Getting Comfortable in Prague

It is hard to believe but a week and a half has already gone by and we have done so much. We enjoyed the Prague Writers' Festival this week, getting to hear readings from writers like Don Delillo and Junot Diaz. Diaz was by far one of the most inspirational speakers I have ever heard, we got to meet him personally and he signed my journal. He was so down to earth and radical which I loved, it made me think that there is still hope for people with beliefs like Kurtis and I!

We have spent a lot of time in the studios this week. So far we created a 4 foot square mixed media drawing/painting based on Jaroslav Seifert's poem shirt and now we are in the process of doing one on our own based off of our own work. The project we are currently in the middle of is inspired by Franz Kafka's story "Metamorphosis" and we are all painting a collaged image of bugs and autobiographical information mixed together.

We went on a 4 hour walking architectural tour on Tuesday with our local architect tour guide, Kristof. It was a great way to see the city and he pointed out all the best gelato spots and pubs on the way.

I have had a surprising amount of time to myself to explore the city, considering how busy they are keeping us and how much work we are doing. I have been drawing everywhere I go, my little moleskine is filling up quickly!

Yesterday I walked around the city for four hours going to the market drawn above to buy gelato, strawberries, and zucchini and then I saw the Bridge Band that I drew below.

As I was drawing them the main old man of the band kept singing to me and laughing and even pointing! They were such characters and after I was done drawing and they finished their song they called me over and asked where I was from and asked to look at my drawing. They all laughed and pointed at each other in my drawing, I think they approved.
Here is one of the bakery stands that you can find in the main squares. They are full of freshly baked goods, some that they even bake there as you can see by the brick oven in the background.
Here is Old Town Square with all of the Easter vendors out selling their trinkets. This was a picture from our architectural tour and we got treats here as we walked through to refuel.
Lastly, the four senior girl roommates before we went out dancing in a way too busy club with way too many grabby Italians. I may never go to Italy after that! (we still had fun though)