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sitanshi talati-parikh

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Tag Archives: Prague

Fiction: Slow Romance of Snow and Ice

03 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Fiction, Publication: Verve Magazine, Travel Stories

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Budapest, Dubrovnik, Fiction, Honeymoon, Love, Prague, romance, Travel, Verve Magazine

Published: Verve Magazine, September 2017
Illustration by Tanuja Ramani

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There was a nip in the air. Some may call it a frozen point of time. We only felt a warm suffusing feeling surge through our bodies. Snow clung to our eyelashes, curling inwards to stay warm. Not for long of course, as it would melt and trickle down as tepid water. The streets were soulless, twisting and winding with buildings huddled together to stay snug. The pebble stones of Europe, forming delicious curves as lovers’ feet grind against them and with tourists’ enthusiastic tread, were not visible under the thick blanket of snow. Lush, deep and virginal, it looked from afar like a down feather comforter; you could tuck your toes in and wriggle under, dreaming of spring blossoms.

Perhaps it was a stretch to think we would fuel our love in the dead of winter. But marriages in Mumbai happen in balmy breezes and some may say the true test of romance is to kindle fires in the bitter cold. Discovering the dark history of the Continent under the beating sun of summer was for philistines. The ones with character and mettle surrounded themselves with the reflecting light of gas lamps that looked hazy in the crackling air. The pink blush that crept into our cheeks, the rosy-blue temper of our lips, and the slow embrace to beat the diving temperature battled desire and made way for an old-world romance.

We began to imagine a life on the calmer side of Prague’s Malá Strana. On the Charles Bridge, 30 baroque statues towered broodingly, and the Gothic shadows fell long on those evocative 500 metres, telling tales of darker times. There had been blood on the walls, there had been lovers who held hands, until the bridge, which was meant to forge ties, separated them. It described a time of mystery and madness; moments of furore. The placid mise en scene belied this, but the mind knew better. The heart beat faster, keeping pace with the pounding feet as the lovers were chased by naysayers. The silence around was deafening. If only the waves of River Vltava would crash mercilessly to calm the heart. If the world made noise, the mind could be silent. Summer was a pretence. A pretence to understand the truth of a city. It was sunshine and flowers and happy, smiling people. They all returned to their broken lives. In the harshness of winter the gaps were visible, the thoughts flooded in, mending what could not be ignored. There was nothing to hide behind. You faced the music in silence.

It was not always silent in Prague. If the opera house sang a tune, then the fervent chatter at the Christmas markets spun yarns. Stories of people’s lives, of cheer, of celebrated moments over hot mulled wine floated through the-Romanesque-making-sweet-love-to-the-Gothic 10th-century Old Town square in metaphysical abandon. Turning the pages of time via Josefov (the Jewish quarter), the 14th-century Wenceslas Square or Church of Our Lady before Týn along the way. The Prague Castle, the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic, where the Bohemian crown jewels reside, had etchings in stone that you could see with your mind’s eye; Saint Vitus Cathedral held silhouettes in its arms. Standing at the gates outside, taking in the spired city that had been enveloped in white to depict a false sense of innocence, you saw the grey in the hidden courtyards of the cobbled alleys.

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Our fingers curled together, knitting patterns on the rough wooden table. Our breaths came out in steamy bursts, condensation clung to our lips. We were lovers from the turn of the 20th century, escaping reality for a few moments into the golden age of beautiful Budapest through its coffee houses like the Művész that we wandered into. Or the overt passion of a kert, an open-air ‘ruin pub’ that demands that you huddle together. Close enough that your mind stopped thinking. Enough to lead you to one of Budapest’s ‘secret’ thermal baths fed by natural springs to help you cool off, topped off with Gellért’s thermal spa to rejuvenate and prepare for another day. Perhaps a day that could be lived in contemporary times, where Nobu would play truant with Buddha-Bar, where we drank ourselves into deep inebriation and whispered the night away.

The Danube severed the large city, but it seemed whole. Like the marriage of two individuals with very distinct personalities. The castle district on one side of the Danube had many stories to speak of, but we could only see the chapters through the monuments, or while making our way, hand-in-hand, through the 2,200 metres of the Szemlõhegyi caves riddled with mineral precipitations. You couldn’t miss the bullet holes and shrapnel etched on buildings, or the sharpness of the Hungarian art on display at the National Gallery in Buda Castle (accessed by a funicular ride), even as the castle gates’ menacing black figures in wrought iron gazed watchfully as you dared to enter. And yet, the city had mellowed. It glowed with a quiet dignity, as you stood on one of its eight bridges, staring into the deceptive darkness with lights liberally splattered like war paint, glittering like a bejewelled bride, ready to come into her own.

She held me close. We swirled in silence. Her head only reached my chin, but we fit. I imagined the ballerinas pirouetting gracefully last night. In the peak of winter, the opera houses opened up in all their grandeur. The best artistes swung into action, the lights shone bright, the opulence of the performing chambers was larger than life. This was not the touristy show of the summer, this was art. At the Hungarian State Opera House a story that told the tale of a better time unfolded. Or worse, depending on how you looked at it. And then, we were on the city ice rink. Even as the beautiful castle tried desperately to throw a reflection on the brittle surface riddled by skating figures, I knew the city couldn’t hold a candle to my love at first site: Prague. As Franz Kafka imagined it, perhaps while sitting in Cafe Milena, ‘Prague never lets you go. This dear little mother has sharp claws.’

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We walked the 1,940 metres of Dubrovnik’s walls, the first of which were built in the 9th century. It usually takes about two hours, it took us six. Not because we fought against the throngs of the summer tourists; rather, the car-free streets were achingly bare as the locals had long left the historical old town for the modern suburbs. It made room for moments of passion that snuck into fortified medieval corners, cold baroque buildings, against darkened glass storefronts that were shrouded with our steamy breath, under spindly naked branches that shivered with passion and showered a cascade of white dust on us. Melting fast on your face as you held her close. As you parted and found your jacket soaked. We were drawn into the Dubrovnik Winter festival, filled with the pulsating beats that mirrored our pulses, food that satiated the senses but never the gnawing hunger inside, and a continuation of the mulled wine journey that flowed like blood in our veins. Or the rich sounds from the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, for culture had nothing to do with beaches and sun tans, and bonds are forged over the soaring notes of classical harmony. Perhaps there were those who were looking for King’s Landing, but there was another song of ice and fire that we experienced, and it had nothing to do with games or thrones.

Set inside a Napoleonic fort near the city’s cable-car station, a permanent exhibition in the war museum is dedicated to the siege of Dubrovnik during the Homeland War of the 1990s, where the local defenders stationed inside the fort ensured the city wasn’t captured. The walls of Dubrovnik may be strong and thick, but the turrets and towers also had aching stories to tell, as long as you stood and listened. Moments of war and peace, moments of passion that died, and lives lived to the fullest.

High above the city in the cable car, we took in the twinkling lights in silence. No jostling crowds, just us. Lonely in our togetherness. Through this mystical honeymoon, we spoke, and we remained quiet. We found a comfort in knowing that we don’t know. We accepted reality, we knew we would go back to find ourselves, fill in the gaps. After all, we were women of the world.

Spells in the Shadows: Prague’s Art

31 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Publication: Verve Magazine, Travel Stories

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Art, Europe, Interviews: Travel, Mandarin Oriental, Prague, Verve Magazine

Published, Verve Magazine, July 2015
Images by Sitanshi Talati-Parikh

There is a deep romanticism in Prague, the city that speaks of desire and timelessness….

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I see myself living like a troll under the Charles Bridge — or having a conversation one bewitching night with one of the many baroque-style statues that line the bridge. Such is the draw of the city — as if witches that hide in the alleyways have brewed up a mysterious potion with their gnarled hands, the elixir that entices you to want to roam the cobblestone paths searching for truth on the darkened walls. History seems to lurk in those streets, sometimes furtive, often beckoning, suggestive of many moments of love, lust, hope and death. Time stops at the very moment in the past that your imagination sucks out of the grasp of history…as if the pages turn before you in the form of shadowy streets and pebble-stone corners.

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One of the only cities in Europe offering the finest examples of every single architectural style, one would imagine this to be a city that would captivate minds seeking to paint dark rich strokes on canvas, extolling the virtues of a land that is like a dark maiden with a tattoo — neither fair nor blemish-free but full of promise. And yet, the nondescript galleries that are scattered all over the touristy parts of town are not plum with creativity. Surly faces, bored tones and a melange of artworks are what a tourist will encounter if seeking without knowledge of where to look. As I sit in the shady, tree-lined square, I see what others may have seen. Time etched on walls, celebrated by seasonal tourists and seasoned salesmen. Local kitsch and pop art history make their presence felt amid curios and street art.

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The walls don’t disappoint. Taking to the streets from Prague Castle across the Old Town to Municipal House would unfold almost all the historical styles, including Gothic, baroque, eclectic historicism and art nouveau. Not to forget the quaint Jewish Quarter with well-preserved structures and historical synagogues. And within many of these beautiful buildings, monuments of history, you may find inspiration.

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Across a beautiful park, taking the road behind the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Prague, lies the Kampa Museum. One of the solid examples of artistic exploration where an explosion of thought can break through via a fine slice of contemporary musings available in the form of installations or canvases featuring 20th-century Czech and central European art. (Not to miss a gigantic chair sculpture by Magdalena Jetelová that was once washed away in the floods.) Culture goes pop with the Gallery of Art’s selection of Andy Warhol, Dali’s photographs and Alfons Mucha’s selected art nouveau works. They may be few and far between, but tucked away in the corners of the city seeped in mystery lie hidden gems. Works of art that only a person determined to seek is likely to find.

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ART TALK

1. State institutions such as National Gallery offer a selection from Czech art beginning with medieval art up to recent days.

2. Private galleries offer mainly well-recognized Czech artists known as ‘1960s generation’ and young contemporary artists. Galleries are scattered around the city.

3. Many young artists, graphic designers and young professionals have their studio in Orco, Prague 7 which has become a kind of cultural hot spot. The Chemistry Gallery supporting young artists is also located there. The Hunt Kastner gallery run by two members of Prague’s expat community represents local artists, while also being instrumental in promoting local art abroad.

4. Museum Monatelli (MuMo) is one of only few private museums of fine arts in the Czech Republic and the the museum’s inaugural show in 2009 featured works by 21 international female artists.

5. Princely Collections, Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle is likely to become well-known, but for now, the knowledge of it remains with a few. The palace (within the Prague Castle) houses a newly-opened collection of music, art, antiques and arms drawn from centuries-old collections of the Lobkowicz noble family.

6. The Leica Gallery, showcases contemporary photography through the year.

7. Amoya: A not-for-profit project supporting young artists and a platform for Artbanka. The museum’s program takes place in the Baroque palace where visitors can familiarise themselves with the world of contemporary Czech and international art. FUTURA is another not-for-profit centre, with a residency program.

8. DOX Center for contemporary art, architecture and design is considered a dynamic cultural platform.

9. The David Cerny Tour: A 3-4 hour tour by a motor vehicle to explore the works of the famous Czech sculptor and controversial artist, curated by Katerina Sedlakova, a freelance tour guide also connected to the Mandarin Oriental, Prague.

10. Summer Shakespeare Festival: Every summer, from June through September, Europe’s oldest and biggest open-air theatrical event dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare has approximately 150 performances, but in the local Czech language.

Silent Night

04 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Publication: Verve Magazine, Travel Stories

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Interviews: Travel, Prague, Verve Magazine

Vervemagazine.in | October 2014

In the reverberating party buzz of Prague is a property that combines history and serenity with charm

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Indian movies like the just-released Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif action masala, Bang Bang and Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar, and popular Hollywood films like Mission Impossible, Casino Royale and Les Miserables have found a way to highlight Prague’s beauty. The city has charm, substance and mystery. But it was for a very different reason that when a recent review asked me about my most memorable hotel stay in the last few months, I instinctively responded with the Mandarin Oriental, Prague. A location that brings the warmth of Asian hospitality along with meticulous attention to detail to the historical capital of Bohemia.

An Angelic Property
The hotel itself is classic and charming – housed in a former Dominican monastery with roots dating back to the 14th century. Part-Renaissance, part-Baroque and part-modern the hotel’s buildings represent over six centuries of architecture – while incorporating a large part of the outer wall of St Mary Magdalene, one of the oldest churches in Prague built on the site around 1330. While the hotel opened its doors in 2006 the property itself stands testimony to history and changes over the years.

You can’t miss the carefully framed and preserved moments of the past on the walls, including paintings of the monks playing peek-a-boo from behind the ornate curtains and excavated historic items visible on the private museum walk on the way to the spa. The latter is housed in a former Renaissance chapel, with a glass floor displaying the remnants of an old Gothic church. You can also optionally access it via an underground passageway (for privacy), and the treatment rooms are the former cells of the nuns!

The restaurant is made up of a line of five different houses, which can be noticed by unique ceilings as one moves from one room to another. Toward the back lies a mysterious flight of stairs leading to a vaulted wine cellar that can picks up on the dark romanticism of the city for a private dinner. The grand ballroom is made from a refectory, which is just another place for a wedding in their books!

As you explore the various bits of the hotel, you find yourself in the monastery lounge with an old cloister corridor and soaring ceilings and tall Baroque columns. Perfect for moments of quiet introspection is also the simple monastery garden within the property, which is singularly unique for Prague.

The Devil Is In The Details
Their on-site restaurant Essensia offers Asian flavours combined with modern Czech cuisine and does a fantastic Nasi Goreng. Also amazed to spy a version of our dosaon the menu (one of their chefs is Sri Lankan and can cook a mean curry or a South Indian biryani at a pinch). The staff is warm, attentive and helpful, finding creative ways to entertain children as well. The rooms have a kid-sized bathrobe and slippers for the young guests, with a singing Czech stuffed toy to ensure they never feel left out. As the festive Christmas season draws closer, they have a festive menu and Bohemian holiday packages lined up even as you experience the Christmas markets, live concerts and the buzz of the city under a blanket of snow.

The Sound of Silence
The hotel is close to the river with a lovely park and a one of Prague’s noted art museums on one side; a short picturesque walk to the Charles Bridge on another, with the Prague Castle in it’s vicinity…making for a lovely setting. In fact, that is what the entire property is about – quiet peacefulness which is a marked contrast to the vibrant bustle of the city and its nightlife. Away from the busy main street but right in the picturesque Little Quarter in the heart of the city’s historic center, the spacious vaulted rooms and hallways echo the sound of peace handed down over the years. With tasteful décor, never over the top, always muted, the hotel has managed to maintain the spirit of the property and it’s history in a remarkable way.

When The Bells Toll
There’s a lively list of things lined up for the last quarter of this year.

1. Design Block: Prague’s design and fashion week. (October 7 -12)
2. Strings of Autumn: A traditional finds experimental music festival mid October and early November.
3. Ruldof Firkusny Piano Festival (November)
4. Christmas markets that are spread out over the city, the most popular being the one in the Old Town Square (November and December)
5. Advent and Festive Live Concerts: Different parts of Prague, many within walking distance from the hotel, including those at the Czech Museum of Music, and Saint Nicolas Church.

|  Filling the gaps between words.  |

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