Muzejni Noc

Or Museum Night -- and what a night it was. That was the "label", alternating between Czech and English, on an enormous fleet of buses running from 7 p.m.till 1 p.m. providing free transportation to over 25 cultural institutions with 51 sites, each with no admission fee during this special event. There were nine different lines/routes, each with its own attraction(s) carefully described in Czech and English in the great little guide book, running continuously to carry us ("human sardines" would be the term) to the various locations. This was the 5th annual Prague Museum Night, an event copied from similar events in other leading European cities. Over 170,000 people attended last year, and I think, from the crush of the crowds, that each of them brought two or three friends this year!

I met with five colleagues from StJ at the metro stop by Old Town Square. Their intention was to visit the nearby Jewish Museum first. Although I've been there a couple times, each visit was before I'd read Madeline Albright's moving account of finding her family listed in this place of sorrow in her book, Madam Secretary. I wanted to take that image with me on this visit. I'm glad I didn't air my thought about whether or not the Sabbath might have some influence on this. Yes, it did. The JM didn't open till 10:30 p.m. (That's an hour after it got dark here!) Who knows how things would have turned out had they known that.

As a substitute first event the Zbraslav Chateau was selected. It seemed like a wise choice even before I knew the details. So many of the sites are near the center with relatively easy access. I'm not sure when, or even if, I would have made this little trip. There are so many places to go and things to see that I might not have noticed it in the long list of possibilities. Free admission, free direct transportation -- sounded like a winner to me! We (and way too many other people) boarded Line 6 for the 25-30 minute trip along the Vlatava then the Berounka rivers to the picturesque town of Zbraslav.

The village is centered around a not-square square (namesti -- and few of the "squares" I've seen have the shape of a New England town square!) with several shops, a few restaurants/cafes, a library, and even a couple penzions and a small theatre. It seems like a lovely place to "come home to," and given the housing market in Prague, I'm pretty certain this would be one of the commuter villages.

Approaching the village, we were treated to an excellent view of the Chateau. Someone describes it as "an impressive pile dating from 1268." It's now home (with lots of interesting side stories of its journey to this point) to a part of the National Gallery and currently is keeper of its permanent exhibition of Asian art. Two complementary non-art attractions are a lovely long hall lined on both sides with exquisite bonsai and a Japanese tearoom.

Walking through the entrance gate onto the beautiful grounds dotted with sculptures of many centuries and styles seemed like an entrance into another time and place. All the greenery was rich and lush, even with bus loads of people it was quiet and inviting, and each step seemed to move me further into the past.

The collection is impressive and beautifully displayed. It covers many centuries -- at least the early 12th to the present, many art forms, and includes items from Japan to Turkey. I must admit Asian art as a whole is not my favorite. That's probably a secondary reason I would have missed this lovely place when planning some time out. This collection is exquisite, inviting one to linger rather than move along. What a memorable evening.

The return trip was even more crowded, though that hardly seemed possible. The group was on its way to other viewing sites. Me? I wanted to listen. Concerts and recitals of every style everywhere. In the end, however, I called it quits. Long day, long night. Hours of walking/standing/waiting with a busy week ahead made the final decision. I traveled most of the way to the Dvorak Museum for its hour-long concert, then just couldn't gather the energy to walk the final four blocks, especially with the thought of lots more walking much later. Yes, it would have been a nice ending to the day. But Zbraslav wove its own spell, and it lingers still. Perhaps my body knew better than my brain!