If I Could Live in Any Czech Palace...

The area surrounding Prague Castle is filled with these elaborate palaces where many state officials and dignitaries lived through Czech history.  Across the street from the subject of this post and down the block from Prague Castle is a set of palaces where the film Amadeus was filmed.  I instantly fell in love with the palace in the above picture.  The amount of detail contained in the facade of this building is astounding.

I went with the large photos for this post but I encourage you to download these photos and look closely at the intricate reliefs and patterns in the walls.  From the back to back cournucopias on top to the guardian faces in the bottom row.

The curved overhangs feature vines with leaves that are shaded.

Even the most basic design block is simple yet elegant.  There is a terrific balance of light and dark in the pattern that seems to create a perpetual sunset over the front of the building.

There were no shortcuts, even the inside courtyard is filled with the same gorgeous decoration.  If only it was still a home and not a museum, perhaps I would be able to hold on to an irrational desire to live here (that little hiccup will probably not stop me anyhow).

Look What I Found on My First Run!

So, the other day I had decided to go for a run to work off a little of the superb pivo from my first week here.  I have been here long enough now to have a pretty good sense of direction even with the winding narrow roads.  I started Feed the Animals in my headphones and started heading down hill.  After about five blocks or so I had stumbled upon the entrance to a local park, at first it looked very forrest like and steep.  The steep part was correct but the forrest observation only lasted a little while.  Once out of the trees I was met by the hill covered in grape vines, it was a full vineyard in the middle of a park, in the middle of the area that I live.

The vineyard is beautifly landscaped and is the perfect serene scene along the running path.  The main vineyard house lies at the top of the hill surrounded by a stone terrace.

Off of the main house there is a festive and comfortable looking, open air wine bar and beer.

These picturesque vines stretch halfway across the park.  When I came back to take pictures, I found a hole in the fence where they had been planting new vines.  Once past the perimeter, I was able to sneak a few white grapes off the vine.  They made the perfect saturday morning snack!