Devil Horses of Karlovy Vary

We decided this get-up was functional in some way, but danged if we can suss it out . . . these were devilish in a cartoonish way, red & pointy, but there were some silver ones on grey stallions with blue eyes that would do for Harry Potter . . . made my blood run cold . . .

Bumpy Road Ahead

If only life were as simple as a Bohemian Highway under construction . . . that there should be signs to warn a man that what lies before him were not desirable things to, uh, er, desire, but instead, hazards . . . but maybe we are just too . . . obtuse to see that these are warning signs, not enticements . . .

OTOH, I just think it's funny .. .

Karlovy Vary Tschotskes

Three times my wife and I have had to clean out the living space of the dearly departed . . . leading us to the declaration that we will throw away all the useless bric-a-brac people collect in a lifetime, just so we won't put our kids thru what we have been thru . . . I think we have less useless crap than most people (if you don't count my rare-but-not-valuable books) since we have moved so often in the last 30 years, but I see -- now -- we will fail, for we were unable to resist these little cobalt blue on white porcelain mineral water drinking mugs . . . you sip thru the handle, since the water is hot . . . the motifs are all traditional Czech, slunucnice (sunflower), onion, etc . . . not like the cheesy ones with pictures stamped on them . . . 8^D . . . all we need now is some traditional Czech Lace to compleat the display . . . sorry kids . . .

Kokopelli in Europe . . .

we were looking for some chilled champagne (alright, Bohemian Sekt) Sunday evening in Karlovy Vary, around the time they start rolling up the sidewalks . . . we had no luck with that . . . so we tried to buy some things that would get us enough change to buy some splits from the vending machine in the lobby . . . then we looked for the bus stop we would need to find the next day without luck . . . then as we trudged back up the hill towards the Thermal Hotel, there was the American Pukka . . . the Kokopelli . . . demonstrating once again the universal ubiquity of this archetype, in Jungian Terms, if you know what I mean . . . there's a Kokopelli shoppe in the Red Light District in Amsterdam . . . I coulda sworn I had a picture of it . . . but can't find it . . .

Clear Enough to See Stars

The ceiling at the back room at Lehka Hlava “Clear Head” Vegetarian Restaurant in Prague . . .

It was too dark for my cel phone pix of food to turn out (no flash), but it was excellent . . .

We split the small clear head for a starter, then We split the large clear head for a main course

All with a very nice NZ Shiraz . . .

“Small Clear Head” - selection of cold starters (eggplant tartar, hummus, tabbouleh, marinated feta cheese, olives and a small green salad)

140 CZK

“Big Clear Head” - selection of main dishes (eggplant quesadilla with tomato salsa and sour cream, grilled vegetable kebabs, potatoes au gratin and a small green salad with lemon-honey dressing)

205 CZK

http://www.lehkahlava.cz/en_novinky.htm

well - it’s not funny, tho’ we enjoyed it tremendously . . .8^D . . . we felt very righteous after yoga then dining vegetarian, tho’ our head may not have been so clear after that bottle of wine . . .

 

 

Red Tractor Parts Grouping

From the Kampa Museum in Praha . . .

I should include the Artist name but I don’t have it . . .

I should use the Artist’s title, but I don’t remember it . . .

 

Sort of like the Yellow Penguins . . . one Red Tractor Part figure is kitschy . . . a grouping of several is Art . . . 8^D . . .

 

 

Yellow Penguins @ Museum Kampa

We decided this was a combination of a Christo and a Gillhouly Installations . . . as Mrs said, 1 yellow penguin is funny, but 30 of them is Art!

Our only regret is that they apparently light up at night, but we were not there then . . .

Blind Lane

OK. I know this is going to be as politically incorrect as when I laughed at the sign on the markee outside the Santa Fe Indian School For The Deaf: “Christmas Concert Saturday Night – Santa Fe Gay Men Glee Club” . . .

 

But see these first two lanes . . . for bicycles and pedestrians, or maybe, bicycles and paedophiles . . . ONLY KIDDING. . . Jeebus . . . never mind that, anyway. . . it’s the other lane I wanna talk about . . . see: it’s for the blind, safely away from the street, and out of the way of the other traffic, but - - - but - - - there’s only one lane . . . don’t you visualize two blind people knocking coconuts, colliding in that one lane?

 

Is it only me?

 

Dang.

 

BelzePub

I am reliably informed that this pub is not a den of Satan Worshippers, but rather the hangout of savvy technophiles . . .

but it looks like the city has taken matters into its own hands and posted a no-entry sign (on the lamp post, under the yellow diamond). . .

No Fun

No Fun Permitted in this park!

Mind The Trains

from #4 at Golf Hostivar . . . which parallels the train tracks . . . they don't want you to hit while the train is passing, and after such a tho't is planted in your head, there is no way you are not putting at least one ball over on the tracks . . .

Hostivar Irritation

This Installation is in the entrance to the Golf Hostivar' Clubhouse . . . as if they were walking into the clubhouse.

Why do they look so cross?

Are they nearby residents coming to complain about errant golf balls?

Are they poor golfers un-anxious to play again -- but Golf is their Obligation?

Are they just tired- as am I - of playing in the @#$@#$@#$ Rain!

Svata Prostoto

Last Weekend was Jan Hus day.

Allegedly with the execution in process, the executors had some problems scaling up the fire. An old woman came closer to the bonfire and threw a relatively small amount of brushwood on it. Hus, seeing it, then said, "Sancta Simplicitas!" (Holy Simplicity!) This sentence or its Czech equivalent ("svatá prostota!" or in vocative form "svatá prostoto!") is – more or less ironically – is still used to comment upon a stupid action based on a person's unbelievable naivity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus

possibly, I am just so perverse, I am unredeemable, but I prefer to believe that it is because I live-and-work in an Uber-Dilbert world compounded with Kafkian complexities mitigated only slightly by Kunderan comprehension . . .

“What! You thought THAT would work?!?!?!?! Svata Prostoto!”

! Traffic Sign, Praha Hiway 4

Call A Head

Astoria NYC