Week 6, part 8
Friday, November 16, 2001
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Before darkness set in we had one more thing to see: a mural of John Lennon that was supposed to be off the other end of Karluv Most. When we found the place there was still enough light for pictures, but the mural didn't survive. The stucco on which it was painted had crumbled beneath it, and too much graffiti had accumulated. We were told that the wall had been white-washed about a month before, but since then a great deal of new artwork had appeared. Some was tasteless graffiti, a lot was eloquent graffiti, and a lot more qualified as beautiful artwork that was a fitting tribute to this fine artist. After shooting some of the Lennon wall, we made it back to the bridge in time to catch some great sunset pictures. Prague had been good to us, and we didn't want to leave, but we had another reason to be in the Czech Republic. Four hours east is the city of Ostrava, which is the birthplace of Obbie's grandmother. Saturday morning we caught a train to the Ostrava-Vitkovice station. Her actual birthplace is listed as Vitkovice, which is now a neighborhood of Ostrava. This trip helped us learn that Prague is the showcase that the Czech Republic displays to the world. If you leave Prague (or even venture onto the untouristed back streets of Prague), you can see the legacy of the many years of life under oppressive regimes.
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