Album Prague, Part 2 from Jon Searles

Galaxie Pizzeria, Haje, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:26:30 +0000

I've often visited Galaxie Pizzeria before a flight out of Prague's Ruzyne (now Havel) airport, and in this case it was a layover, as I had just flown in from Paris, and would take another flight out to Bristol the next day, ultimately trying to get to Cardiff in time for New Year's Eve. This restaurant has been renovated since I took this (I think during the closure for Covid), but when I last visited it a few months ago, it was still in business. It's called Galaxie for the complex of buildings it's a part of, including the Haje Metro station. The complex was supposed to have a space exploration theme, and because it was constructed under communism in 1980, the metro station was originally called Kosmonautu.

Sunset Through Negrelli Viaduct, Picture 2, Karlin, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:23:31 +0000

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Sunset Through Negrelli Viaduct, Karlin, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:23:31 +0000

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Built in 1850, this viaduct spans 1.1 kilometers from Bubny to Masarykovo Nadrazi (southbound), meaning it actually traverses a large part of Prague, at this portion in Karlin (if I understand the boroughs correctly). The street under this arch of the viaduct is Sokolovska, although the viaduct crosses 5-6 streets along the way, depending on what you're counting. One of the most interesting streets, not seen here, is Rohanske nabrezi, which used to be a railway line, meaning that until the 2017-2021 reconstruction, coal soot from steam locomotives was still visible on the arches:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negrelli_Viaduct#/media/File:Northwestern_Railway_Negrelli_Viaduct_eastern_side.jpg

In any case, getting back to my own photo, when facing west through the Sokolovska arch, it is often possible to get good sunset pictures, as the sun aligns quite well with the arch, without any buildings blocking the view. I still haven't been able to get a good camera to get this shot (I've been having technical problems with my cameras for a number of years, with a minimal budget to address the problem), but I have even been able to get the shot with my cameraphones, as you can see here. For this shot, I was using my Nokia 301.

Nadrazi Veleslavin Metro Station, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:22:16 +0000

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I took this shot because, as far as I can remember, this was my first, or possibly second, visit to the Veleslavin Metro station. I had neglected to route bash this extension of Linka A when it had opened several months earlier, so this was my first meaningful chance to get some cameraphone shots of it. This extension actually extended Linka A from Dejvicka to Nemocnice Motol, with the Nadrazi Veleslavin and Petriny stations added in between. The original plan was to extend to the airport, but politics prevented this happening for the meantime. The project, as it was, took many years. The official date when the plan was finalized was April 15th, 2010, and the project was completed by the 6th of April, 2015. I seem to have memories of contruction dating back further, but this could be my imagination.

The American Bar at the Obecni Dum, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:21:17 +0000

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Like most "American" bars in Europe, this bar bore no resemblence to any bar I've been to in the United States. It's in the basement of the Obecni Dum, or Municipal House, and features a fake waterfall build in an Art Nouveau style. Indeed, the whole of this very-large, very ornate building is constructed in this style. The main reason I didn't include the large number of cameraphone shots I took on this day is that I knew that other people on iPernity would inevitably have better shots with "real" cameras, and in any case I had too much material to go through given that I'm trying to catch up on an 8-year backlog of photos right now.

In any case, the anecdote from this visit that stands out in my memory was that the bar was playing Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind" over the sound system. I was travelling with one of my Greek friends, and she asked me "Jon, what is this crap?" I said "It's Bob Dylan," and she said "NO IT'S NOT!!," and wouldn't believe me that this was how Bob Dylan sounded.

Mogul Railroad Board Game in the Hras Board Game Shop in Pasaz Rokoko, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:19:48 +0000

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I didn't end up buying this railroad-themed board game, but the name is obviously a reference both to "Mogul" meaning a rich business person, in this case a railroad tycoon, as well as to the 2-6-0 Mogul steam locomotive type under the Whyte classification system.

Hras Board Game Shop in Pasaz Rokoko, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:19:48 +0000

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This is one of several board game shops that were operating in Prague in the early 2010's, where I would sometimes find useful teaching materials (I taught English at the time). This one was mostly of interest to an old friend who was travelling with me, so we stopped by to see if they were interested in anything. Pasaz Rokoko is actually connected directly to the complex of tunnels associated with Palac Lucerna, including Pasaz Lucerna, but for some reason is considered to be separate. What is true is that Lucerna is a much larger complex than is obvious from the street. It was actually designed by the architect Vaclav M. Havel (1897-1979), who was the father of future Czech President Vaclav Havel (1936-2011). According to Wikipedia, anyway, Palac Lucerna is still owned by the Havel family, specifically Dagmar Havlova, the younger Vaclav Havel's sister-in-law, rather than widow (they both have the same name).

Karluv Most, with Yellow Paddle Boats Visible, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:18:55 +0000

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Like most people who have lived in Prague, I've taken so many pictures of the Karluv Most, or Charles Bridge, that after a few years it becomes necessary to be selective. I thought this cameraphone shot was acceptably interesting to post because of the yellow paddle boats catching the eye at the bottom of the shot. I've actually rented paddle boats in Prague before, but they aren't any more notable than other paddle boats. The river is the Vltava, as I've written elsewhere, so you're able to paddle north of the Karluv Most, with the south end being made impractical by a lock that's generally only suitable for larger boats (as I understand it, someone correct me if I'm wrong). There are also paddle boat rentals for use south of the lock, and I seem to remember actually renting one of those, rather than one of these.

Tatra 2-603 II on Vaclavske Namesti, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:17:32 +0000

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I've written a bit about the Tatra 603 elsewhere, but in summary, the Tatra 603 was introduced in 1956, after a design process that took 3 years, and borrowed a bit from earlier Tatra designs. It had a number of typically "American" features, including a HEMI V-8 engine, dual exhausts, and tailfins, while also having some distinctive Czech features such as a rear/rear layout and an air-cooled engine. The engine was also, in spite of being a HEMI, only 2.5L displacement, in contrast with the Mopar "Firepower" HEMI of the time, which came out to roughly 5.8L.

The purpose of the Tatra 603 in the Czech "market," if that's the word, was to serve as a domestically-produced alternative to Soviet-built luxury cars issued to the Communist Party. The only users of the Tatra 603 who were not in the Communist Party elite were the Statna bezpecnost (StB), who were the Czech Communist secret police. Otherwise, the vast majority of Czechs (who qualified to have a car) were issued with whatever the current model of Skoda was.

The Tatra 603 received two facelifts, in 1962 and 1968 although both had only a minor effect on its appearance. The more significant would have been the 1962 facelift, in which the original, unusual, three headlights were replaced with a more-conventional four. At least a few 1956-61 603's I've seen, though, have had five headlights, but I don't know if this was an original factory option. This is an example of the five-headlight configuration:

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Tatra_603.jpg/1024px-Tatra_603.jpg

Judging from the headlight design on the 603 in my photo, this appears to be a 1968-75 model, although I don't know the precise year.

Nadrazi Praha-Kolovraty, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:15:39 +0000

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Kolovraty is the southernmost Prague station on Linka 220, the next station south being Ricany, which is technically outside of Prague. When I first started regularly traveling this route in 2005, Kolovraty still had a small concrete station, but this was removed around 2006 during the reconstruction. Judging from the shape of the building, there does appear to be an older station building, long since repurposed, further to the west on the north side of the tracks, although I can't confirm this. One way or another, Kolovraty has never been a major station, and only became a Prague station in 1976, after the city limits expanded to include Kolovraty in 1974.

Nadrazi Praha-Uhrineves, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:14:46 +0000

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This is the second station building to stand on this site, being built in 1915 to the same design as the 1882 station in Hostivar. This station's name is one of the hardest to pronounce by foreigners, with the correct Czech spelling being "Uhříněves." I usually omit the Czech diacritics on iPernity for the sake of full compatibility, but in reality Czech words make wide use of diacritics distinct to Czech and Slovak. In any case, as you can see, this is one of the stations in the best condition on this route, and has been for a number of years. I don't actually remember when it was in its pre-2005, heavily-vandalized state.

Nadrazi Praha-Horni Mecholupy, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:13:49 +0000

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Horni Mecholupy wasn't radically different before the 2005 reconstruction, although the speed limit was notably lower. Although I've rarely, if ever, ridden through this station at the full 160 Km/h (99 m.p.h.), it is supposedly good for it. There isn't any station building there, and these shelters added a few years after the reconstruction (I think in 2009 or so) were originally made mostly out of tempered glass, with a metal frame, as on bus stops. These survived only about a week, as I recall, first being covered in graffiti, and then being destroyed entirely. The construction contractors didn't attempt to rebuild the shelters in their original form, instead putting metal sides on them, as on the 1987-era shelters at Strasnice. These then were covered with graffiti, posters, and other debris, making them look just as horrible, but at least now they provide some shelter from the weather. I don't remember if I've ever used Horni Mecholupy, but it's possible I used it once, when a connecting bus was better from there than from Hostivar. I've taken similar shortcuts through Praha-Uhrineves, at least. Horni Mecholupy seems, from the vandalism, to be so insecure, though, that it I wouldn't consider it a very safe station to use, even in the daytime. This is unfortunate, because there are many examples of similar station in Prague and abroad which don't have this problem. For example, Uhrineves seems perfectly usable, and it's only one stop south of Horni Mecholupy. Incidentally, the storage area in the background of this photo had, until shortly before I took this, been a go kart track.

New Nadrazi Praha-Hostivar Under Construction, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:12:11 +0000

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This is actually the new Nadrazi Hostivar, which was under construction as I took this photo in 2015. It's about 144 meters east of the older station, which was built in 1882 to replace a smaller station from 1871, which was the first Prague station built specifically for the Kaiser Franz Josef Bahn, now Linka 220 to Ceska Budejovice. I used to regularly use Hostivar, and this continued for many years, meaning I used both the older and the newer station. The older station still survives, if for no other reason than that it has a popular pub in it. The new station was initially vandalized almost as soon as it was opened, when construction wasn't even complete, but it's subsequently become no worse than other larger stations on this route. The station building, unusually, is built out of what looks like unpainted steel, so it also rusted over before it even opened. It has also since been badly vandalized, being one of the worst damaged structures on-site. It isn't actually visible in this shot, as it would have been behind me, on the other side of the train.

Praha-Strasnice Zastavka, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:08:49 +0000

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"Zastavka" and "Nadrazi" can be synonymous in Czech, although "Zastavka" usually indicates a more minor stop. In this case, Strasnice Zastavka had not been staffed since 1987, and the vandalism visible in this shot makes this obvious. The metal shelters date to that era, as they had replaced the original wooden station buildings from 1905. The pedestrian bridge, however, did date to 1905. Having said this, the heavily-vandalized state of this station was probably a factor in its closure in 2020, to be replaced by the new stations at Eden (opened in 2020) and Zahradni Mesto (opened in 2021). Eden has the advantage of being adjacent to a major shopping centre of the same name, as well as the Fortuna Arena.

Nadrazi Praha-Vrsovice, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:07:02 +0000

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By the time I took this photo, Nadrazi Vrsovice's renovation was already more or less complete, having been renovated in 2007-2008, making it one of the earlier stations on the Prague-Ceske Budejovice route (technically Linka 220) to be completed. It was also one of the older stations on this route to be completed, in 1882, albeit under the name Nusle. In reality, Nadrazi Praha-Vrsovice is immediately on the border between the boroughs of Vrsovice and Nusle, so either name would be appropriate. The station was finally renamed Vrsovice, after a series of name changes, at the end of World War II in 1945. Getting back to 2015, just as significant as the 2007-2008 renovation itself was that Praha-Vrsovice also was one of the better-maintained stations after the 2008 rebuilding, as many of the stations on the route were quickly vandalized to the point where the renovation was irrelevant, sometimes before the stations were even reopened. I took this photo as part of a series on the route, although on this particular day I didn't make it to the end of the line (I ended up stopping in Mirosovice u Prahy). Today, Praha-Vrsovice remains in good condition, so careful supervision of the station has continued since I took this photo.

Pragomost Sipek Soda at Cafe na pul cesty, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 14:04:13 +0000

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Pragomost were a Czech soft drink brand, generally producing a higher-end alternative to the obvious brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi, RC, and in the Czech Republic, Kofola. The company was owned by F.H. Prager, who specialize in alcoholic cider. "Sipek" means "rose hip" in Czech, although what that has to do with the famous Russian-American anarchist Emma Goldman (the woman pictured on the bottle) I have no idea. Many people might wonder what she might think about being a brand, although having said this, she actually owned an ice cream shop for a time, albeit not in Prague. Emma Goldman actually isn't the only far-left political figure to be portrayed on a Pragomost bottle, actually, as Frida Kahlo and Kathleen Cleaver were used for other varieties of Pragomost soda. As of this writing (2024) it looks like F.G. Prager are no longer using the Pragomost brand, although they have now branched out into soft drinks under their main brand.

Vytopna Restaurant on Vaclavske Namesti, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:56:37 +0000

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The original Prague Vytopna restaurant was actually this one, on Vaclavske Namesti. I've actually forgotten if I've ever been inside, but I don't think so. There was also a location in Brno, which is said to have been the original location in 2009, but it has since closed. The Vaclavske Namesti location was still open when I researched this caption in 2024, however.

Vytopna Restaurant in Palladium Shopping Centre, Picture 2, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:56:37 +0000

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The model railway in Vytopna also has station buildings, although they're purely decorative. This station is for "Stare Brno," which is probably a reference not so much to the city of Brno (as Brno doesn't have a station by that name), but more likely the Starobrno beer brand. Despite this, when I was there Vytopna was mostly serving Krusovice, which is brewed in the city of the same name (historically, from 1581 to 1685, Krusovice was the royal brewery of Bohemia, and has passed through various owners since).

Vytopna Restaurant in Palladium Shopping Centre, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:56:37 +0000

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There are actually two Vytopna locations in Prague, one here, in the Palladium Shopping Centre, and another one on Vaclavske Namesti (plus another one in Vienna, in Austria). This is a railway-themed restaurant, with mostly American-inspired food like burgers (even if the trains are mostly Czech and European), and a large G-Scale model train layout integrated into the restaurant. This is the case in both the Palladium and Vaclavske Namesti locations.

The trains are computer-controlled, using a similar system to that used on the (real-life) Docklands Light Railway in London, with a signal wire down the middle of the track. This is so that they can be used to deliver drinks to the tables, although they are too small (in spite of being G-scale) to deliver food. One thing their small size doesn't impact much is their speed, as they can operate at up to 20 Km/h, comparable to real 19th-Century freight trains (at least in the United States). This means that they're hard to photograph without a good camera with a fast sensor or film. This is one of my better shots from this visit in 2015, where I managed to catch one of the gondolas loaded with two full 500ml beer glasses. Empty beer glasses also generally return to the bar via rail.

Kontakt Foto Closure, Prague, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 13:51:48 +0000

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For many years, I went to Kontakt Foto to get scans of medium format negatives, since I lacked a scanner that could do 120 film. I subsequently had to find other labs that would do them (they are available, but you have to do some searching, and they're much slower). They were located in the CTK Pasaz, seen here, and most likely they took a hit when photojournalism went digital. CTK are actually one of the main Czech news agencies. Kontakt Foto's closure has meant that, in general, my photography has become harder, although my slowness to produce new film photographs is more down to laziness on my part than a lack of suitable labs.