Intimate Prague, the little things

Visiting Prague for the second time, I was struck by the little things, the quaint details, the colors, more than by the buildings themselves.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I was exploring the city with a resident, who, having lived in Prague for while, has long outgrown the sky-gazing attitude of the first-time visitor. In any case, this experience convinced me to keep going back to places I have liked in my past travels, something I don’t do enough of.

Subway stations

I am not big on travel photography but what I do like to do is to snap a quick photo with my phone when I see something that catches my attention.

While waiting for the subway in Prague or taking the automatic stairs, you’ll find the usual advertising posters as well as a few graffiti. What’s more captivating though, is the individual decoration of the platforms.

Namesti Miru has this metallic décor in a blue/gold/silver palette I couldn’t get enough of:

Namesti Miru station – Prague February 2015

Comparing with Nadrazi Hoelsovice station on the red line, it’s easy to see the coherence of the design across the network, with the font remaining the same and the colored square indicating the line, but the wooden panels give a whole different feel to the space:

Nadrazi Holesovice subway station – Prague, Feb 2015

Libraries = Knihovna

If you’re in Prague and a book-lover, there are a couple of places of interest I could recommend.

First off, don’t miss the national library, which is open to the public* and is a great place to unwind in the company of local students. Granted, most of the books are in Czech but if you look carefully, you’ll realise there are also Astronomy manuals in English and other such delightful treats.

Reading in the nude is apparently encouraged as well:

Fountain at the national library in Prague

 

Near the Clementinum stands the Prague Municipal Library whose entrance hall that is so selfie-worthy that it took my breath away. The book tower dubbed ‘Idiom’ was created by Prague-based artist Matej Kren and installed in 1998.

‘Idiom’ book tower at the Prague Municipal Library

 

Now, I’m dreaming up a bookworm world tour, visiting libraries and setting up camp wherever I can find a literary event. 2016 plan?

* You will be charged a small fee for a day pass.

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