{"id":708,"date":"2007-05-08T02:58:37","date_gmt":"2007-05-08T06:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=708"},"modified":"2018-08-17T13:19:14","modified_gmt":"2018-08-17T17:19:14","slug":"tuesday-may-8-2007-three-bottles-of-red-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=708","title":{"rendered":"Tuesday, May 8, 2007 \u2014 Three Bottles of Red Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"07-05-08<\/a>I was met at the air\u00adport by Isaac and Lour\u00addes, who is Fil\u00adip\u2019s part\u00adner. We then picked up Fil\u00adip from his work (he works in the film indus\u00adtry). We head\u00aded direct\u00adly to the heart of the Old City (Jose\u00adfov \/ Pra\u00adha 1). Fil\u00adip was eager to feed us a very tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Bohemi\u00adan meal, and we were equal\u00adly eager to eat one. For me, this was a Bohemi\u00adan-style goulash, quite dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the Hun\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adan, and for Isaac it was a cut\u00adlet in sweet pep\u00adper\u00adcorn sauce. Both were accom\u00adpa\u00adnied by won\u00addrous dumplings, which Fil\u00adip instruct\u00aded us not to eat \u201clike and Amer\u00adi\u00adcan\u201d, i.e., as if they were pieces of bread. They are prop\u00ader\u00adly to be cut and eat\u00aden with a fork, like potatoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lour\u00addes, I think, has been very good for Fil\u00adip. He is a strong-willed man, who occa\u00adsion\u00adal\u00adly gets stub\u00adborn or crab\u00adby. Lour\u00addes brooks no non\u00adsense, but she is obvi\u00adous\u00adly easy-going in tem\u00adpera\u00adment. Throw in beau\u00adty, intel\u00adli\u00adgence, and spon\u00adta\u00adneous\u00adly gra\u00adcious man\u00adners, and you can see that he has hit the jack\u00adpot. Fil\u00adip has often writ\u00adten or talked to me about her, and I can see that she has made him hap\u00adpi\u00ader. She is from Madrid, so they began by com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcat\u00ading in Eng\u00adlish, but now Fil\u00adip is flu\u00adent in Span\u00adish, and she in Czech. Most\u00adly, they speak Span\u00adish togeth\u00ader, though through the next few days, they spoke Eng\u00adlish for our benefit.<\/span><\/p>\n

And those five days were very good ones, indeed. They cul\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded in an evening when we went through three bot\u00adtles of red wine, and the con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtion cov\u00adered every\u00adthing from Cer\u00advantes to dead baby jokes, and was repeat\u00aded\u00adly punc\u00adtu\u00adat\u00aded with laugh\u00adter. A very, very fine evening. But we had many con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtions before that, in many places, over din\u00adner in a strange place dec\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded like the Flint\u00adstones and offer\u00ading pre\u00adhis\u00adtoric fare, walk\u00ading along the shore of the Vlta\u00adva (Moldau), or in the dark streets of dis\u00adtricts sel\u00addom seen by tourists. We were giv\u00aden the roy\u00adal treat\u00adment. Some\u00adtimes we were being shown around spe\u00adcif\u00adic sites, as when Fil\u00adip walked us, late at night, to the Vy\u0161ehrad, a part of Prague old\u00ader than the Cas\u00adtle or the Jose\u00adfov. It was built in the 10th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, and was said to be the first habi\u00adta\u00adtion in Prague. When the P\u0159e\u00admys\u00adlid dynasty set\u00adtled on the cur\u00adrent site of Prague Cas\u00adtle, the two cas\u00adtles main\u00adtained oppos\u00ading spheres of influ\u00adence for two hun\u00addred years, until the Emper\u00ador Charles IV<\/span> moved the seat of the Bohemi\u00adan king\u00addom to Prague Cas\u00adtle. The for\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions com\u00admand a splen\u00addid view over the riv\u00ader, along steep cliffs, but they don\u2019t seem to attract tourists. When Holy Roman Emper\u00ador Charles IV<\/span> began to build the Prague Cas\u00adtle in its cur\u00adrent dimen\u00adsions (in the ear\u00adly 14th cen\u00adtu\u00adry), Vy\u0161ehrad was aban\u00addoned as a roy\u00adal home. But it saw action as the site of bat\u00adtles between Hus\u00adsites and Catholic cru\u00adsaders. There is a mas\u00adsive church crown\u00ading the hill, but near\u00adby, Fil\u00adip showed us a much more inter\u00adest\u00ading, but tiny Romanesque struc\u00adture of the 11th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, the Rotun\u00adda of St. Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ear\u00adli\u00ader that same night, we expe\u00adri\u00adenced one of those divine aes\u00adthet\u00adic moments that I asso\u00adciate with walk\u00ading in Prague. The four of us had been exam\u00adin\u00ading the poor\u00adest dis\u00adtrict in the city, an area of run-down blocks of flats inhab\u00adit\u00aded most\u00adly by Roma. Only a few blocks from it is a small 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry house, tucked into a cub\u00adby\u00adhole along a hill\u00adside. It\u2019s there that Mozart com\u00adposed Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni. We walked up to the house. The air was evening air, per\u00adfect\u00adly bal\u00adanced between warm and cool. There were lights in the win\u00addows, and from them, we could hear a pianist and singer per\u00adform\u00ading one of Mozart\u2019s com\u00adic arias, those lit\u00adtle bits of fluff that he com\u00adposed now and then, which drift on the night air like a cham\u00adpagne bubble.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"07-05-08<\/a>Fil\u00adip even arranged for us to cross the Vlta\u00adva in a small boat, pok\u00ading into some side canals, and under the sin\u00adgle arch that remains, well hid\u00adden, of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal stone bridge that pre\u00adced\u00aded the Charles Bridge [Kar\u00adl\u016fv most]. But at oth\u00ader times, Isaac and I walked the city togeth\u00ader, and we looked through Prague Cas\u00adtle and the Nation\u00adal Gallery with\u00adout our hosts. Those who are curi\u00adous can eas\u00adi\u00adly look it up. The Cas\u00adtle is too well known to need any descrip\u00adtion. We entered St. Vitus\u2019 Cathe\u00addral, and the cat\u00ada\u00adcombs below it. But we also took time for cas\u00adtle por\u00adtion of the Nation\u00adal Gallery [N\u00e1rod\u00adn\u00ed galerie v Praze]. Much of it demon\u00adstrat\u00aded that, when the old Bohemi\u00adan roy\u00adal\u00adty went shop\u00adping for pic\u00adtures in Italy, they could only pick up works by sec\u00adond-string mas\u00adters that had not already been snapped up by more pow\u00ader\u00adful patrons of the arts. But the gallery con\u00adtains first-rate Bohemi\u00adan art from sev\u00ader\u00adal peri\u00adods, and some fine Ger\u00adman and Flem\u00adish works, includ\u00ading some good ones by D\u00fcr\u00ader and some amaz\u00ading Brueghels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"07-05-08<\/a>

Pieter Bruegel\u2019s \u201cStorm At Sea\u201d, per\u00adhaps prophet\u00adic of Prague\u2019s strug\u00adgles with the Tourist Plague<\/p><\/div>\n

Isaac, luck\u00adi\u00adly got to see his first view of the Charles Bridge at the per\u00adfect time, at twi\u00adlight, when it still pre\u00adserves some of the atmos\u00adphere that has gained its place in poet\u00adry and fic\u00adtion. When we crossed it again in day\u00adlight, it was jammed with the usu\u00adal throng of tourists and hawkers.<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings me to a sub\u00adject that Fil\u00adip has often men\u00adtioned to me with dis\u00adtinct resent\u00adment: the plague of tourists in Prague. Now, tourists are expect\u00aded in any his\u00adtoric city, and in the right cir\u00adcum\u00adstances and pro\u00adpor\u00adtions, they are a good thing. But in the present sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion, they are def\u00adi\u00adnite\u00adly not a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prague is a trea\u00adsure house of archi\u00adtec\u00adture. It suf\u00adfered only one acci\u00adden\u00adtal bomb\u00ading raid dur\u00ading World War Two, so its his\u00adtoric build\u00adings are not, as in most Euro\u00adpean cities, most\u00adly recon\u00adstruct\u00aded. The city con\u00adtains won\u00adder\u00adful his\u00adtoric church\u00ades, mon\u00adu\u00adments, bridges, and build\u00adings dat\u00ading from the 14th cen\u00adtu\u00adry onwards. But they are only the tip of the ice\u00adberg. The ordi\u00adnary domes\u00adtic build\u00adings, from the time of the late Aus\u00adtro-Hun\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adan Empire, and the time of the Czechoslo\u00advak Repub\u00adlic of 1919\u20131939, main\u00adtained an extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnar\u00adi\u00adly high aes\u00adthet\u00adic stan\u00addard. There are superb exam\u00adples of Art-Nou\u00adveau and Art Deco every\u00adwhere. The pover\u00adty and neglect of the Com\u00admu\u00adnist era left many of them in a wretched state of dis\u00adre\u00adpair, but it is mere\u00adly a mat\u00adter of new plas\u00adter, paint, plumb\u00ading and wiring to restore them to their orig\u00adi\u00adnal splen\u00addour. When I was last here, five years ago, only about a tenth of the build\u00adings had been restored. Now it looks more like half. Some new build\u00adings have been added, but I did not see many cas\u00ades where these clashed or seemed wrong. The old build\u00adings that remain in bad con\u00addi\u00adtion tend to be owned by absen\u00adtee land\u00adlords. After the rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion, many prop\u00ader\u00adties were restored to their orig\u00adi\u00adnal own\u00aders, in many cas\u00ades elder\u00adly peo\u00adple who live in oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries, or their heirs. Many of these dis\u00adtant own\u00aders have no idea what to do with such prop\u00ader\u00adties. This prob\u00adlem will sort itself out with time, but it leaves some embar\u00adrass\u00ading blots on almost every street.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of its visu\u00adal charm, lit\u00ader\u00adary and musi\u00adcal asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions, and low\u00ader con\u00adsumer prices than in most of West\u00adern Europe, eas\u00adi\u00adly acces\u00adsi\u00adble Prague began to be \u201cdis\u00adcov\u00adered\u201d by tourists in the ear\u00adly 1990\u2019s. The romance of the \u201cvel\u00advet rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u201d also spread its fame. Five years ago, the trick\u00adle of tourists had become a flood. Now, I can see, it is a del\u00aduge. The cham\u00adber-of-com\u00admerce boos\u00adt\u00ader\u00adism of the city\u2019s admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion has respond\u00aded with a spec\u00adta\u00adcle of taste\u00adless exploita\u00adtion that would embar\u00adrass any\u00adone with com\u00admon sense. The ancient, wind\u00ading streets are now noth\u00ading but a labyrinth of tacky tourist shops. Noth\u00ading remains func\u00adtion\u00ading in the old city cen\u00adter that resem\u00adbles the nor\u00admal activ\u00adi\u00adties of a city. There are only sou\u00advenir shops, bars and restau\u00adrants cater\u00ading specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly to for\u00adeign\u00aders, and high-fash\u00adion stores for inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal shop\u00adpers. Czechs avoid the place. The big names of Prague\u2019s cul\u00adture \u2014 Mozart, Kaf\u00adka, Mucha \u2014 are shout\u00aded out from blar\u00ading speak\u00aders and blink\u00ading signs (though, curi\u00adous\u00adly, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k does\u00adn\u2019t seem to fig\u00adure very promi\u00adnent\u00adly). Every effort is made to shake as much cash out of pock\u00adets as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most embar\u00adrass\u00ading exploita\u00adtion sur\u00adrounds the medieval Jew\u00adish quar\u00adter. It con\u00adtains syn\u00ada\u00adgogues and a ceme\u00adtery of great his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal impor\u00adtance. Most of Prague\u2019s sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded Jew\u00adish pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion either fled or per\u00adished in the Holo\u00adcaust. The leg\u00adend of the Golem orig\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded in Prague\u2019s medieval ghet\u00adto. When I was last there, these things were point\u00aded out, but not yet exces\u00adsive\u00adly bal\u00adly\u00adhooed. Now they are treat\u00aded some kind of creepy Dis\u00adney\u00adland, and even the poor Golem is thrown at you more or less like Spiderman.<\/span><\/p>\n

With tourism, the ques\u00adtion is \u201chow much is enough\u201d. A city has to func\u00adtion as a city for its cit\u00adi\u00adzens first, not mere\u00adly exist to attract vis\u00adi\u00adtors. Hordes of British foot\u00adball fans descend\u00ading on the city to get drunk and layed at bar\u00adgain prices does not con\u00adsti\u00adtute a trib\u00adute ot its his\u00adto\u00adry and cul\u00adture. And soon\u00ader or lat\u00ader, ris\u00ading prices will lead to the col\u00adlapse of such an arti\u00adfi\u00adcial \u201cindus\u00adtry\u201d. Tourists are already \u201cdis\u00adcov\u00ader\u00ading\u201d Bucharest and oth\u00ader cheap, atmos\u00adpher\u00adic places. The boost\u00aders will have to redou\u00adble the vul\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adty in a futile attempt to retain them. By then, the city will be so renowned for its taste\u00adless\u00adness, that \u201cmag\u00adic Prague\u201d will be a sour joke.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope that some\u00adone with good sense comes into pow\u00ader in this city, and leads it away from that dis\u00adas\u00adtrous path, because there real\u00adly is a \u201cmag\u00adic Prague\u201d for those with the eyes to see it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was met at the air\u00adport by Isaac and Lour\u00addes, who is Fil\u00adip\u2019s part\u00adner. We then picked up Fil\u00adip from his work (he works in the film indus\u00adtry). We head\u00aded direct\u00adly to the heart of the Old City (Jose\u00adfov \/ Praha \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-at-blog-2007"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9103,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/9103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}