Nighttiming

With the rising summer temperatures here in Prague, trips to the Praha Zoo, Old Town Square, and Wenceslas can become insufferably hot. The night time offers a wonderful respite from the heat waves, and no destination seems to be more popular than the Beer Garden located in Letna Park.

Just last night, several of us ventured to the rich green space of Letna Park, just a mere five minutes walk from our apartments, to join the Darling family for a round of drinks and a dramatic view of Prague's night lights. Arriving a little late, I found every table occupied with various groups of friends all gathered to share plastic cups of beer and conversation.

Within the beer garden, there were also several other sights and scents to behold. A young girl, with her playmates, created a pyramid of used beer cups beneath a white pavilion. Her parents looked on as she constructed the tower higher and higher, and when she learned that I spoke English, she promised an even greater pyramid, rivaling those of Giza.

At our own table, a small speckled puppy made constant runs between our legs and then back to his owner. Meanwhile, Miriam enjoyed a kebab...or was it a wrap...or was it...some fried pastry filled with chunks of pork, that smelled delicious. Several aisles away, for live entertainment, a group of Asian men began to yell and shove and argue and fight and push one another. We dubbed their conversations with our own English phrases, "I am going to call my people..."

The beer is cold and it is cheap, for less than 40 crowns. The company can be really grand. The atmosphere is top. One can watch the sun set over the Prague Castle just around 9 PM, and then witness street lamps and tram lights reflect off of the Vltava River. Really, the Letna Beer Garden offers a wonderfully free, and cool night time view of the city of Prague that cannot be missed.

Cool Nights

Heat waves have officially hit Europe, especially the Czech Republic. The temperatures here are rivaling both Houston and Austin temperatures, and droplets of sweat are forming across my forehead as I hurriedly type this blog post from my air conditioner-less apartment here in Prague. I assumed, being from Houston, a notoriously humid, sweltering city, and also my several years as a lifeguard, that I would be accustomed to such heat. But I think the past several weeks of grayness and floods and frigid temperatures have unprepared me for this heat.

That is why night time becomes the most welcome hours of the day here in Prague. The temperature drops, walking around Prague becomes pleasant yet again, and the expressions that play on the faces of passerby grow more relieved and rejuvenated. I suppose that is why there are also more inhabitants in Town Square in the evening, more tourists choosing to frequent cafes with outdoor seating as the sun sets, and even city workers choosing to make repairs later in the day.

Yesterday evening, we walked about the city for several hours following a tour of Prague's art nouveau, cubist and modern architecture. As we returned home to blog before hitting up a jazz club later in the evening, I witnessed the men above make repairs to several of the city's tram tracks. The flame torch/welding torch threw beautiful sparks into the air that mirrored the oranges and reds of the setting sun over Wenceslas square. Waiting for the 24 or 14 tram to take us all home, everyone at the stop stepped a bit closer to the tracks in order to watch this light play against the evening darkness. Yes, night has become favorable here in Prague. Though, a mere week ago, I was begging for this heat. Prague, you never cease to surprise us.

Street Walker

Vincent Van Gogh once stated, "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." Van Gogh notably painted scenes like Starry Night, Cafe Terrace at Night, and Starry Night Over the Rhone. In these pieces of impressionist art, Van Gogh throws multiple colors into the night sky and creates a multidimensional night time landscape. Stars of white, yellow, orange and gold contrast against a deep azure, pale purple and grey-white sky. The lighting from the stars, Shakepeare's "beloved candles of the night," illuminate the village scene below, brighten the cafe after hours, and create dancing reflections across the Rhone River.

As photographers, I feel that we often allow ourselves to become slaves to lighting. We prefer natural lighting and shooting outdoors, and we squeal with delight when the camera captures hazy, warm images during the golden hour. But Van Gogh was on to something...

Last night, after dining at the enchanting Cafe Louvre where we had horká čokoláda with rum and spatzlé with mushrooms and bacon, our little trio stepped back onto the city streets. It had stopped raining, and bodies warm with food and wine and rum, the lingering cool temperature had no effect. The city seemed to further entice us to explore with its empty streets and alleys, car lights streaking across the cobblestone roads, and tall lamps standing as torches to light our way.

Thus, we began to explore Prague at night. We became nocturnal and the city became alive. A haze hung over us from light pollution, but we merely laughed, took photos, and danced down historically rich corridors. Prague, with its many styles of architecture and age-old buildings, creates a mosaic of time and colors during the day. At night however, the city reveals more shadows and more highlights, neon shop signs and silhouettes of strangers. We stumbled, drunk with curiosity and amazement at the lights and colors around us (not drunk with alcohol, mom and dad), and wound up at the opposite end of the city from our apartments. We found ourselves lost in the darkness, but also lost in this new found light.