Day 457: Bohemian Like You

Prague, Czech Republic

I know the term “Bohemian” but didn’t know until today Bohemia is a region in Czech Republic. Prague is the capital of that Bohemian proper.

As for the usage of the word to describe the non-traditional lifestyles of starving artist emerged in France in the nineteenth century. It was referring to the anti-establishment artists, writers, musicians, poets who concentrated in the low class neighbourhoods.

Another thing learnt today: I had thought Gustav Klimt is the master of Art Nouveau. After visiting Mucha Museum, I realized that Mucha’s the man when it comes to decoractive and poster art. His signature style successfully mixed traditional drawing/painting with graphic design, making it an effective marketing tool. He was one of the most sought-after poster artist during his time in Paris. No photos were allowed to be taken in his museum. But here’s a Wiki entry about him and some photos of his work.

Another museum I was suggested was the Museum of Communism. Its location was not very obvious and I had been warned about it. Apparently, it’s ironically located on a second floor of a casino, next to a McDonald. The museum is tiny and poorly run. Not really worth the money.

A local couchsurfer, Petr, had arrange for a meet up for a walking tour in the outskirt of the city. I joined a party of 7 and visited the “Eiffel Tower” of Prague. It’s the same height as the one in Paris, except for the fact that the Czech built theirs on top of the highest hill they have. So in reality, this tower is miniscule. But it still does its job: giving a nice panoramic view of the entire city.

Petr then led the group to an obscure monastery brewery. No tourists can be found in that area as it is more residential. I suppose the beer was great. Whether it’s better than the one from yesterday (Strahov monastery), I honestly can’t tell.