Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine February 2018 | Page 119

Travel | Prague 1 The façade of one of Prague’s many ornate baroque-era buildings. 117 1 2 The interior of the Church of St Nicholas in Malá Strana. 5 Senses – Sound PRAGUE SPRING INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL The castle offers spectacular views from the windows: a chequerboard of tiled roofs and green domes tumbling down to the Charles Bridge... Prague is one of Europe’s cultural capitals, famed for its music and opera, but also for hosting theatre, ballet and a variety of annual and occasional festivals. The Prague Spring International Music Festival is a highlight. Running from May 12 to June 3 this year, the series of music events includes concerts, opera and church recitals, as well as pop music, and showcases the country’s top performers as well as international guests. www.festival.cz Praha merupakan salah satu ibu kota budaya Eropa, yang terkenal tak hanya musik dan operanya, namun juga tempat teater, balet dan beragam festival tertentu maupun tahunan. Prague Spring Music Festival termasuk yang dinanti. Berlangsung mulai 12 Mei hingga 3 Juni tahun ini, rangkaian acara musik digelar seperti konser, opera, resital musik gereja, dan musik pop yang menampilkan bintang-bintang dari dalam maupun luar negeri. glows in spotlights like a surreal fairy-tale vision, its reflection shimmering in the ripples of the Vltava below. It isn’t so much a castle as a vast sprawl of palaces, government offices, outbuildings, museums and courtyards. The complex has always been at the heart of Czech history: an imperial residence during Prague’s Golden Age, a brooding presence during the Stalinist regime, and more recently a symbol of the country’s new-found freedom. The castle is entered through gates topped by grim statues of the Battling Titans, under which fresh-faced young guards stand surrounded by a swarm of tourists. Wander on through the medieval wood-beamed coronation hall, the gingerbread cottages of the Golden Lane (once home to palace servants) and the world’s largest toy museum. The castle offers spectacular views from the windows: a chequerboard of tiled roofs and green domes tumbling down to the Charles Bridge and a lazy, picturesque sweep of the river. Equally impressive and just as romantic is the interior of St Vitus Cathedral, a kaleidoscope of glowing stained glass, baroque madness and royal tombs at the heart of the castle complex. Squeeze your way up the Gothic cathedral tower and peer down at gargoyles, flying buttresses and metal spikes topped by rooster weathervanes. Below you lie the courtyards of the castle and the gardens laid out by the Hapsburgs; around that a sprawl of mansions, elaborate as whipped meringue, fall away in a tumble of rooftops and church spires to a river glinting like molten silver. This is better than any theme park: a thousand years of history at your feet, arranged to perfection. It’s a great place to pop the question or, failing that, for a quick kiss. After all, this is Prague, and love is in the air. 2