The Czech artist David Černý created a life-size sculpture of Sigmund Freud, which was originally installed on Jilská Street in Prague. The sculpture was hung on a metal rod over the street from the top of a building. According to an article on the České Noviny (ČTK) website, the sculpture has been shown in Europe and in the U.S. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the latest city to host the installation, the “Hanging Man” was hung on a seven story building and a number of citizens thought it was was a real person who had taken their own life. The sculpture will make it back to Prague one day, so if you see it here, you’ll know it is just Freud hanging out.

The “Hanging Man” in Prague

I hear that the ski season began in the Krkonoše Mountains today. It has been snowing there for a few days and there is now enough snow to allow skiing. Winter is starting early this year. Who knows, maybe the ski resorts are going to make up for last year’s terrible ski season.

I’m in Northern Moravia for a few days and we had our first snow here today. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw that the ground was covered with snow. It’s been snowing for most of the day, snowing so hard at times that one inevitably thinks of Christmas. Large, wet chunks of snow are falling from the sky slowly and quietly, creating an idyllic winter scene outside. Too bad I don’t have a camera with me.

We went to Petřín on Sunday and as we were walking down the steps toward the Castle, we passed by a sign informing visitors that the Large Garden Tunnel (one of the underground passages beneath Petřín) was having a special open day. I thought the English translation on the sign was priceless!

I think it is safe to say that mushroom picking is a Czech national leisure activity. The mushroom season usually lasts from June/July through October. Last year’s harvests were especially generous thanks to the rains and cool temperatures. On our weekend trips from Prague, we would see people returning from forests with baskets full of gorgeous suchohřiby, křemenáče, bedly and other mouthwatering varieties. As we sat in our train compartment, we went by people’s yards and caught glimpses of piles of fresh mushrooms being cleaned in preparation for dinner or to be sliced up and dried. From the bus windows, we watched rows of colorful holubinky line the road.

We haven’t been taking very many trips this summer but I hear that this is another good year for mushrooming. Even rare kinds of mushrooms, ones that can be seen just a few times in a lifetime, can supposedly be found in the Vysočina (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) region where the weather has been just right.

When we were in Italy last fall, we marvelled at the abundance of fresh forest mushrooms that were sold at outdoor produce markets. I was jealous and wondered why forest mushrooms aren’t sold anywhere in the Czech Republic, a country that is so devoted to mushrooming. Is it because people are expected to pick their own mushrooms?

There’s a good article on mushrooming on the Radio Praha website.