I’ve just returned from a wonderful trip to Prague (which I promise was business, not pleasure, but you’ll have to wait to hear exactly what that business was). Prague is a beautiful city with an incredibly rich history, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought I would share some of my photos from the trip.

This is a view of the city shot from atop a hill near Prague Castle, one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic.

And this is the view from my hotel window.

Streetcars near the Charles Bridge, a historical bridge built during the time of King Charles IV.

And this is the Estates Theatre where Mozart conducted the premier performance of  his opera Don Giovanni in October, 1787.  You can still attend performances here, but how magical would it have been to see that first show?

One of the things I learned on our trip, is that many of the historical sights in Prague have been used as film locations. We visited the Gardens at the Wallenstein Palace where parts of the movie Amadeus were filmed.

 

 

We met this fellow, a rare white peacock, who was quite impressed with himself.

 

 We visited the National Gallery in Prague (you’ll see some photos below of the stunning staircases) and I was treated to a ride in this little elevator. First, let me tell you that I am not a particular fan of elevators and this was a very small elevator, however, when I tried to decline (I would have much preferred the stairs), the staff told me that, no, no, you are the director, you must take the elevator. Once we were inside this tiny, creaky car, I was informed that the elevator was actually featured in the Mission Impossible movie.

 

 

As we were traveling through Prague, I was constantly on the lookout for Wi-Fi spots to be able to plug in and get some work done.  So, we stopped in these wonderful coffee houses that were built in the late 19th century. As you can see, the decor is a little different than Starbucks.

 

 

I was also taken by the paver streets, which were amazing and obviously very old.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful as they are, even they require upkeep.

 

 

Check back later to find out why we were in Prague and see photos of what was happening here at CMA while I was gone.

 

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Nannette Maciejunes
CMA Executive Director