Wednesday 24 February 2010

...and behind Door Number 32 We Have...


OK, before you get up on your high horse and tell me that this is not a door, but only a frame, let me explain. (Oh! I'm a poet!) Several people have mentioned that they would like to know what is BEHIND some of the doors I photograph...now I can at least show you what is behind THIS door!!

Yes, there IS a door in this picture... look closely to the right side, you can see a green wood door which looks like a lot of other doors of this shape and size. And the door is a great camouflage for what is behind it which is typically a courtyard or maybe a store (see yesterday's post). We can see that the owner(s) of this building decided to use the passageway for something entirely different - to open up access to underground parking! Parking under an old building like this in the middle of Prague? Rare!! The bad news about that is that they had to sacrifice the old cellars under the building so they could make the parking area. If you know Prague at all, you have certainly visited at least one restaurant in a cellar...there are tons of restaurants in cellars in the centre of town because (nearly) every building has a cellar and nearly all of them have, or have the potential to have, immense charm.

We can see that the owners have opened up the view from the street to the courtyard by glassing in the space around what is left of the passageway resulting in giving the impression that the viewer is looking directly into the courtyard... Cool!!

Finally, so that you don't think I have forgotten the theme of this blog, I have a quick comment about this door's arch: it is simple and attractive, made of a warm stone and engraved with a floral motif and, best of all, it is inviting. This door would have found its way into my blog even if the door had been closed...I swear!

1 comment:

My Mind's Eye said...

How nice to see what is behind the 'green' door.
What beautiful carvings too.
Madi and Mom