Puppetry in Prague

Greetings from Prague!  Specifically, "Dobry den" and "Ahoi."  We last left off in Salzburg, the quaint little city where I was able to properly debut Flaca's Flyin' Feet and make some money.  I next went to Vienna, but I did not busk because you need a permit in the city center, and mostly because I couldn't be bothered to try it other places.  Next I crossed the czech border and went to the town of Olomouc.  I thought this would be good for weekend busking, perhaps comparable to Antwerp and Salzburg, non-main-cities in which I did well on my last trip.  It is a gorgeous town and I'm so glad I made the stop, but it is Czech custom to go away for the weekends, so the town was deserted.  So now I am here, voila, in Prague, the destination I have most looked forward to.  After all, this is my third attempt to come here; since I planned to go both in 2009 when I was in Spain and last spring, but it never happened.

And so I arrived, and decided to busk right away.  My bank card arrived safely at home, and it is being turned around and will await my arrival in Berlin.  So for now, I have to live off the money I made in Salzburg, which was starting to run out.  And so I arrived at the station, navigated to the Old Town Square using only a compass (not something I recommend; get a map) and began to look for a pitch.  There were buskers right away, which was a good omen.  One man had a table of glasses filled with water that he played.  This [crazy] guy "danced."  A woman did amazing things with big bubbles.  There was one statue, and a trombone trio, who I asked about permits.  They said they didn't have one, so I was probably good to go.  There wasn't a perfect pitch for me so I indulged myself by following signs to the Charles Bridge, the picturesque spot at which I really wanted to play, a place that would surely be good at dusk, a pitch that even my disapproving Grandmother hinted that she might approve of. 

The bridge is everything I thought it would be.  It is old and cobbled and symmetrical and pretty in its own, and supplemented by statues, views, and sunset lighting.  There were many busker colleages set up, specifically caricature artists.  I proceeded halfway across the bridge, since I need to set up on level ground, and was lucky to see an older gentleman packing up his microphone, amp, etc.  I didn't see what he does.  I indicated inquisitively that I wanted to set up there, and he nodded.  Score!

And so I set up.  I love that people now watch me set up, for however long it takes.  And its taking longer now, since I'm adding string lights, and I had to put the jingles back on Flaca's foot since one fell out.  And figure out how to level the box on the cobblestones.  I had a really big crowd by the time I squeezed my first note!  In general the crowds kept coming, and it was always clear who was watching because it's a bridge, so they can't just peek from around a corner a block away. 

This was such a good feeling.  I felt so good to have crowds, that people couldn't resist stopped, that they clapped, that they tipped.  Frowns turned upside-down, tears stopped, lips met.  Fingers followed the strings, figuring it out, feet tapped along.  And what did I get to look at on the horizon?  Medieval lanterns reflected on a gentle river; a glowing castle; amazing architecture in every direction.  Bliss.  The temperature was perfect, I wasn't worried about anything, and it just felt so good.  Also, it hasn't been dark enough to use the lights since the first night I debuted the setup, and that was very magical: two spotlights on Flaca, and a little string of LED christmas lights on top. 

Who knew a bridge could cause such happiness!  If I get married one day, and get proposed to (which is doubtful since I'm impatient), I really hope it happens on this bridge.  But now that I've made that public it won't really be a surprise if it does, will it. 

After a while a lady with a badge came up and said something in Czech, then asked in English if I have a license.  Nope.  She was super nice though, explaining that you need one for the bridge, but not for xxx and yyy.  Totally friendly and civil.  This city has a lot going for it so far. 

And so I packed up.  It was only 7:00 so I wanted to play more, but first I just wandered through Karlova St., a nice narrow pedestrian street filled with shops and theatres and restaurants.  I found the marionette theatre that puts on daily productions of Don Giovanni with puppets, for which I could not be more excited (someone said it was only in the summer, and I almost canceled the rest of my trip).  I peeked into some of the shops that sell little touristy puppets, since I will definitely be going home with at least one.  Had some ice cream.  Accused the lady of overcharging me, which she didn't.  Oops.  I thought about setting up in the Old Town Square again, but there was a drum group that was quite loud.  So I set up on Celetna, another pedestrian shopping street that isn't quite as quaint, but on my way back to the hostel.  This was better musically because the ground was more level, but of course  not as magical. 

Oh, it's so hard to say "thank you" in Czech mid-song!  The word is "diky," (with accents) but it doesn't come naturally yet, so I either say "thank you," "danke schoen," or just nod.  Most patrons are English-speakers anyway.

I am really looking forward to playing more in this city, a city of puppets and tourists, and getting more familiar with Koruna coins!  In general I am looking forward to this new act and the experiences it will bring me.  Once I get home I'll have to quickly make Flaca a Nutcracker costume (or more realistically a little matching elf costume) in time for our Christmas routine. 

More updates soon on busking here, and a full review of puppet Don Giovanni! 

Nashledanou!