The Sound of Invisible Magpies by Chipka
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Description
My time in Prague was haunted by a strange and alluring sound: birds I’d never heard before…birds that were European in origin. They sang in avian Czech, and according to Prague locals, they were obnoxious creatures. Theives.
As I walked around the city with Beth, a fellow non-native resident of the Czech Republic, we went to places we’d always wanted to see… that tv tower with enormous, faceless babies crawling up the side; that hill near her apartment; that Chinese restaurant that served complimentary plum brandy with every purchase. How odd it was for each of us to sit and read menus in Chinese and Czech with English in diminutive Third-Language subscript. We ordered noodles with chicken, noodles with vegetables, and because we were in Prague, we laughed in glee at the idea of Chinese noodles and Czech beer.
Prague has no Chinatown. Prague has a sizable Asian population: mostly Vietnamese who run the copious number of fruit stands. The Vietnamese fruit vendors always have the sweetest bounty on offer, much to the annoyed admiration of their Czech counterparts. And with Chinese food on our breaths, Beth and I found fruit of strange pedigree…yellow, tart things. We ate a large number of them as we walked. She taught me words in her native Welsh, and danced around for the sheer joy of dancing around in a park full of mushrooms. I took pictures, for the sheer glee of taking pictures. We discovered Prague from the crest of a hill. On the day that we saw Prague from a hill, we went back to her apartment and watched The Devil Wears Prada. There was a scene in the movie in which the female protagonist visits France. The scene is deliciously romantic and a wee bit over the top in terms of its cliché quotient…the film casts Paris as the beautiful center of Europe, a title that is deserved, but what Beth and I felt at precisely the same moment, was that we were in a dream city, a romantic hotspot in the middle of Europe, and we had Chinese food on our breath.
Now, Beth is back in Wales. I am in Chicago. We are still in contact, and she—being Beth—has moved into another gleeful chapter of her life. Beth is a good friend. She giggles a lot. When cooking chicken in a skillet, she dances, waving the spatula around, or singing some catchy pop tune, or a humorous ditty.
As I wandered with Beth and my camera, I heard strange birds. I called them “those invisible Czech birds” and Beth called them Magpies. She recited a rhyme about them; I can’t remember that rhyme now, but it was a cute little magpie rhyme. And as I look into the depths of my past, I can see a day on which I walked with a friend, while invisible birds sang somewhere around us.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope your new year is off to an excellent start.
Comments (17)
kgb224
Wonderful capture my friend.
-seek-
beautiful city scene, chipka!
beachzz
I'd love to hear those invisible birds ,walking around the city with you and Beth!! What fun it would be. This foto is beautiful, clear and sharp and full of color and all kinds of fun stuff!!
Meisiekind
Wonderful thought and memories of you and Beth and the Magpies Chip! That is the stuff that life is made of - those moments in history that remains in our souls... Wonderful image to accompany your ever lovely words!
helanker
I can only agree with both Marilyn and Carin. it is such a warm and lovely shot and I love your story. You offer us a little part of your life this way and for that, I thank you.
MrsLubner
Coincidentally I recently was reading about magpies. The Yellow-billed Magpie is a large bird in the crow family found only in California. It inhabits the Central Valley and the adjacent chaparral foothills and mountains. It is different from any other magpie found around the world and it is only found in my area of California. Recently, the bird flu killed about 2/3rd of the population. I think they are romantic by nature. As is this gorgeous, golden shot.
koosievantutte
very fine shot - love the colours. can't hear the magpies of course, but can imagine them.
durleybeachbum
One for sorrow, two for joy, Three for a girl and four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told. There might be more lines but that's all I remember from our skipping games. I love the rich colours of the roofs!
blondeblurr
The city scape seems to be bathed in the golden glow of another morning, with the sound of birds greeting the day... it is true, that the Magpies, in German language: 'die diebische Elster' (the thieving Magpies) have a fascination, with any type of 'bling'. On the other hand the (other invisibles) Bower birds have a love for anything very blue... one has to be very careful not to leave the blue rings, from milk bottle tops lying around, as they could strangle themselves, when taking them back to their nests, but in return, they will all thank us with their beautiful songs. BB
nikolais
Looking forward to another story of yours, Chip! the capture adds a lot of atmo.
ladyraven23452
sweet.
elfin14doaks
Memories are so precious. You shared that beautifully and made me feel as if I were there. As for Beth, it's awesome to be free and full of spirit. I try to be myself always, although August through November I wasn't very good at it, but now people who know me are back to calling me a little crazy and eccentric, that's ok. What is the norm anyway. A standard made by society and varies from culture to culture. I love this shot. The buildings are so colorful and unique. Awesome....Totally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
auntietk
I love the light in this gorgeous photograph, and I can hear the invisible birds as I look at it. You never cease to amaze me, my friend. What a wonderful, moody presentation.
MrsRatbag
What an arresting cityshot; it's a beautiful city, the colors and shapes are alive and your lighting is wonderful! And another wonderful little chipstory...
bmac62
Memories are made of this...time alone with a friend...an intriguing city to walk about...nature's sounds (magpies have such a loud, unique cry)...a good place to eat and the conversation that goes with it all. Photo and words go together so well.
Gwynhale
As always, it is amazing how you can capture feelings, moods and moments with your words. I have similar photos of Prague but unfortunately no memories of this quality. Being there as a tourist or having the time for lazy walks around the city are two very different things. Thanks for sharing your memories with your skillful use of words :)
anahata.c
more skipping around, forgive my not doing your most recent first...but this is a little gem. I saw the pic when it went up, just read your text now. The text is one of your wonderful woven tales (from life) that ends in a piece of poetry--"And as I look into the depths of my past, I can see a day on which I walked with a friend, while invisible birds sang somewhere around us." Beautiful Chip. Sometimes your vignettes consist of many small snapshots. Whereas some--like this--are a contiguous journey from one place to another; and then you draw it all together at the end. Wonderfully written, again giving glimpses into whole people & lives through small details. That, my friend, is deep-seeing... As for the picture, it's beautiful, esp for the highlights from what looks like late day sun on the buildings. (Or early day sun.) They're aflame. And the brilliance of the foreground contrasts with the more 'generalized' light of the background buildings. I don't know where your photography comes from, given that many of us got to know you through your words, but you sure can make a picture. And while I've never been to Paris or Prague, I know from what I've studied that Paris isn't quite the center it's made out to be, though a major city; that many cities exist with deep pasts & culture, and while the Paris's of the world may strike their visitors for their beauty, intimacy, culture, etc, other cities can too, only more slowly, with more journey. I get the sense that Prague is more in the latter category, not just from you (though you're the foremost poet of the place in my life) but from others I know who've been there. Your Prague diaries are some of the most beautiful I've seen on city life, and Prague should put up a plaque for you (though you'd probably laugh at how garish that would be, lol!) to thank you for singing its depths to the world. Another wonderful upload, both visually & verbally. I'll keep coming back...