In the touring life of Autorickshaw, we never thought we would outdo the performance experience and extravagance of playing in Diggi Palace – an oasis in the heart of Rajasthan’s famous pink city of Jaipur in India - back in 2007. The embellished architecture, the sheer height of the palace combined with the striking colours and manicured gardens made us feel as though we were transported into a time of maharajas and maharanis in the royal courts. Like I said, hard to outdo. Enter Grabštejn castle.
The highway drive to Grabštejn from Prague was nothing to write home about until we got to Liberec. A green forest canopy enveloped us as we made our way to this 13th century Medieval palace.
Grabštejn Castle has been transformed from a ruin amidst a military zone to a pearl of the Renaissance in northern Bohemia. The energy of the festival itself – the bustling and friendly patrons as well as the extremely hospitable staff – was amazing, but the historical energy was even more prevalent. Grabštejn was the controlled route into Bohemia from the bordering states Germany and Poland.
It was a late night gig so we weren’t able to see everything Grabštejn castle had to offer, but we walked in the castle interior and spent time after our show in the castle exterior where there was a beer garden and food stalls with room for all to dance to live, traditional Czech music. We performed in one of the rooms in the upper castle for the Grabštejn worldfest – the so-called “smallest world festival in the world!”
illustration by Jiří Vydra
We closed the first night of the festival to a packed house, playing from 11pm-midnight with two encores. From beginning to end, the audience was with us, not to mention the sound being absolutely fantastic (one never knows when playing a cavernous room with extended reverb in a 13th century castle)!!
It was one of those perfect moments when artists, audience and art had joined forces as we created and experienced a Bohemian musical journey together.
Thanks for the hospitality: Marcela and her mixed crew (Sam and Alice), Ondrej - our trooper of a driver and fabulous conversationalist (PS – thanks for the sightseeing tips!), Stepa Kasparova for her organization, and of course, to Jirka Vidra, the presenter of Grabštejn worldfest who brought us to this amazing place. He also designed and illustrated the amazing t-shirts and posters at this festival. And to all of the audience: thank you for making this one of the most memorable gigs in Autorickshaw history.
To conclude the evening, a misty drizzle fell on our heads as we said goodbye to our organizer and hosts and prepared for the drive back to Prague central. With the castle growing smaller in our rear view mirror, and rain falling ever-so-gently on the field, it could have easily been a movie set. Actually, the moment felt like a fairytale.
