscross central Europe. Maybe that’s why they have all of these gardens…
Wallenberg Gardens were built by a Hapsberg general who apparently was the master of playing both sides against the middle in the arcane Byzantine world of the 1600s. He was assassinated, and his palace nows serves as the seat of the reconstituted Senate of the Czech Republic. No entrance fee, no security. I think that the Czechs have had enough of security after Nazi and Communist dictatorship. These gardens were more classical, with peacocks and ponds and beautiful flowers. They flooded in 2002, and there were pictures of the river flowing through the middle of it all. The piece de resistance, though, was a gigantic wall/sculpture of stalagtites and caves and animals occupying the south side of the garden. It was supposed to demonstrate the mysterious world out there, and allow you to see order coming out of chaos. Good art.
The other “garden” in the area is Petrin Peak, with a tower and a commanding view of the city. We thought about walking up, but there is a funicular and…well we were getting tired. It was definitely worth the 20 Koruna to ride the funicular to Petrin before climbing the tower. On the way there, we saw a new sculpture, a frightening tribute to those who had survived the years under communist dictatorship. Now you all are saying to yourselves, wait a minute- I thought Keller was a socialist. Well, maybe I am. But I am a believer in argument rather than imprisonment as a way to socialist utopia. Unlike Lenin, I do not believe that the ends justify the means, either for capitalists or communists. So I applaud the resistance of the Prague spring and the Velvet Revolution. The sculpture was very effective political art. Anyway, the view from the top of the tower was fantastic, especially as rain was hitting the city. Fog rolling across the valley gave it all a kind of eerie feeling. We walked down through the park, down some “paths less taken”, and found more spectacular viewpoints and old orchards. Prague is a remarkable place.
Upon returning to our hotel, we changed to get ready for our night at the opera. We had a lovely dinner at King Solomon’s Restaurant, the only kosher restaurant in Prague. Fortunately, it was not Rosh Hashonnah, but the day before, or the restaurant would have been closed. After a dessert of apple strudel, we headed to the National theatre, where there was a young man with a sign that said Keller and our tickets. The theatre is gorgeous. Small, with 4 balconies and excellent views of the stage. The opera, Ruslaka, is based on a Czech fairy tail with strong links to the Little Mermaid, and is considered to be Dvorak’s best. The music was awesome, and the singing superb. It was wonderful, albeit long. I can’ t wait for Vienna, where we'll be seeing another opera.

Bus leaving for Cesty Krumlov. More later.