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My itch to research was again activated by seeing her name in the walled pantheon (Slavin) of departed VIPs in this cemetery and I resolved to find out who she was asap. On the day we were there, about 50 people were strolling around; like the old Jewish cemetery in Old Town, this cemetery isn't very spacious, but, unlike that cemetery, headstones were not piled one on top of the other. And, more important, it is serene, not jammed with tour groups rushing you along.

While strolling around, I noticed several headstones with the name of Libuse, the legendary founding princess of Prague. Several memorials were very elaboate and were probably costly when erected. This didn't strike me as a poor man's cemetery. Several "readings" produced sketch bios of distinguished academicians associated with the famous Charles University, eminent medical doctors and prominent politicians. We three found the spot so engrossing we stayed there for over an hour. Later on, I learned this is where the Prague Spring music festival is launched every May 12, the day the composer Smetana died. On that day, a procession goes from his grave to the Obecni dum. Czechs seem to revere their musical giants so, when I finally found out who Emma Destinova was, I wasn't surprised that,like Melba, she had been honored by having a special culinary delight named for her by the JBClub's owners.

Statues in the park of the first princess Libuse and her Premysl spouse lend a romantic air to the place. Under the astounding Charles IV the coronation ritual of the monarch's beginning here and going in procession to the "new Castle" was established, underlining the link between Prague's early settlement and the later development of the castle on the hill to the north. During the religious wars, old Vysehrad was obliterated and the area lay in ruins until a late 19th century revival of interest in it as a nationalist symbol.

There were quite a few people there when we were, but the park is so spacious you didn't feel crowded in on. Most of the visitors were found in the church and the cemetery and seemed equally divided between Czechs and tourists. It's relatively easy to get to from the Pavlova metro station to Vysehrad metro station, a short ride, and then a 30 minute stroll to the park entrance in a middle-class residential area dotted with a few discreet B&B's with window signs.

At the Vysehrad station we could see just to the east of us the stark towering mass of the Corinthian Towers, a Libyan-owned hotel that all the guidebooks warn Americans to avoid. At the station itself is a large Congress Hall, a convention center, very glassy and modern in design, quite a contrast to the Vysehrad Park itself.
This is an area that one should read about before visiting because it is not yet a "touristy" sight. We felt you could picnic there very comfortably and it was a boon for our son who had "overwalked" his first day in Prague and had hurt his leg muscles. Prague has that effect on people; so many want to see it that they tend to overdo it and lose out, missing some of Prague's subtler charms.

No awkward moment like this could destroy our experience of one of the largest photo & cinematographic collections in the world. This museum is a must-see for the photo & film afficionado as well as those interested in devices for time measurement . One large section was devoted to historic sundials, water clocks,etc. that reminded me of the collection at the Greenwich Museum in London. Of great importance in the development of the modern world were technological devices that helped organize and capture that world. A fascinating, well-planned museum that succeeds without relying on words ! To get there from Ovenecka, walk 4 blocks south ,turn right on Letohradska, then right on Muzein & left on Kostelni for front entrance to the museum. In effect, you'll be circling the museum . Well worth going a little out of the way! This museum emphasizes that the Czech Republic may be a small nation, but many of its citizens have made significant contributions to the making of the modern technological world.

Sounds like a real professional Wunderfrau? Yes, but she was more than just an international opera diva. Reputedly,she had a boa constrictor tatoo on her leg that slithered(?) from thigh to ankle ; reputedly she had many lovers ,including the libidnous Artur Rubinstein, and, in 1916,lost 100 K in concert fees to follow one of her lovers back to Bohemia, whereupon her passport was seized by authorities and she was stuck in Bohemia for a while. Rumors circulated that she was a spy on the Germans during these World War I years.

Her swan song took place in London on October 16, 1928. Two years later,married and in retirement, she died at the relatively young age of 52. Oh, but how she had lived! The memory of this first-class diva is still strong with the Czechs to whom music is a vibrant part of life.