Day #117

It was another beautiful blue sky day today. Alice and I set off across the Charles Bridge once more and touched a statue for good luck. They gave the poor saint a statue after they threw him into the river to drown.

Afterwards, we found our way up to Prague's giant metronome at the top of the hill. Yes, you read correctly. Metronome. Like that thing you hated while learning to play piano in the second grade because you just couldn't reach high G with your right pinky finger so you were always off beat.

Well, in Prague, people hang their shoes from it.

Next we FINALLY found the Lennon Wall. Although he was blocking some of it, a man was singing Beatles songs next to the graffiti and honestly doing a great tribute to such an influential band.

While Alice went to get some souvenirs, I headed to the Kafka museum. And boy, was I in for a surprise.

I knew Kafka never felt like he belonged and had a love/hate relationship with Prague as both nurturing and stifling; I knew he had a strained relationship with his father and that he studied to be a lawyer and didn't want any of his manuscripts published at his death. But I didn't know to what extent he was really at war with himself, his feelings, sensations, and place in the world. Complete with disturbingly creepy sounds and distorted and reflected pictures along with dark rooms with long shadows, the first part of the museum told the story of his life and made me feel just as anxious and out of place as Kafka had.

The second part began with a glowing red staircase descending into a mirror- I didn't realize how freaked out and antsy I was until I saw my own distorted face illuminated by the red lights. I traveled very quickly through the maze of sleek, cramped, floor-to-ceiling file cabinets with resonating telephone rings and creeping shadows echoing through the empty passageways. 

This museum was incredibly well done, but not for the faint of heart. Also, definitely don't go alone.

I treated myself to a Czech pastry after. I deserved it. Delicious.

We chilled in the hostel for a bit while I did laundry and we packed. After dinner we ventured out on the ghost tour for a second time (because apparently I was all about the horror movie aesthetic today). It was cool to actually know where we were this time! 

Also, I snapped a picture of the castle at night. Thanks for the beautiful lights, Rolling Stones!