Discovering The Prague Gallery

Following the plaza art exhibit, I meandered over a bridge that overlooked the Vltava River, and found myself in a less touristed section of the city that was more quiet and quaint. This little neighborhood was so much more appealing than the shop filled square near my hotel. As I walked down clean swept streets with scattered bistros dotting the sidewalks, I came across this charming little art gallery that my little Asian feet headed towards as if they had a mind of their own. An hour later, I walked away with purchased images of Prague that were painted by talented local artists. The first is a canvas oil painting, and the remaining four are delightful water colors already matted. I can't wait to pick out the frames for each one. The turquoise hued water color with the chocolate matting (last one) is my favorite. Which one is yours?

Jan Saudek Photo Exhibit

I continued my exploration of Prague and appreciated the city's love for the arts. Prague reminds me so much of Vienna, where its Austrian influences were prevalent in the architecture and art work found evident everywhere. I happened across an art exhibit of photographer Jan Saudek that was displayed in a cobblestone plaza across from the National Theatre. Although I'm not familiar with his work, I found his photos evocative and whimsical. What do you think?

Random Prague Pix

Prague is a virtual eye-candy for the roving photographer. With every click and shutter, incredible pix unfold despite faint traces of winter that appears in the dour of the day. Here are random pix that I took today.

Ave Maria Concert

I just got back from an Ave Maria organ concert at St. Francis Church, and it was fantastic! I was walking around Prague today taking pics and enjoying my explorations, when I came across the St. Francis Seraphinus from Assisi Church. In front, was a sign featuring an organ concert featuring Ave Maria and other famous arias played on the second oldest church organ in Prague. Impulsively, I decided to attend. I've always loved Ave Maria.... and hearing it in Prague would be a memorable experience.

Here is a souvenir flyer I kept for my scrapbook.

I paid 450 crowns to get in, which roughly came to about $22 dollars. I took some shots before the crowd milled in and packed the pews. The church was designed with an early baroque look.... very European, and oh so beautiful! The cathedral's interior was audibly harmonic and had a beautiful ringing echo that maximized the performances. It was an incredible concert sponsored by the "Knights of the Cross". The admission fee was well worth the attendance!






The ensemble, which featured a soloist, violinist and organist were magnificent. Ave Maria was sung with angelic voice and distinctive clarity. I always get goose bumps when I hear it, and tonight was no different. One thing though. I left with a crick in my neck because I had to look up high to watch the performance. But what's a little discomfort for Aaaavvve Maaaarrrrriiiiaaaa?

Surviving the Swine Flu Scare

Scare is over. I don't have Swine Flu. Last Tuesday I sat beside someone at an all day off-site meeting that had been exposed to Swine Flu in the states... course, this person didn't know about the exposure until the next day, and by then all of us at the off-site were already exposed. Consequently, all of us got started on Tamiflu as a precautionary measure. Per the CDC, those most vulnerable to the virus are those exposed within a 5 ft radius. Guess who sat closest to the probable exposer? "ME." At that point none of the symptoms were to show for another 3-4 days as the incubation period is about 7 days. Signs to look for.... fever, body aches, chills, sore throat, cough, possible diarrhea... basic flu like symptoms... again, it was too early to tell if any of us had H1N1 Flu (CDC put out the missive last Thursday that Swine Flu was to be referred to as H1N1 Flu).... and so, I left for the week-end with my packet of Tamiflu and my morale waaaay low. On my way out the door, I received notification that my business trip to Prague got cancelled. Had an epidemic arisen here, Egypt had been prepared to close its borders and I would've been locked out. Needless to say, I didn't have a good week-end. I didn't let family know, and I certainly wasn't going to blog about it until I knew for sure. I got up this morning to a bad start. It was Sunday. Egypt's Monday, as the national work week is Sun-Thurs. My alarm didn't go off. My SUV needed a jump start. My carpool was reaaaally late. On the way to work, our carpool got assailed by rocks, as an angry mob vented their anger on innocent pig farmers taking their "piggies to market", and our vehicle just happened to be there at the same time. And all because of the Swi---H1N1 Flu. Ahhhh... 3rd world country ignorance. Ironically, before the CDC changed the name to H1N1, Egypt was calling the Swine Flu, "Mexican Flu". By religious order, Muslims aren't allowed to touch pork. Pork is so reviled here that even a disease couldn't be named after it. Ahhhh....Middle East cultural differences. Egyptians believe that bad luck is brought on by the "evil eye". So, when was this evil eye going to stop ogling me? Fortunately, it stopped when I arrived to work. We found out that the person who was exposed to stateside H1N1 Flu tested negative; hence, all of us were negative.... and the second good news of the day..... the travel ban at work lifted!! So, 6 am tomorrow, I will be flying out to the Czech Republic sans Swine Flu. Morale restored. Evil Eye has left the building.

[Note: For up to date H1N1 Flu information, stay tune to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage here. Stay home if you or a family member is experiencing flu like symptoms, seek medical care as needed, and wash your hands frequently using soap and water.]