Quite A Grand Adventure: Masopust

This past Saturday, we ventured out to an annual celebration known as "Masopust." It's a Czech carnival that takes place in various cities, including Prague and our very dear Český Krumlov. We took the train to Raztoky and wandered around a small complex (for free!) for an hour or two, eating delicious food (not free), drinking beer (also not free), and taking in the sights - costumes, make up, masks, etc.

"Masopust" literally translates to "meat fast." While historically it has been related to various pagan - and then later, Christian - festivities, it symbolically serves as a celebration to say goodbye to winter and hello to the warmer seasons.

But really it's just a time for everyone to dress up and be noisy and eat good cheap food and drink good cheap beer and watch various performers - we mostly saw dancers and jugglers.

That's about it. Considering our round-trip train ticket was $1 and lunch/dessert was $3.50, I'd say it was an afternoon well spent. It was definitely an experience I don't expect to ever be able to duplicate.

Here's a guy on stilts. There were a lot of them.
This particular one was working with three other guys, running (hobbling) around
the crowd and proposing to girls.
I don't think he was ever successful.
Poor stilted man.

The Accidental Bias

Earlier today, I was watching a Youtube video that a friend of mine posted. It's short, cute, sweet - definitely an entertaining 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In addition to knowing the people in it, I also know the back story (because I was there when it happened!). This made it a little more interesting when I scrolled down and read the comments.

The few comments posted came from random people who happened to stumble across this clip online - no one who actually knows the people in it. Nobody wrote anything rude or crude, but the simple observations that were posted bothered me a bit. I caught myself thinking, "what do they know? They weren't there." Until I realized that, had I not known the full story, I would have been thinking the same things. Maybe not posting them, but thinking them nonetheless.

The digital era has given us the opportunity to create biases without even intending to do so. Snapchats, Vines, Youtube videos, music videos, movies. Everything the director/producer/whoever wants to keep stays in. Everything the d/p/w doesn't want gets cut. Whether the clip is capturing real life or staged, the fact remains that the "production team," if you will, ultimately controls how it turns out. This can mean a couple of things:

1. We (the viewers) fail to understand the amount of work and time represented in what we watch, and
B. We (the viewers) form opinions when facts are still missing.

Let's expand.

1. I'd be interested to know what percentage of filmed material actually makes it into a 2.5 hour movie. How many times did the actors run that fourth scene? How many different times did the director call "cut" when that guy missed his entrance? When that girl forgot her line? How long did it take to re-film the final scene because one of the actors wore the wrong costume piece (Sean Astin, the Grey Havens scene at the end of the LOTR trilogy)? Because so many errors in the digital world may be removed or resolved with a simple cut, delete, or copy/paste, we have very little understanding of everything that goes into the project.

B. Due to the above, we also form opinions based upon a fraction of the information. Since the final product appears complete when we view it, we are generally unaware of other potentially important information which is lacking. We decide that we feel some way about the character or actor due to what we are shown, which is only a fragment of the story.

Regarding the video I mentioned in the opening: I can recall the surrounding circumstances - everything leading up to and following the bits shown in the clip. Therefore, I have my own, fully-informed opinion about it. It required me reading the comments to realize that other people who have watched this video - the general public - seem to pick up on very different points than I do, and therefore form different opinions regarding the people featured. I wanted to comment and tell them the details which got left out, thinking that surely they would change their opinion if they knew the full story... I didn't though, because A) I'm not trying to start a Youtube comments fight, and 2) it really doesn't matter enough. I know what happened and anyone else who was there knows what happened. The whole purpose of posting it was so that we could watch it. It's just by chance that others have seen it now.

So as much as those comments may irk me, it's not my job to set those people straight. Do I wish that a little more had been included in the video? That maybe we could make a montage of other photos and clips so that the full story is better represented? So that the other viewers don't assume an accidental bias? Perhaps. But then again, personally, I know this will serve to remind me to be conscious of what I watch in the future. Viewing a clip myself doesn't make it true, and it definitely doesn't make me an expert.

Is This American Culture?

Few things make me want to pull my hair out more than a child who is selfish and ungrateful, kids who are uncontrolled and disrespectful. We see kids like that and think, "wow, what great parenting. They are going to be miserable teenagers." Which they are.

But maybe these kids aren't actually too far off point.

I think American society does an incredible job of creating two very different worlds for children and adults. As kids, we are taught to share belongings, be kind to everyone, put other people before ourselves, respect those in authority, say "please" and "thank you," and that you can't always get what you want just because you want it. The children that we enjoy babysitting are the ones who listen when we are talking, who follow our instructions, who go to bed on time and without a fight, who share toys with their siblings. Children's TV shows teach the same kinds of things - going out of your way to help someone, apologizing when you've done something wrong, etc. 

I've learned very different lessons in the adult world.

I've learned to be selfish: if I want something, I should get it, regardless of the methods necessary to obtain it (because the end justifies the means).

To be ungrateful: what I currently have isn't good enough, because having the best car, phone, clothes, etc. gives me status.

To be uncontrolled and impulsive: I should get what I want right when I want it. 

To focus on myself: I should say what I think, regardless of how kind of unkind it is; if people can't handle it, obviously they're too sensitive, so they just have to figure out how to deal. If other people are blocking my way to success, I should step on them, climb over them, throw them under the bus (people will vote me for prom queen then, right?).

To bend or break the rules: if I think they're stupid, they shouldn't apply to me. I should get around them however I want.

To blame someone else: if passing blame, or simply not owning up, gets me further, do it. Honestly isn't important when being honest could affect me negatively in the short-run.

To hold a grudge: if I'm hurt by someone I shouldn't forgive and forget, I should hold onto it and use it to hurt the person back.

To measure my success by money or relationship status: If I want to be successful, I'll have money. And if I don't have money but want to be happy, I'll be in a relationship. 

I can't say that this is purely American culture, I can only know how often I see this exhibited in the culture at home. I look at these themes, which are always evident in films, books, shows, etc., and can't help but think that if this is the adult I'm told to become in order to be "successful," - if growing up means being selfish, blaming my peers, being bitter - I'd rather keep acting like a kid. I'd rather forgive readily and forget quickly, love easily, and share freely. 

Quite A Grand Adventure: Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is a spa town located about two hours west of Prague. We went for a day-long excursion this past Friday. Established in 1350, the small town has served as a getaway for celebrities and royalty, and since 1946 has hosted the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival every summer, making it one of the oldest film festivals in the world.

We began our adventure by waking up at 6 on a Friday... I've done more fun things in my life, but it was worth it. After an early breakfast and throwing things together, we boarded the double-decker bus waiting for us outside the pension. Gotta say, the view from the upper level of a bus is pretty cool, especially when driving through Prague and Czech countryside. Too bad I slept through most of the great views.

We parked in the bus station and began walking up to our meeting place, making a bathroom stop in the bus station where you have to pay the bathroom attendant 10 Kc ($0.50) for the bathroom key. We've seen that a lot here. Many public restrooms require payment, and cafes or fast food chains often guard their bathrooms somehow, either by requiring payment (and then issuing a coupon to use should you buy something from them) or printing an access code on your receipt (if they lock with an electronic keypad).

The exciting part of our morning began at Spa 5. We divided into two groups – swimming and non-swimming. I went with the swimming group back to the pool. We were issued locker keys and towels, and once we'd gone into the locker rooms and put on our suits we had an hour to use the pool and hot tubs. They employees explained that we also had access to the saunas and that bathing suits were not allowed, but not to worry because they were separated by gender and could only be accessed through the locker rooms None of us took them up on that offer.

After swimming we got a tour of the facilities. The use of mineral water is what makes Karlovy Vary a big deal in the spa world – they are one of only twelve (I believe that's what she said...) spa facilities that are verified as using mineral water. They have all sorts of different water, mud and massage treatments for a variety of maladies. My personal favorite is what I'm going to affectionately dub The Freezer Box. It's a unit that cools to -160 degrees Celsius. You strip down except for little woolen booties and stand inside, and the technician makes sure your head is poking out the top, then it freezes your body for a maximum of three minutes. It's only available via doctor's recommendation, and it (supposedly) helps to relieve chronic headaches, lessen skin diseases, and increase sex drive in men. One of our Czech group members told us that he's received the treatment before, and that after a minute of being frozen you can breathe out snowflakes (or “snowdrops,” as he called them.) He also said that when he got out, his skin looked to him like that of a raw, frozen chicken.

After our tour we had time to eat lunch and wander around the city. Six of us (two of whom are Czech) went to a local restaurant which had been recommended to him by a friend. It was cheap, authentic, and delicious. Four of us got the lunch special, which consisted of a bowl of soup, beef goulash with bread dumplings, and a small beer, all for 99 Kc (about $5). After lunch we split up and Amanda and I walked down towards the middle of the town.

Every so often we passed special fountains that continually pump the mineral water from underground. It's supposed to be incredibly healthy for you. It's warm (you can see the steam rising from the basins). We heard it tasted like sulfur. The street vendors and souvenir shops sell small cups which people carry around and fill with the water. The handles are hollow and serve as straws. Maybe it doesn't taste so bad when you sip it through a porcelain straw. Anyway, neither of us tried it.

Mmm, warm mineral water. Tasty.

We eventually headed back towards our meeting place and stopped to get crepes along the way from a little hole in the wall crepes place. We watched the woman pour the batter onto the griddle and rake it perfectly thin and smooth, let it cook, then drown it in chocolate or Nutella or fruit or whatever topping we requested (I opted for Nutella and peaches). She folded it up and set it on a paper plate and then covered it in powdered sugar. Not that I'm incredibly experienced in the world of crepes, but it was the greatest one I've ever had.

Our final adventure was a liquor tour in the Becherovka museum. We heard a little bit about the company history, wandered through their displays in the cellar, then sat for a few minutes and watched an informational movie while the staff brought us samples (half shots) of three of their products – Lemond, Original, and Cordial. The liquors were fine. The cups were really cool. The whole thing took about fifteen or twenty minutes, so we got gelato and cheesecake at the cafe outside the museum and killed time until we left at 5.

And that was Karlovy Vary. Great food, cheap prices, spas. And really beautiful architecture. Definitely worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Czech.  

Church of St. Mary Magdalene

Cool buildings. All of them. 

Quite A Grand Adventure: Swan Lake and the Národní Divadlo

Theater is a significant part of Czech culture. The Národní Divadlo (National Theater) consists of five different venues that host a variety of ballets, operas, concerts, and plays every night. Within the past eleven days, I have gotten to visit three of the five stages and have seen three different performances: Americana II at the State Opera, Cosi fan Tutte at the Estates Theater, and Swan Lake at the National Theater.

Americana III – the State Opera: opened January 5, 1888, the State Opera was originally created as a Prague German stage. It only took a few years before the Prague Germans and Czech companies desired separate stages, so in 1883 negotiations began for the German Theater Association to construct their own building. The State Opera became part of the National Theater in 2012 and hosts performances for the Opera and Ballet. 

Americana III is a three-part ballet by American choreographers George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and William Forsythe. We went as part of an excursion with our costume studio. While the entire performance was a ballet, each part focused on a different style. The first was classical, complete with bouncing tutus, men in tights, and all the graceful footwork and movements associated with ballet. The second was edgy and modern, very different from anything I've seen under the title “ballet.” Each performer wore a green leotard and tights, thought different cuts and styles. The stage was dimly lit with a spotlight in the center, so any performers on the outskirts of the stage were shadows rather than dancers. The music was less musical and more rhythmic, using percussive instruments and a few stringed instruments to create an eerie and intense sound. The dancing, while still maintaining the grace of traditional ballet, incorporated more rigid and almost robotic movements and focused on smaller, very precise hand and foot movements rather than full body motions. The final part took a theatrical approach – when the curtain pulled back a set was revealed, and the performers came out in costumes rather than leotards. The comedic story was one of three sailors attempting to pick up two girls at a bar, fighting with each other for their affections, showing off their various dance skills, and eventually losing the girls and resolving their differences over a final drink. That is, until they exit the bar and meet another attractive lady, where the curtain closes and leaves the audience to imagine the entire fiasco taking place once again.

Cosi fan Tutte – the Estates Theater: opened in 1783 and joining the National Theater in 1920, the Estates Theater is the oldest of the five stages. The first of many infrequent Czech performances took place in 1785. In 1812, the theater began hosting regular Sunday and holiday matinees. This venue was used for the world premiers of two operas by Mozart: Don Giovanni in 1787 and La clemenza di Tito in 1791. The Opera, Drama, and Ballet ensembles perform at this venue. 

Cosi fan Tutte (“All Women Are The Same”) is an Italian opera written by Mozart.

Plot: Two men are bet by a friend that their women are not faithful. They accept the bet, knowing that the ladies' hearts belong only to them. They tell their girlfriends that they are being called away to war, and once they have “left,” adopt disguises and attempt to woo the others' woman. As one might assume, the ladies reject the advances a few times but eventually give in. The friend wins his bet and his comrades rage in disbelief at the unfaithfulness of their girlfriends, debating how to punish them, until he says that the only logical course of action is to marry them. In the end, (spoiler alert) they reveal their identities and get married to their original sweethearts.

Opinion: The story was stupid, but the performers were incredible, both as singers and as actors. Because the songs were in Italian, there were translations in English and Czech projected above the stage, but even without reading the words of each song it was still possible to understand the plot through the emotions displayed by the cast. I would gladly see those performers again, though I would prefer to see them in a different show. Again, the story was stupid.

Swan Lake – Národní Divadlo: the National Theater was finished in 1883, fifteen years after the foundation stone was laid in May of 1868. Initial construction was funded by donations collected from the public. The theater opened before completion in June of 1881 in honor of the Austrian prince's visit to Prague. It hosted a total of twelve performances before it was closed to allow for the finishing touches to be made. Two months later, August 12, a fire broke out in the building, destroying the dome, auditorium, and stage. It was reopened in November of 1883 with a performance of Smetana's opera Libuše, composed specially for the occasion. In April of 1977, it was closed for six years while undergoing redevelopment, opening once again in November of 1983 with a performance of  Libuše. Now, the building serves as the main stage, hosting performances for the Drama, Opera, and Ballet. 

Swan Lake. Oh, Swan Lake. The story, the dancing, the costumes, the orchestra, the set. Everything was incredible. I don't know how much I can even say about it because it was so beyond words. We (Sarah, Will and I) sat in the middle row of the top balcony and still had a magnificent view. Everything, from the dramatic solos and duets to the ensemble scenes, was perfection. I love dancing, I miss dancing, and this ballet made me wish I still did it regularly. During intermission, we sat in our seats and absorbed the surroundings – the architecture, the ceiling, the chandelier – and talked about how incredible the dancers were. They were truly mind blowing.

We've officially decided that we're going to attempt to make theater visits a regular thing. The whole experience is so unlike anything else I've done, and seats are so affordable (our Swan Lake tickets were each 180 Kc, about $9) that I, for one, would regret not going as frequently as possible. We have multiple scheduled opera visits for my opera class, as well as a group excursion with the Institute, but I will be scouting out ballets as well. I've made it a goal to see performances at the two other venues – New Stage and Kolowrat Theater – while I'm here, just so I can say I've been to all of them. Because why not?