Category Archive for Italy & Western Europe
PRAGUE CASTLE, GOTH CLUBS & ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL TIPS: CROSS CLUB STEAMPUNK BAR, ST VITUS CATHEDRAL, HELL CLUB.
On Day 3, my Prague journey got even more extreme. Read on to see my mouth-sewing escapade with Rock n Roll Bride and Go With Oh.
PS: quick casting call! Wanna be on TV with me? Know any LA-area couples who are engaged or getting married soon, and need a wedding dress? If so, contact me ASAP. Danke.
After brunch at Globe Cafe, we took the tram to Prague Castle. There sits the Gothic cathedral of St Vitus, which holds the tombs of Bohemian kings.
Intricate groin vaults and stained glass, which cast rainbow hues.
Photos can’t convey the feeling of being inside a 14th century cathedral, rife with history.
We walked down from Prague Castle towards Old Town. On the way, we encountered a moving fountain of peeing men. Oh, artist David Cerny… what goes on in your mind?
Kat bid us goodbye in the afternoon, so she wasn’t able to join us for a final nightcrawl.
This, my pirates, is Cross Club. In the words of Dracula Clothing’s Truls, “It’s a steampunk bar, constructed by Czechs who don’t know steampunk exists.”
Clockwork and moving parts are continuously added to the decor.
Each room has different lighting and parts. There was a wall of motherboards, lit by cyber-punk neon.
The lights sway and the parts move. (You’ll see, when I post the Prague video.)
A bar straight out of Blade Runner.
Next, we took a taxi to Hell Club. A bizarre mushroom bridge separated the bar from the dancefloor.
The Czech Goths sat on the couches, drinking and looking serious. But the scary-looking DJs played great dance music, like VNV Nation.
So we took over the floor. Later, a few Czechs stood up and tentatively tried out dance moves. Goth culture is new here, and it’s intriguing to see the locals test the waters.
Hell Club, however, rivals Tokyo for extreme body mods.
This boy went onstage. Everyone crowded around to see him get a medical procedure… Can you guess what it was?
That’s right. He got his mouth sewn shut, with needle and thread. And yes, he seems to have forgotten his pants.
Is your jaw hanging open yet? I leave you with my final view of Prague on the walk home. I half-expected a vampire to fly from the spires!
I’ll never forget my experiences in the Czech Goth scene. Thanks Go With Oh for the journey, and for hosting us in your beautiful apartment rentals.
So… what do you think?
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STEAMPUNK FASHION: DRACULA CLOTHING & ABSINTHE ICE CREAM, PRAGUE. BEST CZECH REPUBLIC GOTH CLUBS, BARS & PARTIES.
When you’re in one of the spookiest cities in the world — Prague — you’ve got to check out the underground Goth culture. And boy, was it ever hardcore.
On Day 2, we descended into the lair of Dracula Clothing, purveyors of dark, Victorian and Steampunk couture. The owners, Truls and Ida, are from Norway but established their showroom in Prague.
We played dress-up. I fell in love the waist-cinching octopus corset. Dracula Clothing generously gave it to me, along with an octopus ring and kitty t-shirt!
What better place to wear a vampire cape than in Prague?
Designer vampire cape: Black Peace Now, from Closet Child Tokyo
Purple dress: Algonquins, from Tokyo
Bonnet: Alice and the Pirates, from Laforet Tokyo
Sara, the always-smiling social media manager at Go With Oh, joined us on our Prague travels. She tried on a top hat with goggles, and got promptly bitten.
Kat of Rock n Roll Bride wears…
Dress: Pepperberry
Florence rose bandeau: Crown & Glory
Boots: Superdry
Look what we found… Absinthe museum and ice cream!
How fitting: it’s located on Franz Kafka Square.
It’s not just the licorice-y taste of absinthe that draws me. I’m fascinated by the Belle Epoque / fin de siècle artist culture that surrounds the drink. No wonder it’s favored by Goths worldwide.
I’ve tried homemade absinthe jelly before, but never ice cream. A real treat; strongly flavored. Kat ordered the absinthe mojito and it’s her new favorite drink.
A wall of absinthe — I’ve never seen so many varieties. Upstairs, there was hallucinogenic art on display.
That evening, we cabbed to the obscure MayDay Club for a Goth event. It was a truly underground experience: no tourist would ever wind up here. Dracula Clothing and other stores sold accessories, surrounded by stone walls painted with flaming, bloody skulls.
Goth fashion and culture caught on relatively recently in Prague. The scene has a 1990s feel (long metal hair, fishnet armbands) as if it’s still getting its legs.
However, the Czechs are rocking it. The crowd headbanged to this progressive metal band, made up of surprisingly talented musicians. (There will be video footage for you to see and hear.)
Legal age? What’s that? At this Goth club, quite a few guests were on the young side…
Remarkable that no matter where you go, and how far underground you wander, you’ll find young people who love Japan.
I still can’t believe I had the chance to experience Prague’s burgeoning Goth scene for myself. Thank you Go With Oh! I hope you’ll keep their apartment rentals in mind if you’re traveling to Europe. Prices are great, and it’s a welcome change from a hotel.
What were your thoughts as you read this post? Would you try absinthe ice cream? Enter a raw, rough-and-tumble Czech Goth club like this?
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