Awe-Inspiring Prague
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After a great night’s sleep, the cobblestones were calling our names. Our tour left pretty early this morning to fit in all that we had planned for the day. We may have been a tad overzealous when we reserved three excursions for today, but that’s the way we roll – making the most of our time in a new city. Although our first and second tours overlapped, we were able to go back and relax for several hours and grab some dinner before our third. Tom missed out on the second tour because it was sold out by the time he booked. To be honest, I think he enjoyed the break, especially after such a long day yesterday.
Although the weather was pretty dismal to begin with, we were never rained upon and conditions improved as the day progressed. Between the blown-out skies and the crowds later in the day, conditions were not ideal for great photos either, so I’ll apologize in advance for those.
Panoramic Prague
Our tour headed in the same direction we walked on our little jaunt yesterday, but went deeper into the Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because the area is so well-preserved, it was like stepping back in time. Our guide gave us all a lesson in the various styles of architecture that were intermixed throughout the city – Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic, and more – and sometimes all in the same block! I was fascinated by it all and as always, I got lots of photos with ornamentation on almost every building.
The clean, cobbled streets led the way as we continued our trek. The city markets were very inviting with colored awnings and tasty displays, and most restaurants have outdoor seating to accommodate folks who might want to enjoy a meal al fresco on a much nicer day than today.
Marvelous wooden toys were for sale in brightly colored stores, and lovely pastel buildings lined other streets. It was a feast for the eyes and had there been more time (and more room in my suitcase) I could have done some damage shopping in Prague. One more day would have been really nice, with no tours and the sunshine that eventually caught up with us.
I love the decorative lampposts and the secret passageways that, one can only imagine, lead to somewhere very – intriguing? romantic?
As we approach the main square, we see how accommodating it must have been during the 12th century as a hub for markets and trade. We were told about the horrendous sanitary conditions of those times and reminded that the modern toilets of today require a small payment, so we come to Suggestion #4: ALWAYS KEEP SOME CHANGE (LOCAL CURRENCY) HANDY.
Although in some ways it was a bit overwhelming with so much going on, but it was simply amazing to take it all in.
Hover over the photo for a caption (if available). The photo on the right below is The Stone Bell House – one of the oldest monuments in Prague. Part of the building dates back to the late 13th century. During an extensive reconstruction in the 1970s and ’80s, the 19th century façade was removed to reveal the original Gothic structure. This unique building now houses the City Gallery Prague.
We finally made our way to The Old Town Hall (est. 1338), which includes an amazing Gothic tower and the astronomical clock pictured below. As with many places of interest during this trip, this building was covered in scaffolding with repairs underway. In this case however, they covered the construction with an LED screen containing a photo of the clock, so we wouldn’t miss a thing! Since they even have video built into the screen, we were able to view the hourly “Walk of the Apostles” that takes place in the blue square windows up top every hour from 9am to 11pm. For a gorgeous photo of the actual clock, click here. It’s scheduled to be back up and running sometime this month (August of 2018).
After the hourly ritual at the clock (which I’m sure will be more impressive once the construction is complete), we continued our tour thru the city streets.
As we approach Knights of the Cross Square, we are in awe of the statue of Charles IV – the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia – and the buildings around it. This is one of the most important neo-Gothic statues in Central Europe. It was erected in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Charles University, the oldest university in Central Europe, which he founded in 1348. The city flourished during his rule, and Charles IV is remembered as the most beloved Czech king and the “father of the Czech nation.”
We made our way to the Charles Bridge, also named for the beloved King. Although originally called the Stone Bridge during its first several centuries, this Gothic bridge connects the Old Town and Lesser Town – and is a tourist magnet! Hoards of folks taking selfies and artists selling their wares made it difficult to take decent photos, but it is really a site to see. The views from the bridge are stunning and across the way at the highest point (in the second photo below) you can see The Prague Castle, where we are headed later today (by motor coach, thank goodness!).
Baroque statues from the 17th century are spaced along the bridge, many of which are copies, but the originals can be seen in the Lapidarium Museum. The most popular is obviously the one of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown into the Vltava River from the bridge. As you’ll see in the photo at the left, the plate at the bottom has been polished to a shine by the oils of countless hands touching it over the centuries in hopes of good luck and a return visit to Prague. For a photo of the statue itself, visit the link.
The photo below shows most of the bridge in the distance, unfortunately one of those lamp posts that I love so much is in the way this time. To the right in that photo is the area we just left. The aqua blue dome is the Church of St. Francis, one of those fabulous buildings in the Knights of the Cross Square. To the left of that is the Old Town Bridge Tower, which was built as a victory arch through which Czech kings passed on their coronation processions. If you’re in the mood for a climb, there are 138 steps to the viewing gallery with incredible views of the city.
At the other end of the bridge are the Lesser Town Bridge Towers (Malá Strana), which are shown in the photo below. You can’t really see the gate between the two towers, so click here for a better photo. Of course no tower is complete without a viewing gallery, where you get awesome views of the Vltava River and the historic city center.
Once across the Charles Bridge, the road leads to Lesser Town – which as you’ll see in my next blog – is anything but Lesser! We didn’t cross all the way over the bridge, since we were shuffled out of the crowds and down the side steps that took us on another stroll thru a colorful neighborhood and to our next stop on the tour. The flowers spewing out of their window boxes brightened the still-gloomy day.
Seeing the John Lennon Wall was going to be a highlight of the trip, but I was somewhat disappointed. I don’t really know what I expected. Maybe something more John Lennon-ish like the photo at the left, but certainly not a mishmash of colors and disjointed sayings. It was tough to get a photo without people and it didn’t really wow me like I thought it would. Since the wall is obviously in a constant state of change, maybe next time we’re in Prague – instead of rushing past – we’ll have more time to take in the true meaning of it all. Every December 8th – on the anniversary of Lennon’s death – visitors adorn the wall with candles and flowers.
“After his murder on 8 December 1980, John Lennon became a pacifist hero for many young Czechs. An image of Lennon was painted on a wall in a secluded square opposite the French embassy, along with political graffiti and Beatles lyrics.
Despite repeated coats of whitewash, the secret police never managed to keep it clean for long, and the Lennon Wall became a political focus for Prague youth…”
We continued along to Kampa Island, crossing a small bridge over the canal known as Devil’s Stream. The bridge is called Lover’s Bridge and was totally (I mean totally!) covered in padlocks that lovers had placed on the bridge to keep their love “safe”. Apparently no lovers return to remove the locks when they divorce or no descendants return to remove the locks when lovers pass away – so obviously it’s packed – the locals hate it and the authorities come along from time to time with bolt cutters to remove them all. I must not have been impressed since I don’t have a photo, but the concept would be interesting (I suppose).
We continued on to our next stop, which is only just a little disturbing.
Three babies (two shown in the photos above) are located outside the Museum of Modern Art in Kampa Park. At first glance they are pretty cute (very large!), but when you get closer you’ll see they have a huge barcode stamped into their faces from top to bottom. A little creepy, but the artist created them to represent all of the digital data that is collected from birth about individuals. Their little baby bottoms had the same shiny patches from years of people touching them – another creepy observation.
I’m going to leave you here and continue in the next blog with the Prague Castle and our next two excursions for the day. There you’ll hear more about these big babies.
Next up: Awe-Inspiring Prague: Part Two
Happy trails,
Barb
Thanks for the kind words. The gargoyles are harmless – or are they?
Another wonderful blog with beautiful pictures! That astronomical clock was gorgeous and the gargoyle (?) Type figures above the door were interesting. Don’t know if I would have wanted to walk under them! Loved it all!