Marissa Johnen
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Extra Days

2/29/2016

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David Cerny Bike Tour Prague

2/26/2016

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     David Cerny is a artist born in Prague with interesting, controversial, and always eye catching sculptures all over the city. I rode upon some of them by chance, when I looked up information about them online I found that they were all by the same artist. So I decided to create a bike adventure touring around the city to find his sculptures. This is a great way to get to know the city and see awesome public art. Prague is not easy to navigate but if you're good and remember to look up this is possible to do in a day. I gave myself more time, this was a cruising tour for me, plus you'll probably see most of his sculptures by coincdence anyway.
Two Peeing Guys. In Front of the Kafka Museum, great museum  if you're into Kafka. This is one you'll probably happen to come across. You can text message the sculpture and it will pee it out.
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Red Skull,Revolving above the DOX Contemporary Art Museum. Another great museum, probably the farthest ride for Cerny but it takes a relaxing ride and an area of town you probably won't go very often.
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Seeing, Babies, at Museum Kampa is a shortcut. The babies are also crawling all over a televsion tower, about a half hour cruise from the Museum. But after seeing the scale of the babies up close, checking them out on the tower is more amazing. Actually I noticed the tower from many parts of the city and the babies are visible, so there's a second shortcut to seeing this. But the ride out has nice points of interest.
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Hanging Man, And that man is Sigmund Freud. Look up. Like I said navigating can be hard.
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I saw this piece at the National Gallery Prague exhibition, Silver Linings. Honestly you might have the chance to see this piece somewhere else. But the point here is check out this enormous Museum, enormous. They have a great floor dedicated to artists from Czech Republic, there's a lot to learn there. 
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Babies. These are in front of the Modern Art Museum Kampa. Guess what Another great museum, they have a free outdoor sculpture garden, the restaurant here is nice. From my place  in Nosticova it's a five minute walk. I got in trouble for riding my bike through a parking lot, so I walk until they can't see me
Metalmorphisis. Stumbled upon this one. It is a fourteen ton eyecatcher. His style is offensive an d his sculptures are feats, this one I wasn't sure if it was him, but sure enough. Can't tell you where it is.
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For this head to Futura Gallery. The video inside was not working. But it was worth seeing. Futura is a beautiful huge gallery space. I saw a group show, Intermium, which taught me a lot about the present thoughts of communism in Prague and Russia.
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Saint Wenceslas on His Horse. His dead horse. This is in the Lucerne "mall." Beautiful in real life. Many people enjoy it and take photos, it's almost weird the people who don't look or notice.









Embryo. I never thought I could find this on my own. The beauty of a bike is you can ride off the beaten path and still get somewhere faster than walking. That's what happened here, ran  into it. I reaaly appreciate how it is maintained since 1996 with it's interior light still working.







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There are some of Dave's sculptures that don't exist for now in the city and we'll see what is to come from him.
Do what you want when you visit Prague. But if you don't come across two or three of his sculptures just because, I would be truly shocked. There is plenty of information on all of his artwork so look him up if you're into it. David Cerny is super Awesome.
I also went to Meet Factory. David's art residency. There are many events here, art shows, live music, and lectures. Many artists running around. It's a cool bikeride, heading beside the river with beautiful hillsides. And then you start getting into some ruins, where I saw old rusty metro cars amongst other types of vehicles and buildings partially destroyed. There is also a bike shop set inbetween the gallery spaces. I happened to need a new chain, so I stopped in and...
Game time see if you can guess what may not belong in this picture. The shape is visible. Answer below
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                                                                              gun
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Vienna, Austria

2/14/2016

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Too bad for me. I did not read the fine print on the requirements for transporting my bike on the bus, you have to put it in a box, and so I was not allowed to bring it with. I would have really enjoyed being part of enormous bike community of Vienna. I had to tie my bike up at the Florenc bus station in Prague and hope that it would be there in five days when I got back. The good news is buses run out of there twentyfour- seven so it was nice to know there would always be foot traffic around my bike as protection.
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They do have the exact same bike rental system as Mexico City. But I did not feel like taking my passport down to one of two offices and getting the card. Vienna is a very big city, my interests were spread all over the place,  I did not set up time for a bike rental adventure. So I went for the public transportation, very very easy. 
I have to say though I was sad that I didn't get to utilize the lanes for bikes only, created inbetween the sidewalk and streets. I also trekked out to the Museum Gugging, the bike path was almost entirely along the Danube river, but so was the metro/bus so next time I'll get the bike. 
We got these bike lanes too. I was very impressed.
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Once I got to the Museum Gugging, I relaxed with some beautiful art work. A lot of artists are inspired by public transportation. Hear are a few from the Gugging. This museum exhibits Art Brut. Some of these people ave some training but most of them are psychiatric patients living in hospitals creating art there or at the Gugging itself. 
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Franz Kernbeis
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I took a million pictures at this place
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Rudolf Horacek

Johan Korec

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Aloise Corbaz

Gunther Schutzenhofer, Toothbrush and Holder
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Beautiful place, Vienna waits for you and I shall return. 
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Ohh and I almost forgot I saw the original real deal

The Kiss, 1907
Gustav Klimt

Under Security watch accept for this split second, literally
I like how he uses many different paintings styles in one piece, he is a master.
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Ah Shit it's the Cops

1/27/2016

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Well I was trying to cheer myself up after watching the worst movie I have seen in a long time, by joyriding through the streets of Prague at about 1 a.m. (Movie tickets are about six dollars)
When all the sudden, siren, I know it's for me because the streets are empty.
I was not sure how this was going to go down,
They asked for my passport or I.D.   Lucky they didn't demand a passport
they said I had to pay two thousand karun for my offences
then I started getting uncomfortable     they wanted straight up cash on the spot   what if I didn't have that   plus there's a definite shady factor     I mean how do you give a traveler a ticket but still
They took my I.D. made me wait forever like all cops do  and then came back with a ticket saying  I only had to pay 
500 karun  twenty dollars.
But two things    do not run red lights   and put lights on your bike   they made me ride home on the sidewalk since I had no lights    I was lucky    I paid cash     and said  "the sidewalk?" and they said yep
So I went on my way        Moral of the story Los Angeles bike rules apply     lights are obviously a good idea anyway    
​I packed mine  but I forgot them
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Praha Riding  Part 1

1/19/2016

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Ahoi from Prague.

I picked up this nice little ride from an ad off Craigslist that turned out to be a bike shop.
I was very sad to leave my steed at home but I learned very quickly it was the right thing to do for a number of reasons.
First this bike folds allowing it to go onto the metro.
Secondly snow was not predicted during my stay but guess what it is snowing, need them thick tires 
Third look at this road, you can turn a corner and this is what happens.




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Finally there are some bike lanes, but for the most part we share the road with not only cars but the metro.
So it's great to have a bike that can hop up curbs and then back off. Beware of your surroundings and how you can get out of the way
Proceed with caution. Always be a defensive rider.
As you have cars doing ridiculous car things. This one here sped up to try and beat the metro. I took the above picture alone about five seconds prior to this. I notice cars like to speed and especially bully people crossing the street they will do their left turn and stop inches from people who have the green walk symbol. I do cross the street with pedestrians rather than traffic because once the cars get their green light what they do from there is unpredictable. 
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You will also run into one way streets, or this, a sudden change in the flow of traffic. Not to worry this is one of the advantages to being a bike rider, like I said proceed with caution, but do what you gotta do. 
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I'm standing on the metro tracks in the middle of the road. Why?
Because this is where pedestrians wait until the light turns green. Prague started their metro in 1974 so bravo for making it work even if it's a little wacky. I used it to go pick up my bike and it was very easy.

*One final note for now. Bike shops are not everywhere in the city. Get whatever you may need when you are at the shop. You may not come across another one when you need it.
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Bikes Don't show Fear

1/18/2016

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December 29th, 2015

12/29/2015

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Citizens on Patrol

12/10/2015

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I too am in a place where parking is a problem. When looking for a place to live I require a parking spot. Yes I do have a car. It has not been driven in over a year. There has been some uproar recently about people using our spots. Residence are taking notes of all cars without stickers.
Then I come home see a pink note on my car. Is this car abandoned, move it. Then I get a text from my landlord. Is that white Toyota yours. Yeah it is, I don't use it that often
People think it's abandoned    move it if you don't use it.
I did not reply   I'll take no part in the nonsense    
This is not the solution.

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You see this                                                                           But it's more like this
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December 04th, 2015

12/4/2015

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Never leave things in your Pockets when you ride.                         Lessons learned the Hard way, Again

11/20/2015

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​Unfortunately I joined the dreadful cracked cellphone screen population

A cracked screen on any phone is nails on a chalkboard to me. It reminds me that I also do not like scratched cds. I do not like art made out of cds or cellphones. Not good.  

I have lost my keys also my wallet after leaving it in my ass pocket

My keys are on a hook that I can clip to a belt loop

I also made a fanny pack by cutting two holes into the back of a sturdy small bag that I can run my belt through

Don't leave anything valuable ever in pants pockets I lost the cellphone out of a sweatshirt pocket 


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                                                                             L.A. Land and sea
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This is how you ride under Heizer's Rock at LACMA
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