This entry is specially written to satisfy Sansaoz curiosity bout wat sort of mother Marpig would be :P As every1 would have guessed easily, Marpig would like to be a mother like Marpigz mom!! But, don noe if Marpig would want to get marry or even to give birth. She doesnt have such plans at all, least the urge
Dont ask Marpig why. Dont tell Marpig itz "always better to have sm1" bcos ttz not always true and itz sm1z ideas and beliefs. Dont wanna go into tt 长篇大论. Guess itz bcos Marpig just want freedom and sm1 who is like Marpig. Oh well, one cant have the best of both worlds so Marpig goes for freedom!! Plus, Marpig needs to find sm1 she loves, otherwise, she will be a 花心大白菜!!
Coming back to the type of mother Marpig would be; she aspires to be xactly like how Marpig described her mom. Noes everyth, tell nice bedtime stories, creative, very supportive and nurturing, never gives Marpig any pressure (she always said, "我不要求你拿一百分, 及格就好. 能拿多几分就更好!!" :P), encouraging, teaches chinese proverbs, poems and 做人的道理, caring, sacrifices for the children, will not 宠坏 the children by chasing Marpig ard with a cane. Oh, BTW, Marpigz mom had to buy lotsa canes bcos Marpig am so 古灵精怪 tt she used to hide the canes everywhere at home where Marpigz mom wouldnt be able to find them :P 厉害吧!! hahahahahahaha *echos*
*hmmm* think 1 of Marpigz bloggie entries way back in the old daes did touch on this topic and it sorta include smth in the line of, itz bcos Marpigz mom is soooo 伟大 tt Marpig still pains for her... Although she had passed on, she remains in Marpigz heart and even bcame part of Marpig (all her teachings, her ways, her fingers, her looks, etc) So yup!! Marpig would want to be a mother like her own mother who lives 4ever in her childrenz heart and memories :)
Oh yar, Sansao, when Marpig am reading yr entries, itz like Marpig am looking into how mothers think and it actually let Marpig better understands how Marpigz mom was thinking then!! How 奇妙!!
BTW, fathers need to be properly mentioned bcos we wont want to leave them out and hey, fathers are as caring as mothers!!
Was at an xcolleague and her family in Edinburgh for the bank holiday weekend. Itz a small young family with a toddler bout 1+ yrs old. The dad is soooo doting to the son, feeds him, plays with him, brings him swimming etc... Suddenly, Marpig thought of Marpigz dad...
Marpig still rem she was a sickly and clingy crybaby. She didnt get off the pacifier until she was in pri 1 (yes yes, go ahead and laugh) and she distinctively rem the times when she (4 or 5 yrs old then) would wake up in the middle of the night, wake Marpigz dad by shaking him and saying, "Daddy, 我要喝奶" muahahhahahahahahha
Poor Marpigz dad. He would wake up without any 埋怨 to make a bottle (yes, a bottle) of milk for Marpig... :P She also distintively rem the night when she and Marpigz sis (bout 4 and 8 yrs respectively) woke up in the middle of the night and (think) were discussing and looking at 救生圈 (? correct?) bcos Marpigz dad was going to bring them to Big Splash :P So cute!! Still rem Marpig was so xxxcited then
Another thingy which Marpig must mention is tt Marpigz dad (and maybe all dads) are silent heros, mothers being not-so-silent heros :P One of the reasons Marpig said tt is bcos, Marpigz dad let Marpig studied in the UK and even let her worked in the UK. He did tell Marpig to go back soon... but... oh well... Althought Marpig am not a parent, she can understand how parents feel when they let their children "fly" and give them freedom to live their dreams... *smiles*
Finally, Sansao, Marpig did not let Marpigz dad nor sis noe tt she has been keeping this blog. Itz not the time yet? Anyw, in case "anyth pre-mature" happens to Marpig, 1 of u please inform them bout Marpigz blog... :)
Monday, August 31
Thursday, August 27
A Lifetime is Not Enough
Nay, not lollies not enough since lollies are never enough anyw. Marpig am talking about life xperiences
These few weeks, Marpig has been pondering subconsciously bout wat are the impt ths in life or similar. Ya noe, since itz subconscious, Marpig cant really lay a finger xactly on watz shez been thinking but just noe tt 珠子 is working away. In retrospect over the yrs Marpig has been in the UK, she did find tt going out of the comfort zone, meeting new pple, working in a diff environment, culture, etc etc is not only eye-opening, itz also 1 of the impt ths in life
How many pple really get to rough it out and xperience new ths, do wat they want to do (not being 堕落啦) like Marpig? Yes, therez sacrifices (minor or major, one would only noe when he/she is 100 yrs old) to be made but!! NO PAY NO GAIN!!
On top of overseas xperience to savour diff cultures, scenaries, etc, getting to noe new pple and knowing their lifez stories are impt too. For a keen listener like Marpig who always enjoys a gd story, she finds getting to noe anotherz life story is as xxxciting as having xperience it herself. She would always ask Marpigz mom and dad bout their childhood, their youths, etc. Maybe ttz y all senior/elderly pple love Marpig; cos shez just so patient in listening to them with her attentive and 迷人的大眼睛 :P
Another impt th in life is definitely family. THE most impt th in fact. To Marpig, itz almost like everyth. Marpig always believes in tt. Of cos, she had her bad times when she was much younger when she would asked Marpigz mom, "为什么每次都是我让姐姐?"
"因为你比较乖/懂事" was her reply *smiles*
Wat happened to the lost yrs after Marpigz sis went to the UK for 10 yrs? Itz kinda strange tt now Marpig felt closer to Marpigz sis... really felt so touched when Marpigz sis made the Lemsip in the middle of the night for Marpigz bad cold. Also felt so wonderful going to church with Marpigz sis on Sundaes and sharing a cake for bf after tt. Marpig also felt happy when she and BIL came over to Cosy Barn 3 last wkend to go to the Banksy xhibition. Gosh, she also brought and helped Marpig stock up so much food (62 packets of instant noodles, 20kg of rice, etc etc) tt Marpig has no idea wat to do with them!! :D
Guess itz bcos to Marpig, she is both a motherly and fatherly figure. She cares for and protects her loved ones in a VERY "loud" way u see :P
Family aside, next impt th is (perhaps) dreams... most pple would tell u dreams are impt. Marpig also believe in dreams (& fairytales :P) but recently, as she gets older, she realised, every1 has a chance (or maybe a few more) to live their dream(s) but doesnt mean every1 would TAKE IT. Itz not tt we don have the opportunity, itz a matter of whether one want to take it
Also, sm dreams are really, merely, a dream. It can be fulfilled sm dae but smhow, a lifetime may not be enough. For e.g., alleviating poverty or such noble dreams
Oh, b4 we have dreams to pursue, every1 of us is preparing ourselves for living our dreams, albeit unknowingly. When? When we are all studying or learning sm form of skills or sports, etc
Who would noe tt one dae, he/she will bcome the worldz fastest cyclist or sprinter? Who would have thought tt he/she would be a world famous writer?
However, reality often hinders us from living our dreams. Put it bluntly, itz lollies again. Artists bcome famous after they died. Duh.
Anyw, Marpig just came back from bowling and a pool game with colleague and his gf. Marpig did not win the bowling game, losing to colleague by 6 points (on purpose) but won the pool game. Colleague xclaimed tt Marpig noes everyth... oh well... one must pretend she isnt too good in everyth :P muahahahahahaha
When Marpig goes back home for the hols, she must go bowling with Marpigz dad and sis!! It will be fun!!
These few weeks, Marpig has been pondering subconsciously bout wat are the impt ths in life or similar. Ya noe, since itz subconscious, Marpig cant really lay a finger xactly on watz shez been thinking but just noe tt 珠子 is working away. In retrospect over the yrs Marpig has been in the UK, she did find tt going out of the comfort zone, meeting new pple, working in a diff environment, culture, etc etc is not only eye-opening, itz also 1 of the impt ths in life
How many pple really get to rough it out and xperience new ths, do wat they want to do (not being 堕落啦) like Marpig? Yes, therez sacrifices (minor or major, one would only noe when he/she is 100 yrs old) to be made but!! NO PAY NO GAIN!!
On top of overseas xperience to savour diff cultures, scenaries, etc, getting to noe new pple and knowing their lifez stories are impt too. For a keen listener like Marpig who always enjoys a gd story, she finds getting to noe anotherz life story is as xxxciting as having xperience it herself. She would always ask Marpigz mom and dad bout their childhood, their youths, etc. Maybe ttz y all senior/elderly pple love Marpig; cos shez just so patient in listening to them with her attentive and 迷人的大眼睛 :P
Another impt th in life is definitely family. THE most impt th in fact. To Marpig, itz almost like everyth. Marpig always believes in tt. Of cos, she had her bad times when she was much younger when she would asked Marpigz mom, "为什么每次都是我让姐姐?"
"因为你比较乖/懂事" was her reply *smiles*
Wat happened to the lost yrs after Marpigz sis went to the UK for 10 yrs? Itz kinda strange tt now Marpig felt closer to Marpigz sis... really felt so touched when Marpigz sis made the Lemsip in the middle of the night for Marpigz bad cold. Also felt so wonderful going to church with Marpigz sis on Sundaes and sharing a cake for bf after tt. Marpig also felt happy when she and BIL came over to Cosy Barn 3 last wkend to go to the Banksy xhibition. Gosh, she also brought and helped Marpig stock up so much food (62 packets of instant noodles, 20kg of rice, etc etc) tt Marpig has no idea wat to do with them!! :D
Guess itz bcos to Marpig, she is both a motherly and fatherly figure. She cares for and protects her loved ones in a VERY "loud" way u see :P
Family aside, next impt th is (perhaps) dreams... most pple would tell u dreams are impt. Marpig also believe in dreams (& fairytales :P) but recently, as she gets older, she realised, every1 has a chance (or maybe a few more) to live their dream(s) but doesnt mean every1 would TAKE IT. Itz not tt we don have the opportunity, itz a matter of whether one want to take it
Also, sm dreams are really, merely, a dream. It can be fulfilled sm dae but smhow, a lifetime may not be enough. For e.g., alleviating poverty or such noble dreams
Oh, b4 we have dreams to pursue, every1 of us is preparing ourselves for living our dreams, albeit unknowingly. When? When we are all studying or learning sm form of skills or sports, etc
Who would noe tt one dae, he/she will bcome the worldz fastest cyclist or sprinter? Who would have thought tt he/she would be a world famous writer?
However, reality often hinders us from living our dreams. Put it bluntly, itz lollies again. Artists bcome famous after they died. Duh.
Anyw, Marpig just came back from bowling and a pool game with colleague and his gf. Marpig did not win the bowling game, losing to colleague by 6 points (on purpose) but won the pool game. Colleague xclaimed tt Marpig noes everyth... oh well... one must pretend she isnt too good in everyth :P muahahahahahaha
When Marpig goes back home for the hols, she must go bowling with Marpigz dad and sis!! It will be fun!!
Wednesday, August 12
Praha Day 2
Any1 who reads this entry and thought "wherez Praha Day 1" will find it before the entry, "Life is a Journey". Reason being "Praha Day 1" was saved as a draft b4 Marpig wrote and published "Life is a Journey". Bugger Blogger works in such a way where drafts saved at a point in time will remain in tt sequence
Really, Marpig am so wols in getting up to speed with entries bout her travels (as well as her professional reports) tt shez starting to feel disgusted of herself!! Specially her professional reports which are getting more and more impt!! OMG. Really, no wonder Marpigz mom always warned Marpig, "懒惰会害死你!!" Gosh, she so understands Marpig!!
And so, Marpig shall devote more of her (fatty) energy to feverishly update her travel entries!!
Without further ado (& Marpig really dont like to use this phrase cos itz so~ not unique!! :P) herez Marpigz 2nd dae in Prague!!
Although itz Oct (2008 mind u), Prague is wintery cold. It also meant tt nights were longer and daes were shorter, though the day breaks really early. At ard 7ish am in the morning, Marpig and fren were already up and about to embark on their proper day of sightseeing. Going to the Old Town Sq aka Staroměstské náměstí via Marpigz hostel, one would definitely passed by the 65m tall Powder Tower (refer to Praha Day 1 for the Tower at night)
Just look at how small the lady is in the pic and u will noe how towering the tower is... (toes arent laughing)
As itz still early in the wintery cold morn, the streets were, literally, empty!! Gosh. How rare it was to find a touristy city with empty streets!! Itz a gd th since Marpig doesnt have to wait (for pple to go away!!) in order to take a melancholy pic *gloating*
Through the Old Town Sq, Marpig and fren came to 1 of the 3 towers protecting Charles Bridge (1 on the side of the Old Town, 2 on the side of Lesser Town aka Malá Strana) and St. Francis Seraphicus Church with the statue of St. Wenceslas (see Praha Day 1) again. 别小看 this tower, itz considered 1 of the most astonishing civil Gothic-style buildings in the world!! Notice the morn mist lingering...
Ah~~ Marpig just cant help falling in love with the person who always follows and wears the same th as herself :P Guessed it already? One of Marpigz fav colour is green!! :D
And the above is... Charles Bridge!! In Czech, itz aka Karlův most. Construction of the bridge started in 1357 and ended smtime in 15th century. Then, it was the only way to x the River Vltava and was known as Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most). Itz known as itz current name only since 1870. Anyh, by now, u should have picked up some ez Czech? :P Prague is Pražský, bridge is most and stone is Kamenný!! hahahahaha Ez peasy, lemon squeezy!! :D
As seen from the pic above, the 516m long and 10m wide bridge rests on 16 arches and is under renovation with itz 30 baroque-style statues being replaced by replicas of the weathered originals. Yup, 30 statues on the bridge in total. Of cos, Marpig took each and every statues (xpected) but nay, am not going to put them all up least Marpig bores Balachan :P
Walking leisurely on the bridge and occasionally looking down at the river, Marpig saw a boat tt reminded Marpig of the 1980 Popeye movie starring Robin Williams!! Oh, also reminded Marpig of Popeye Chicken and Biscuits... (PS, thought we r to have makan at the outlet under the Singapore Bicycle Wheel?! :S)
Therez also the occasional statues (not any of the 30) which Marpig captured with her Goldie such as the 1 above with the soldier & his BEEG shield, a theatre or sm sort is in the backgrd on the left...
With keen eyes (although Marpig am still known for being blur) and an interest for ths over-shadowed by the main subject(s), Marpig spotted a 1/2 man 1/2 devil (? Cos hez got horns on his head) weeping. Itz on one of the 30 statues on the bridge... hmmm.. don noe watz it BUT smth popped into Marpigz mind!! Rem this?!
A pic which Marpig uploaded in her entry, "Final Day in Paris (Part 1)" on 27th April 2008!! Marpig finally noes who tt statue is in the pic!! Itz actually a statue of Cain by Vidal Henri in Jardin des Tuileries, Paris!! How did Marpig noe? Well, was just reading bout Cain and Abel (cos Marpig just dont un why God punish Cain) and saw a pic of tt statue :D
Anyw, prior to reaching the other side of the bridge, Marpig looked down to one of the many streets in Lesser Town
And the above are the 2 towers of Charles Bridge 2wrds Lesser Town. Notice Prague Castle on the top right hand side up the hill as well as the painters, traders etc setting up their stands for the dae of biz
Through the towerz arches, one of the dayz destinations was St. Nicholas Church (Baroque church in the backgrd) While Marpig and fren were walking 2wrds the church, on came a grp of tourists on Segways!! Say hi~!! :D
With the Segway-ers gone, up came St. Nicholas Church
This is the entrance to the church. Although it said, "concerts" don be misled into thinking itz a theatre. The 1735 church currently serves as both a church as well as a great venue for classical concerts. Too bad Marpig couldnt stay much longer to enjoy sm of these concerts in the cities Marpig visited... oh well... will have a chance smdae!!
Again, 别小看 this church. It may not look "fabulohso" on the outside but within, the statues, interior designs, decorations, etc are either "..inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris" or by famous pple such as Bernardo Spinetti and Peter Adam the Elder (majiam Marpig noes!! hahahahaha But ttz wat Wiki said :P) Watever!! Just enjoy the paintings and such!!
Notice the pipe organ among the elaborate decorations...
*looking up* "What r u looking at?"
Really, this is a beautiful church where each and every columns, corners, etc are decorated with great details
Marpig always wonders how did the ancient pple manage to build such wonderful buildings/decorations/structures with their ancient tools...
Think the above is most likely to be St. Nicholas (striking a devil) since the saint is often portrayed as a Bishop with a gospel book...
Oh, b4 Marpig goes out of St. Nicholas church to make her way to Prague Castle, just a bit more bout St. Nicholas. Apparently, Santa Claus originated from St. Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors, fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, prostitutes, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers and of cos, CHILDREN!! :D
Continuing up the hilly streets to the Prague Castle Marpig saw smth touristy... LITERALLY
"4 Tourist Daily Menu"!! 真是超级无敌的 touristy!! hahahahahaha 200 Koruna (CZK) is bout 6ish quid... ok lah, slighly more xpensive or comparable to a pub lunch
And!! Marpig passed by a shop selling marionette puppets!! In fact, therez lotsa shops selling marionette puppets in Prague since Czechz puppetry is world famous!! Sm of u might think tt the puppets looks like Chucky (sm lah) but omg!! Marionette puppetry has a long~~~ history dating back to 2000 B.C in ancient Egypt!! Oh boy!! Marpig just cant resist not talking bout it for a bit!!
Right, (assuming) every1 loves the Sound of Music, then one will noe bout the scene of "The Lonely Goatherd" where the ever famous 1st line of the song goes like, "High on a hill was a lonely goatherd, lay~o~lay~o~lay-ee-ooo" *beaming all over* hahahahaha Marpigz fav scene!! But itz a SHAME tt Marpig didnt manage to catch any puppet show in Praguez National Marionette Theater!! Boo hoo!! Marpig wanna watch Don Giovanni!! *kicking and crying like a baby*
Statue of child: Shhh~~
Marpig: *pouts*
Anyw, Marpig and fren finally made it to the grds of Prague Castle (which is the worldz biggest ancient castle, according to Guinness Book of Records) Itz bout 570m long and an average of 130m wide. Itz a really old castle dating back to the 9th century with many interesting buildings of different architectural styles. Most imptly for Marpig, itz one of the main places where the protagonist of the PC game (repeat, Vampire: The Masquerade!!) lives, defends, met the love of his life, got turned into a vampire, etc etc etc!! Having "seen" and "walked" in the castle grds (in the game), Marpig got to see them in real life!! :D
Therez simply too many buildings, courtyards, churches, towers, etc in the castle grds and Marpig am not going to cover all of them (therez a reason why Marpig cant, u will noe later...) Having entered the castle grds from the main entrance aka Hradcanske namesti, one would see 1 of the many courtyards (the white building) and a statue of the 1st president of Czechoslovakia (understands tt Czechoslovakia has now been separated into 2 independent countries; Czech Republic and Slovakia), Tomas Garrigue Masaryk
The gate in front of the courtyard shown above is decorated with statues of Fighting Giants and vases from Ferdinand Platzer as well as guarded by castle guards:
much like the guards in Buckingham Palace and Tower of London. Itz quite lucky tt Marpig managed to see the changing of guards then since it wasnt part of the visit :P
Itz not as elaborate as the one in Buckingham Palace but oh well. In terms of Czech guys... hmmm... erm... small eyes? Didnt really look/consider them :P Next up is one of Marpigz fav!! St. Vitus Cathedral!!
Why is St. Vitus Cathedral 1 of Marpigz fav? Principally, itz bcos of the RPG game which Marpig kept harping on :P and another is bcos Marpig simply love ancient buildings and the kind of feelings they give off :D
As it is, above is St. Vitus Cathedral (aka Katedrála svatého Víta in Czech) from the south entrance where one can see the main tower and the Golden Gate. Itz really old, dating back to 925. Itz a RC cathedral and an xcellent eg of Gothic architecture. Itz also the biggest and most impt church in Czech Republic; not only is it the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, itz also the place where saints, 皇亲国戚 are buried as well as holding the coronations of kings. Itz full name is actually very long (St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral) but letz just stick to the short one :P
This is the main entrance with the rose window (aka Catherine window) and as with all gothic buildings, the carvings are simply...
fantastica!! Hmm... no wonder such ancient buildings took soooo many yrs to construct...
This is the rose window as seen from inside the cathedral
The altar...
Ah~~~ the wintery sunset through one of the many stained glass windows!!
One of the many decors/"artefacts"
Put our hands together and pray...
And we are out of St. Vitus!! Ah~~~ such a nice cathedral!! In fact, therez another cathedral which Marpig would WANT to see and itz St. Stephen's Cathedral (aka Stephansdom in German) in Vienna!! Why? Same reasons as for St Vitus :P *whispers* (In the game, Marpig was walking on the roof of Stephansdom!! :P) All right all right!! Enough bout the game!!
The red building in the pic above is St George Basilica which is a now a Benedictine nuns' convent. Itz the 2nd oldest church in Prague. Despite looking new, itz built in 920. It had to be restored bcos it was damaged in a fire, in wars, etc. BTW, in the game, this is the convent where Anezka heal Christofz (the protagonist) injuries!! (Anezka being his love interest :P)
Anyw!! Marpig mentioned tt therez many buildings in the castle grds but she wont be able to cover them all? Gosh!! Marpig so wanted to go to the Golden Lane aka Zlata Ulicka!! Itz a street with (currently bout 11 Marpig thinks) dwarf-sized houses which are built in Mannerism style
The houses were built to house the castle marksmen and their families who guarded the castle. Windows in the direction of the moat were prohibited and the marksmen living there were not allowed to sell nor rent the houses out. However, as time went by, marksmen were not needed tt much and the houses came to be occupied by artists, clerks, footmen, etc
Therez an interesting story as to how the Golden Lane got itz name. The story said tt during the reign of Rudolf II (15th century and successor of Maximilian II), many alchemists living there tried to make philosopher stones, youth elixirs and also turning metals into gold (yar right!! Do tell!!) In 1831, therez an old man who practised magic, etc (must be an alchemist 吧) who was found dead in his house after fire fighters xtinguished the fire in his house, caused by an xplosion. Pple said they found him holding onto a yellow stone (which later proved to be gold). No 1 noes how the gold got into the house... metals into gold... well, gold IS a metal afterall based on the Periodic Table... duh.
Oh ya!! The main reason why Marpig am not able to all buildings in the castle grd is THIS!!
搞什么?! Everyth are closed... 哇靠!! *faints*
And so, Marpig went away sadly to the next destination, Petrin Hill!! Obviously, itz another place in the game... aiyo. In fact, the city of Prague (with all the ancient buildings and rich history) is just 1 of the main places in the game (Vienna is another). Hence, Marpig actually "noe" all the places... sort of :P
Although itz a hill, Petrin is definitely higher than Redhill (duh) or Bukit Timah hill cos itz 327m high and is 130m above the River Vltava. To reach the top of the hill, one would take the funicular from Újezd station. Therez also a Petrin Lookout Tower which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower
Petrin Tower aka Petřínská rozhledna is 60 m high, made of steel framework and is used as an observation cum transmission tower. It looked like Eiffel Tower but itz actually octagonal instead of being 4sided
Guess wat, Marpig stayed long enough (the sun sets early cos itz winter anyw) to take a pic of the tower at night :P
Reverting back to just b4 night falls, one could see Prague from the tower!! Too bad itz not one of those clear winter daes... anyh, pic above shows Charles Bridge (left) and the river dam (right) with the Old Town (top 1/2) and Lesser Town (bottom 1/2)
Walking ard the tower, one would also be able to see Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Golden Lane (the long strip of walls 2wrds the right of the cathedral)
And~ ttz all the sightseeing Marpig and fren had on the 2nd day in Praha!! Next dae, Marpig and fren planned to go to the Jewish Quarter (aka Josefov in Czech)!! Itz surrounded by the Old Town and therez lotsa Jewish building ard but we'll come to tt in the next entry. But, the 1 place within Josefov which Marpig must go (bcos of the game again!!) is Europez oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, the Old Jewish Cemetery aka Starý židovský hřbitov!! AND, being Marpig who likes to see both sides of thingy, she suggested going pass the cemetery at night (since Marpig and fren am already in the Old Town on the way back to the hostel) in order to take a pic...
Itz~~ eerie... Really. At 1st, Marpig didnt think too much since the cemetery is within a synagogue (Jewish place of worship) where 1 has to pay to go in and also bcos Marpig am too xxxcited to take pic of it at night... but... after pic taking... the whole place does feel eerie... eeew... so Marpig and fren just quickly go away!! Scram!!
After smth eerie, herez smth light-hrted to bring down the fear!! Was walking pass the shopping street and this LV showcase caught Marpigz eyes (ttz wat adverts should be!!) hahahaha 好夸张 but yeah, all of us get the .
Really, Marpig am so wols in getting up to speed with entries bout her travels (as well as her professional reports) tt shez starting to feel disgusted of herself!! Specially her professional reports which are getting more and more impt!! OMG. Really, no wonder Marpigz mom always warned Marpig, "懒惰会害死你!!" Gosh, she so understands Marpig!!
And so, Marpig shall devote more of her (fatty) energy to feverishly update her travel entries!!
Without further ado (& Marpig really dont like to use this phrase cos itz so~ not unique!! :P) herez Marpigz 2nd dae in Prague!!
Although itz Oct (2008 mind u), Prague is wintery cold. It also meant tt nights were longer and daes were shorter, though the day breaks really early. At ard 7ish am in the morning, Marpig and fren were already up and about to embark on their proper day of sightseeing. Going to the Old Town Sq aka Staroměstské náměstí via Marpigz hostel, one would definitely passed by the 65m tall Powder Tower (refer to Praha Day 1 for the Tower at night)
Just look at how small the lady is in the pic and u will noe how towering the tower is... (toes arent laughing)
As itz still early in the wintery cold morn, the streets were, literally, empty!! Gosh. How rare it was to find a touristy city with empty streets!! Itz a gd th since Marpig doesnt have to wait (for pple to go away!!) in order to take a melancholy pic *gloating*
Through the Old Town Sq, Marpig and fren came to 1 of the 3 towers protecting Charles Bridge (1 on the side of the Old Town, 2 on the side of Lesser Town aka Malá Strana) and St. Francis Seraphicus Church with the statue of St. Wenceslas (see Praha Day 1) again. 别小看 this tower, itz considered 1 of the most astonishing civil Gothic-style buildings in the world!! Notice the morn mist lingering...
Ah~~ Marpig just cant help falling in love with the person who always follows and wears the same th as herself :P Guessed it already? One of Marpigz fav colour is green!! :D
And the above is... Charles Bridge!! In Czech, itz aka Karlův most. Construction of the bridge started in 1357 and ended smtime in 15th century. Then, it was the only way to x the River Vltava and was known as Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most). Itz known as itz current name only since 1870. Anyh, by now, u should have picked up some ez Czech? :P Prague is Pražský, bridge is most and stone is Kamenný!! hahahahaha Ez peasy, lemon squeezy!! :DAs seen from the pic above, the 516m long and 10m wide bridge rests on 16 arches and is under renovation with itz 30 baroque-style statues being replaced by replicas of the weathered originals. Yup, 30 statues on the bridge in total. Of cos, Marpig took each and every statues (xpected) but nay, am not going to put them all up least Marpig bores Balachan :P
Walking leisurely on the bridge and occasionally looking down at the river, Marpig saw a boat tt reminded Marpig of the 1980 Popeye movie starring Robin Williams!! Oh, also reminded Marpig of Popeye Chicken and Biscuits... (PS, thought we r to have makan at the outlet under the Singapore Bicycle Wheel?! :S)
Therez also the occasional statues (not any of the 30) which Marpig captured with her Goldie such as the 1 above with the soldier & his BEEG shield, a theatre or sm sort is in the backgrd on the left...
With keen eyes (although Marpig am still known for being blur) and an interest for ths over-shadowed by the main subject(s), Marpig spotted a 1/2 man 1/2 devil (? Cos hez got horns on his head) weeping. Itz on one of the 30 statues on the bridge... hmmm.. don noe watz it BUT smth popped into Marpigz mind!! Rem this?!
A pic which Marpig uploaded in her entry, "Final Day in Paris (Part 1)" on 27th April 2008!! Marpig finally noes who tt statue is in the pic!! Itz actually a statue of Cain by Vidal Henri in Jardin des Tuileries, Paris!! How did Marpig noe? Well, was just reading bout Cain and Abel (cos Marpig just dont un why God punish Cain) and saw a pic of tt statue :D
Anyw, prior to reaching the other side of the bridge, Marpig looked down to one of the many streets in Lesser Town
And the above are the 2 towers of Charles Bridge 2wrds Lesser Town. Notice Prague Castle on the top right hand side up the hill as well as the painters, traders etc setting up their stands for the dae of biz
Through the towerz arches, one of the dayz destinations was St. Nicholas Church (Baroque church in the backgrd) While Marpig and fren were walking 2wrds the church, on came a grp of tourists on Segways!! Say hi~!! :D
With the Segway-ers gone, up came St. Nicholas Church
This is the entrance to the church. Although it said, "concerts" don be misled into thinking itz a theatre. The 1735 church currently serves as both a church as well as a great venue for classical concerts. Too bad Marpig couldnt stay much longer to enjoy sm of these concerts in the cities Marpig visited... oh well... will have a chance smdae!!
Again, 别小看 this church. It may not look "fabulohso" on the outside but within, the statues, interior designs, decorations, etc are either "..inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris" or by famous pple such as Bernardo Spinetti and Peter Adam the Elder (majiam Marpig noes!! hahahahaha But ttz wat Wiki said :P) Watever!! Just enjoy the paintings and such!!
Notice the pipe organ among the elaborate decorations...
*looking up* "What r u looking at?"
Really, this is a beautiful church where each and every columns, corners, etc are decorated with great details
Marpig always wonders how did the ancient pple manage to build such wonderful buildings/decorations/structures with their ancient tools...
Think the above is most likely to be St. Nicholas (striking a devil) since the saint is often portrayed as a Bishop with a gospel book...
Oh, b4 Marpig goes out of St. Nicholas church to make her way to Prague Castle, just a bit more bout St. Nicholas. Apparently, Santa Claus originated from St. Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors, fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, prostitutes, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers and of cos, CHILDREN!! :D
Continuing up the hilly streets to the Prague Castle Marpig saw smth touristy... LITERALLY
"4 Tourist Daily Menu"!! 真是超级无敌的 touristy!! hahahahahaha 200 Koruna (CZK) is bout 6ish quid... ok lah, slighly more xpensive or comparable to a pub lunch
And!! Marpig passed by a shop selling marionette puppets!! In fact, therez lotsa shops selling marionette puppets in Prague since Czechz puppetry is world famous!! Sm of u might think tt the puppets looks like Chucky (sm lah) but omg!! Marionette puppetry has a long~~~ history dating back to 2000 B.C in ancient Egypt!! Oh boy!! Marpig just cant resist not talking bout it for a bit!!Right, (assuming) every1 loves the Sound of Music, then one will noe bout the scene of "The Lonely Goatherd" where the ever famous 1st line of the song goes like, "High on a hill was a lonely goatherd, lay~o~lay~o~lay-ee-ooo" *beaming all over* hahahahaha Marpigz fav scene!! But itz a SHAME tt Marpig didnt manage to catch any puppet show in Praguez National Marionette Theater!! Boo hoo!! Marpig wanna watch Don Giovanni!! *kicking and crying like a baby*
Statue of child: Shhh~~Marpig: *pouts*
Anyw, Marpig and fren finally made it to the grds of Prague Castle (which is the worldz biggest ancient castle, according to Guinness Book of Records) Itz bout 570m long and an average of 130m wide. Itz a really old castle dating back to the 9th century with many interesting buildings of different architectural styles. Most imptly for Marpig, itz one of the main places where the protagonist of the PC game (repeat, Vampire: The Masquerade!!) lives, defends, met the love of his life, got turned into a vampire, etc etc etc!! Having "seen" and "walked" in the castle grds (in the game), Marpig got to see them in real life!! :D
Therez simply too many buildings, courtyards, churches, towers, etc in the castle grds and Marpig am not going to cover all of them (therez a reason why Marpig cant, u will noe later...) Having entered the castle grds from the main entrance aka Hradcanske namesti, one would see 1 of the many courtyards (the white building) and a statue of the 1st president of Czechoslovakia (understands tt Czechoslovakia has now been separated into 2 independent countries; Czech Republic and Slovakia), Tomas Garrigue MasarykThe gate in front of the courtyard shown above is decorated with statues of Fighting Giants and vases from Ferdinand Platzer as well as guarded by castle guards:
much like the guards in Buckingham Palace and Tower of London. Itz quite lucky tt Marpig managed to see the changing of guards then since it wasnt part of the visit :P
Itz not as elaborate as the one in Buckingham Palace but oh well. In terms of Czech guys... hmmm... erm... small eyes? Didnt really look/consider them :P Next up is one of Marpigz fav!! St. Vitus Cathedral!!
Why is St. Vitus Cathedral 1 of Marpigz fav? Principally, itz bcos of the RPG game which Marpig kept harping on :P and another is bcos Marpig simply love ancient buildings and the kind of feelings they give off :DAs it is, above is St. Vitus Cathedral (aka Katedrála svatého Víta in Czech) from the south entrance where one can see the main tower and the Golden Gate. Itz really old, dating back to 925. Itz a RC cathedral and an xcellent eg of Gothic architecture. Itz also the biggest and most impt church in Czech Republic; not only is it the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, itz also the place where saints, 皇亲国戚 are buried as well as holding the coronations of kings. Itz full name is actually very long (St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral) but letz just stick to the short one :P
This is the main entrance with the rose window (aka Catherine window) and as with all gothic buildings, the carvings are simply...
fantastica!! Hmm... no wonder such ancient buildings took soooo many yrs to construct...
This is the rose window as seen from inside the cathedral
The altar...
Ah~~~ the wintery sunset through one of the many stained glass windows!!
One of the many decors/"artefacts"
Put our hands together and pray...
And we are out of St. Vitus!! Ah~~~ such a nice cathedral!! In fact, therez another cathedral which Marpig would WANT to see and itz St. Stephen's Cathedral (aka Stephansdom in German) in Vienna!! Why? Same reasons as for St Vitus :P *whispers* (In the game, Marpig was walking on the roof of Stephansdom!! :P) All right all right!! Enough bout the game!!The red building in the pic above is St George Basilica which is a now a Benedictine nuns' convent. Itz the 2nd oldest church in Prague. Despite looking new, itz built in 920. It had to be restored bcos it was damaged in a fire, in wars, etc. BTW, in the game, this is the convent where Anezka heal Christofz (the protagonist) injuries!! (Anezka being his love interest :P)
Anyw!! Marpig mentioned tt therez many buildings in the castle grds but she wont be able to cover them all? Gosh!! Marpig so wanted to go to the Golden Lane aka Zlata Ulicka!! Itz a street with (currently bout 11 Marpig thinks) dwarf-sized houses which are built in Mannerism style
The houses were built to house the castle marksmen and their families who guarded the castle. Windows in the direction of the moat were prohibited and the marksmen living there were not allowed to sell nor rent the houses out. However, as time went by, marksmen were not needed tt much and the houses came to be occupied by artists, clerks, footmen, etc
Therez an interesting story as to how the Golden Lane got itz name. The story said tt during the reign of Rudolf II (15th century and successor of Maximilian II), many alchemists living there tried to make philosopher stones, youth elixirs and also turning metals into gold (yar right!! Do tell!!) In 1831, therez an old man who practised magic, etc (must be an alchemist 吧) who was found dead in his house after fire fighters xtinguished the fire in his house, caused by an xplosion. Pple said they found him holding onto a yellow stone (which later proved to be gold). No 1 noes how the gold got into the house... metals into gold... well, gold IS a metal afterall based on the Periodic Table... duh.
Oh ya!! The main reason why Marpig am not able to all buildings in the castle grd is THIS!!
搞什么?! Everyth are closed... 哇靠!! *faints*And so, Marpig went away sadly to the next destination, Petrin Hill!! Obviously, itz another place in the game... aiyo. In fact, the city of Prague (with all the ancient buildings and rich history) is just 1 of the main places in the game (Vienna is another). Hence, Marpig actually "noe" all the places... sort of :P
Although itz a hill, Petrin is definitely higher than Redhill (duh) or Bukit Timah hill cos itz 327m high and is 130m above the River Vltava. To reach the top of the hill, one would take the funicular from Újezd station. Therez also a Petrin Lookout Tower which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower
Petrin Tower aka Petřínská rozhledna is 60 m high, made of steel framework and is used as an observation cum transmission tower. It looked like Eiffel Tower but itz actually octagonal instead of being 4sided
Guess wat, Marpig stayed long enough (the sun sets early cos itz winter anyw) to take a pic of the tower at night :P
Reverting back to just b4 night falls, one could see Prague from the tower!! Too bad itz not one of those clear winter daes... anyh, pic above shows Charles Bridge (left) and the river dam (right) with the Old Town (top 1/2) and Lesser Town (bottom 1/2)
Walking ard the tower, one would also be able to see Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Golden Lane (the long strip of walls 2wrds the right of the cathedral)And~ ttz all the sightseeing Marpig and fren had on the 2nd day in Praha!! Next dae, Marpig and fren planned to go to the Jewish Quarter (aka Josefov in Czech)!! Itz surrounded by the Old Town and therez lotsa Jewish building ard but we'll come to tt in the next entry. But, the 1 place within Josefov which Marpig must go (bcos of the game again!!) is Europez oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, the Old Jewish Cemetery aka Starý židovský hřbitov!! AND, being Marpig who likes to see both sides of thingy, she suggested going pass the cemetery at night (since Marpig and fren am already in the Old Town on the way back to the hostel) in order to take a pic...
Itz~~ eerie... Really. At 1st, Marpig didnt think too much since the cemetery is within a synagogue (Jewish place of worship) where 1 has to pay to go in and also bcos Marpig am too xxxcited to take pic of it at night... but... after pic taking... the whole place does feel eerie... eeew... so Marpig and fren just quickly go away!! Scram!!
After smth eerie, herez smth light-hrted to bring down the fear!! Was walking pass the shopping street and this LV showcase caught Marpigz eyes (ttz wat adverts should be!!) hahahaha 好夸张 but yeah, all of us get the .
Sunday, August 2
Life is a Journey...
not to the West lah. Marpig has been over-thinking again. As usual, she has millions of unanswered questions like a child, curious bout just anyth and everyth
"Seek and ye will find" but smhow Marpig "still hasnt found wat she are looking for"
Was surfing bout Stephen Chow (for no reason) and read articles bout China, Buddhism (and even 济公!!) and finally on cuisines of Singapore on Wiki. Wow, the power of chain-reading :D
Articles of China includes places of interest which one of these daes, Marpig will definitely xplore (but when?!) Then, articles bout Buddhism left more unanswered questions bout wat religions Marpig most believes in. Smhow, Marpigz faith in religions evaporated... Cant lay a finger as to why but smhow, a theory just pop into Marpigz mind:
There (may be) no God afterall since everyth in life is "u reap wat u sow" i.e., itz all 人为. A very abstract idea to put into words but generally, itz like, no matter wat one prays for, ths happen or not bcos of human efforts/doings. Or more like, no matter how much one prays, situation(s) tt meant to happen, will still happen and take their own course. Hmm... eg... eg...
Say, student A and student B. Student A studies hard and scores good grades. Student B keeps praying but didnt study and failed. So itz like, the outcome of smth is dependent on an individual, not sm other supernatural forces, hence, "u reap wat u sow"
Of cos, JM is gonna say the above is a self-centered view, where everyth is me, I, myself
Itz really funny, being born into a Buddhist (or is it Taoist too?) family, studied in a Catholic convent as well as a Christian JC. Marpig am introduced to many religions and noe a bit here and a bit there. Whilst Marpig is in SG, she goes to 四马路 and prayed to 观音 in Mandarin and while she is in the UK, she "converts" to ang moh by praying to God and Jesus Christ in English. hahahahahaha
So, in Marpigz xperience, itz like geographically-dependent religion. And of cos, itz not a gd way to practise a religion. The prob most likely is tt Marpig, being a water sign, am so tolerant and adaptable to all religions tt anyth goes and she always believe as long as one does gd, it doesnt matter which religion one practise
Recently, therez has been frustrations with alot of worldly thingy (as with all pple too) such as pay not going up, no promotion, being taken for granted, lollies not enough, acute skin allergy, CEng, laziness, etc etc etc
Had always been praying and praying (both in SG and in the UK lah, since young) for the health and safety of family members, relatives and frens as well as for those unfortunate pple who doesnt have enough food to eat, warm clothes to wear, places to shelter them from the harsh weather. In addition, prayed for world peace and tt all diseases will be controlled (Marpig am being pragmatic as well umk) However, look at the world. Things and events still take place despite so many pple praying ard the globe. Therez still pple who are poor, starved, homeless, etc. Sigh~~~
Really, Marpig had been asking the same question over and over again, is God listening and answering our prayers? Maybe he is too busy... Maybe He wants to test our characters (from an interview with Rick Warren, an email from Ding) by giving us lotsa probs in life to deal with...
Actually, Marpig isnt too fave with Christianity since therez lotsa fractions and historically, itz filled with links to personal gains, political agendas, etc. But smhow, Marpig quite like the idea of Jan Hus and Martin Luther. Then again, being a nostalgic and melancholy 老饼, Marpig finds Buddhism more acceptable, even though she still has trouble understanding all the different teachings of the different branch of Buddhism (Theravada and Mahayana, which includes Tibetan)
*thinking bout her own life* Marpigz xperiences arent the worse among many others in the world; at least she was born in a developed country with a healthy body. Have parents and a loving sis, frens and relatives. Had a good education (which allows her to have unique reasoning capacity :P), a lollies earning job (although not big lollies but still enough to pay bills and feed her occasional travel sprees) Despite being a latchkey child, losing her mom at 20, learning to be very independent (at home and overseas)... *realisation* wow... actually, Marpigz life is quite a breeze!! Opps. Wat is she doing blogging this entry?! (Shez counting her blessings)
Tsk tsk tsk. U see, when ths go wrong, pple tend to complain which is such a pain!! *eyes rolling* Still, Marpig hopes she finds her faith in a religion she truly believes... she is still seeking for tt faith bcos smhow, she doesnt want to be a "freethinker"
Life is more interesting with a bit of fairy tales and supernatural forces afterall... *smiles*
Meanwhile and currently, Marpig felt tt life is literally, a journey to different places to see and xperience other thingy. Gosh, Marpig will really make a gd journalist or nun
"Seek and ye will find" but smhow Marpig "still hasnt found wat she are looking for"
Was surfing bout Stephen Chow (for no reason) and read articles bout China, Buddhism (and even 济公!!) and finally on cuisines of Singapore on Wiki. Wow, the power of chain-reading :D
Articles of China includes places of interest which one of these daes, Marpig will definitely xplore (but when?!) Then, articles bout Buddhism left more unanswered questions bout wat religions Marpig most believes in. Smhow, Marpigz faith in religions evaporated... Cant lay a finger as to why but smhow, a theory just pop into Marpigz mind:
There (may be) no God afterall since everyth in life is "u reap wat u sow" i.e., itz all 人为. A very abstract idea to put into words but generally, itz like, no matter wat one prays for, ths happen or not bcos of human efforts/doings. Or more like, no matter how much one prays, situation(s) tt meant to happen, will still happen and take their own course. Hmm... eg... eg...
Say, student A and student B. Student A studies hard and scores good grades. Student B keeps praying but didnt study and failed. So itz like, the outcome of smth is dependent on an individual, not sm other supernatural forces, hence, "u reap wat u sow"
Of cos, JM is gonna say the above is a self-centered view, where everyth is me, I, myself
Itz really funny, being born into a Buddhist (or is it Taoist too?) family, studied in a Catholic convent as well as a Christian JC. Marpig am introduced to many religions and noe a bit here and a bit there. Whilst Marpig is in SG, she goes to 四马路 and prayed to 观音 in Mandarin and while she is in the UK, she "converts" to ang moh by praying to God and Jesus Christ in English. hahahahahaha
So, in Marpigz xperience, itz like geographically-dependent religion. And of cos, itz not a gd way to practise a religion. The prob most likely is tt Marpig, being a water sign, am so tolerant and adaptable to all religions tt anyth goes and she always believe as long as one does gd, it doesnt matter which religion one practise
Recently, therez has been frustrations with alot of worldly thingy (as with all pple too) such as pay not going up, no promotion, being taken for granted, lollies not enough, acute skin allergy, CEng, laziness, etc etc etc
Had always been praying and praying (both in SG and in the UK lah, since young) for the health and safety of family members, relatives and frens as well as for those unfortunate pple who doesnt have enough food to eat, warm clothes to wear, places to shelter them from the harsh weather. In addition, prayed for world peace and tt all diseases will be controlled (Marpig am being pragmatic as well umk) However, look at the world. Things and events still take place despite so many pple praying ard the globe. Therez still pple who are poor, starved, homeless, etc. Sigh~~~
Really, Marpig had been asking the same question over and over again, is God listening and answering our prayers? Maybe he is too busy... Maybe He wants to test our characters (from an interview with Rick Warren, an email from Ding) by giving us lotsa probs in life to deal with...
Actually, Marpig isnt too fave with Christianity since therez lotsa fractions and historically, itz filled with links to personal gains, political agendas, etc. But smhow, Marpig quite like the idea of Jan Hus and Martin Luther. Then again, being a nostalgic and melancholy 老饼, Marpig finds Buddhism more acceptable, even though she still has trouble understanding all the different teachings of the different branch of Buddhism (Theravada and Mahayana, which includes Tibetan)
*thinking bout her own life* Marpigz xperiences arent the worse among many others in the world; at least she was born in a developed country with a healthy body. Have parents and a loving sis, frens and relatives. Had a good education (which allows her to have unique reasoning capacity :P), a lollies earning job (although not big lollies but still enough to pay bills and feed her occasional travel sprees) Despite being a latchkey child, losing her mom at 20, learning to be very independent (at home and overseas)... *realisation* wow... actually, Marpigz life is quite a breeze!! Opps. Wat is she doing blogging this entry?! (Shez counting her blessings)
Tsk tsk tsk. U see, when ths go wrong, pple tend to complain which is such a pain!! *eyes rolling* Still, Marpig hopes she finds her faith in a religion she truly believes... she is still seeking for tt faith bcos smhow, she doesnt want to be a "freethinker"
Life is more interesting with a bit of fairy tales and supernatural forces afterall... *smiles*
Meanwhile and currently, Marpig felt tt life is literally, a journey to different places to see and xperience other thingy. Gosh, Marpig will really make a gd journalist or nun
Saturday, August 1
Praha Day 1
Marpigz style of writing her travelling entries are varied. In fact, even she gets abit mixed up smtimes while writing and organsing them into readable entries!! She got to sieve out the best tell-tale pics (cant upload too many pics on Picasa & Marpigz used 50% already!!), research abit bout the place or thingy in the pics b4 sharing them as well as recording her travel xperiences for Marpigz old age bedtime stories :P As she xplained to JM in Espana on why she takes so many pics (dont noe if she recollects) itz bcos she wanted to share them with frens who hasnt the opportunity/time/lollies to visit the places yet. Plus, itz also like a mini-info thingy so tt frens might chose to go to those places (Marpig isnt too subjective, has she?)
Guess itz also bcos Marpig am spending less time brooding over lifez issues and meaning like she used to last time and simply work and travel her time away. Watever, herez comes Prague for the following few entries!!
B4 anyth else and as usual, a leetle bit bout Prague, the capital & largest city of Czech Republic. Prague is included in the UNESCO list since 1992 and no wonder, itz buildings are very much varied (Art Nouveaum Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical, ultra-modern) and are still tastefully oldish and nice. She even has nicknames such as, "the mother of cities", "city of a hundred spires" (similarly to Oxford) and "the golden city". Just like the River Seine passing through Paris, River Thames through London, River Avon through Bristol and River Amstel through Amsterdam, Prague also has a river passing through it, the River Vltava
Itz also 1 of the top 6 most popular tourist destination in Europe after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. As for Marpigz interest in Prague, itz fuelled by her gaming of the PC game, Vampire: The Masquerade :P In fact, Marpig learnt quite abit bout the ancient civillisations via PC games (Marpigz all-time fav is AOE)!! And so, Marpig had always wanted to visit those places in Prague tt was featured in Vampire!!
Anyw, therez another local name for Prague aka Praha which means threshold and had itz link to the prophetess and wife of mythical founder of the Premyslid dynasty, Libuse. She was said to order for "the city to be built where a man holds a threshold of his house" *yawns* :P Right, long story short, herez the pics!!
Above is Praguez airport. Small but adequate. Marpig rem tt "they" said one cannot buy Czech Crowns outside of Czech nor bring the Crowns out of Czech. Hence, Marpig did not xchange any Crowns but only withdrew the Crowns at 1 of the ATMs in the airport
And so, Marpig embark on her journey to get to the hostel to meet up with fren. The most puzzling thingy bout the airport is tt therez too many terminals and the signs arent tt clear. Quite many pple have no idea where to alight when Marpig was returning to Bristol!! Above was a sign in Czech... erm... itz not one of the easiest lang to guess, least to even learn!!
Alighting at the stop near the hostel, Marpig 1st caught a glimpse of the Žižkov Television Tower. It sits on top of a Jewish cemetery and had 3 concrete columns which carries cabinets of transmitters, a rest and cafe as well as 3 observation rooms. It looks like a rocket on launchpad and is 216m high. The other interesting bit bout the tower is the crawling babies!! The crawling babies are sculptures by Czech artist, David Cerny. Too bad one cant really see them in the pic above but Marpig aimed to go there during the next few daes in Praha!!
Marpigz 1st night in Prague was a leisure general walkabout of the city to ascertain how big it is and where the touristy areas are. Not too bad!! So XXXCITING!! Itz Praha!! Marpig wouldnt mind going there again for say the xmas markets!! Although whilst Marpig was there (in Oct) itz already very cold (need gloves at night)!! Above is a "nostalgic tram" no. 91 which runs through only in the city centre, as introduced by the guidebooks
On her way to the old town sq, Marpig and fren passed by a theatre. Cant rem which this was but therez been a concert/opera going on then as therez lots of pple arriving for a performance. And yes, itz one of those theatres where pple attending dressed in evening dresses and formal wears, much like those one would read bout in novels and such
Ah~~ this is the old town sq at night!! Itz not strange to find rests and cafes littered ard cities' town halls for tourists. Praha is no xception. Marpig & fren didnt have dinner at any there since cost was a consideration but more bcos itz always better to try local thingy!!
The abs fantastic and domineering church in the pic above is the Church of Our Lady before Tyn (aka Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem or Týnský chrám in Czech) And itz one of those buildings tt were featured in the PC game Marpig played!! (Vampire: The Masquerade) :D Itz been there since the 14th century and is 80m high. Quite easy to differentiate (by now) tt itz Gothic. It also houses the oldest pipe organ in Praha
Notice the big monument on the left too which is the Jan Hus Memorial. Rem Marpig mentioned bout Martin Luther and Jan Hus in her previous entry? Yup, ttz him. The monument showed victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into xcile 200 yrs after Jan Hus. A young mother symbolises national rebirth.
Although itz not Xmas yet, therez stil the street vendors selling hot food in the freezing weather!! Guess wat Marpig had as a snack b4 traditional Praha food for dinner? heheheheheh This!!
Don noe watz this but itz made of flour and see the thingy tt the lady is "roasting" above? Shez doing these. Apparently, after they are "roasted", the bread/donut-like food is coated with... sugar and cinnamon :D Very nice though therez nth inside; itz hollow bcos the dough is wrapped ard the "BBQ skewers"
Further down one of the streets in the old town sq, one could see the fay-moss Prague Astronomical Clock Tower (on the left) with the astronomical clock!!
The Praguez astronomical clock, aka Pražský Orloj in Czech, is a medieval astronomical clock which has 3 main parts to it; a dial which rep the position of the Sun and Moon, another dial which rep the months and finally, an hourly clockwork show of the 12 Apostles going ard (much like the Swiss clock tt used to be in Londonz Leicester Sq) The clock was made by Mikuláš of Kadan and Jan Šindel in 1410. Apparently, pple said tt the gahmen gouged out the eyes of the original maker (Jan Šindel) so tt he wont make another such clock for anther country (OMG!!)
Anyw, night drew nearer and Marpig was hungry!! Marpig and fren found a local cafereria and 不管三七二十一, just went in for dinner. Wow!! The xperience!! Everyth on the menu were in Czech (well, local mah) and itz smth like Marche cos every1 was given a ticket where u just go up to the counter, get yr food while tt waitress write watz yr order. Lose the ticket and therez a hefy penalty (this is quite ez to reg cos of itz small print and the numbers!! :P)
So watz the traditional Czech food? Stew and dumplings!! At lst, Marpig was thinking, wow!! Dumplings!! But heu, their "dumplings" are in fact, more like bread, eaten with the stew. Smth like a substitute for bread. And herez wat Marpig and fren had!!
The dish in the foregrd was wat Marpig had. Chicken stew with rice and yup, tt white thingy is the dumpling. Fren had beef stew with cabbages and potatoes!! OMG!! Looked so-so but tasted fine!! Not fantastica but good!! :D___
After dinner, itz walk ard to aid digestion as well as to relax in the lovely cold Prague air at night!!
Walking aimlessly but not far enough to get lost, Marpig and fren came to the Rudolfinum which is Praguez most impt neo-renaissance building and is also a music auditorium. Itz just bside the River Vltava. Itz home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Continuing down one of the many bridges ax the River Vltava...
one sees the fay-moss Prague castle up the mountain!! Ah~~ Marpig really love walking at night, in the cold, in a foreign city!! Such a nice feeling!!
Ard the corner, Marpig and fren came to a pubbing place where the shops were closed. Spotted 2 men p***ing!! OMG!! hahahahaha
Walking down the slopes and onto the river bank, one could see Charles Bridge with itz many statues... 
Signs in Prague are in Czech... Luckily therez icons representing places of interest!! :P Wont really get lost!! Even if one gets lost, itz an xxxciting xperience too!! :D
As itz getting late, Marpig and fren made their way back to the hostel, passing by the tower (on the side of the old town sq) of Charles Bridge...
as well as St. Francis Seraphicus Church (aka kostel sv. Frantiska Serafinskeho in Czech)
Itz was a Gothic church founded by St. Agnes of Bohemia in 1233. There was a hospital as well as a monastery where the poor and the sick were taken care of. Then, it was rebuilt as a Baroque church in the 17th century. The statue in the pic is St. Wenceslas. BTW, Czech beer is GOOD!! Marpig don really like drinking beer cos they cause Marpig to go bloated but Czech beer doesnt!! OMG!! Pilsner Urquell is fantastica (poster bhind the statue)!!
Finally, b4 Marpig round up her 1st night in Prague, just a little bustling street on the way back to the hostel... *tired*
Guess itz also bcos Marpig am spending less time brooding over lifez issues and meaning like she used to last time and simply work and travel her time away. Watever, herez comes Prague for the following few entries!!
B4 anyth else and as usual, a leetle bit bout Prague, the capital & largest city of Czech Republic. Prague is included in the UNESCO list since 1992 and no wonder, itz buildings are very much varied (Art Nouveaum Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical, ultra-modern) and are still tastefully oldish and nice. She even has nicknames such as, "the mother of cities", "city of a hundred spires" (similarly to Oxford) and "the golden city". Just like the River Seine passing through Paris, River Thames through London, River Avon through Bristol and River Amstel through Amsterdam, Prague also has a river passing through it, the River Vltava
Itz also 1 of the top 6 most popular tourist destination in Europe after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. As for Marpigz interest in Prague, itz fuelled by her gaming of the PC game, Vampire: The Masquerade :P In fact, Marpig learnt quite abit bout the ancient civillisations via PC games (Marpigz all-time fav is AOE)!! And so, Marpig had always wanted to visit those places in Prague tt was featured in Vampire!!
Anyw, therez another local name for Prague aka Praha which means threshold and had itz link to the prophetess and wife of mythical founder of the Premyslid dynasty, Libuse. She was said to order for "the city to be built where a man holds a threshold of his house" *yawns* :P Right, long story short, herez the pics!!
Above is Praguez airport. Small but adequate. Marpig rem tt "they" said one cannot buy Czech Crowns outside of Czech nor bring the Crowns out of Czech. Hence, Marpig did not xchange any Crowns but only withdrew the Crowns at 1 of the ATMs in the airport
And so, Marpig embark on her journey to get to the hostel to meet up with fren. The most puzzling thingy bout the airport is tt therez too many terminals and the signs arent tt clear. Quite many pple have no idea where to alight when Marpig was returning to Bristol!! Above was a sign in Czech... erm... itz not one of the easiest lang to guess, least to even learn!!
Alighting at the stop near the hostel, Marpig 1st caught a glimpse of the Žižkov Television Tower. It sits on top of a Jewish cemetery and had 3 concrete columns which carries cabinets of transmitters, a rest and cafe as well as 3 observation rooms. It looks like a rocket on launchpad and is 216m high. The other interesting bit bout the tower is the crawling babies!! The crawling babies are sculptures by Czech artist, David Cerny. Too bad one cant really see them in the pic above but Marpig aimed to go there during the next few daes in Praha!!
Marpigz 1st night in Prague was a leisure general walkabout of the city to ascertain how big it is and where the touristy areas are. Not too bad!! So XXXCITING!! Itz Praha!! Marpig wouldnt mind going there again for say the xmas markets!! Although whilst Marpig was there (in Oct) itz already very cold (need gloves at night)!! Above is a "nostalgic tram" no. 91 which runs through only in the city centre, as introduced by the guidebooks
On her way to the old town sq, Marpig and fren passed by a theatre. Cant rem which this was but therez been a concert/opera going on then as therez lots of pple arriving for a performance. And yes, itz one of those theatres where pple attending dressed in evening dresses and formal wears, much like those one would read bout in novels and such
Ah~~ this is the old town sq at night!! Itz not strange to find rests and cafes littered ard cities' town halls for tourists. Praha is no xception. Marpig & fren didnt have dinner at any there since cost was a consideration but more bcos itz always better to try local thingy!!The abs fantastic and domineering church in the pic above is the Church of Our Lady before Tyn (aka Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem or Týnský chrám in Czech) And itz one of those buildings tt were featured in the PC game Marpig played!! (Vampire: The Masquerade) :D Itz been there since the 14th century and is 80m high. Quite easy to differentiate (by now) tt itz Gothic. It also houses the oldest pipe organ in Praha
Notice the big monument on the left too which is the Jan Hus Memorial. Rem Marpig mentioned bout Martin Luther and Jan Hus in her previous entry? Yup, ttz him. The monument showed victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into xcile 200 yrs after Jan Hus. A young mother symbolises national rebirth.
Although itz not Xmas yet, therez stil the street vendors selling hot food in the freezing weather!! Guess wat Marpig had as a snack b4 traditional Praha food for dinner? heheheheheh This!!
Don noe watz this but itz made of flour and see the thingy tt the lady is "roasting" above? Shez doing these. Apparently, after they are "roasted", the bread/donut-like food is coated with... sugar and cinnamon :D Very nice though therez nth inside; itz hollow bcos the dough is wrapped ard the "BBQ skewers"
Further down one of the streets in the old town sq, one could see the fay-moss Prague Astronomical Clock Tower (on the left) with the astronomical clock!!
The Praguez astronomical clock, aka Pražský Orloj in Czech, is a medieval astronomical clock which has 3 main parts to it; a dial which rep the position of the Sun and Moon, another dial which rep the months and finally, an hourly clockwork show of the 12 Apostles going ard (much like the Swiss clock tt used to be in Londonz Leicester Sq) The clock was made by Mikuláš of Kadan and Jan Šindel in 1410. Apparently, pple said tt the gahmen gouged out the eyes of the original maker (Jan Šindel) so tt he wont make another such clock for anther country (OMG!!)Anyw, night drew nearer and Marpig was hungry!! Marpig and fren found a local cafereria and 不管三七二十一, just went in for dinner. Wow!! The xperience!! Everyth on the menu were in Czech (well, local mah) and itz smth like Marche cos every1 was given a ticket where u just go up to the counter, get yr food while tt waitress write watz yr order. Lose the ticket and therez a hefy penalty (this is quite ez to reg cos of itz small print and the numbers!! :P)
So watz the traditional Czech food? Stew and dumplings!! At lst, Marpig was thinking, wow!! Dumplings!! But heu, their "dumplings" are in fact, more like bread, eaten with the stew. Smth like a substitute for bread. And herez wat Marpig and fren had!!
The dish in the foregrd was wat Marpig had. Chicken stew with rice and yup, tt white thingy is the dumpling. Fren had beef stew with cabbages and potatoes!! OMG!! Looked so-so but tasted fine!! Not fantastica but good!! :D___After dinner, itz walk ard to aid digestion as well as to relax in the lovely cold Prague air at night!!
Walking aimlessly but not far enough to get lost, Marpig and fren came to the Rudolfinum which is Praguez most impt neo-renaissance building and is also a music auditorium. Itz just bside the River Vltava. Itz home to the Czech Philharmonic OrchestraContinuing down one of the many bridges ax the River Vltava...
one sees the fay-moss Prague castle up the mountain!! Ah~~ Marpig really love walking at night, in the cold, in a foreign city!! Such a nice feeling!!
Ard the corner, Marpig and fren came to a pubbing place where the shops were closed. Spotted 2 men p***ing!! OMG!! hahahahaha
Walking down the slopes and onto the river bank, one could see Charles Bridge with itz many statues... 
Signs in Prague are in Czech... Luckily therez icons representing places of interest!! :P Wont really get lost!! Even if one gets lost, itz an xxxciting xperience too!! :DAs itz getting late, Marpig and fren made their way back to the hostel, passing by the tower (on the side of the old town sq) of Charles Bridge...
as well as St. Francis Seraphicus Church (aka kostel sv. Frantiska Serafinskeho in Czech)
Itz was a Gothic church founded by St. Agnes of Bohemia in 1233. There was a hospital as well as a monastery where the poor and the sick were taken care of. Then, it was rebuilt as a Baroque church in the 17th century. The statue in the pic is St. Wenceslas. BTW, Czech beer is GOOD!! Marpig don really like drinking beer cos they cause Marpig to go bloated but Czech beer doesnt!! OMG!! Pilsner Urquell is fantastica (poster bhind the statue)!!
Finally, b4 Marpig round up her 1st night in Prague, just a little bustling street on the way back to the hostel... *tired*
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