So, Prague was certainly a trip that lived up the name of this blog. My friend J and I covered the Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Little Quarter, Prague Castle and New Quarter in our day and a half ... all on foot. Climbing the hill to Prague Castle not once, not twice, but three times was pretty exhausting but in the end worth it. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called David, though all our meals were quite good. Of course, steadied by the adventurous spirit of J and the power of my moustache, we went to the most traditional Czech Beer Hall we could find, mostly filled with locals, which our guidebook said was only for the brave. I had long wanted to see the Astronomical Clock as will not surprise anyone who has ever seen any of my photos from Europe. All I can say is that it is worth it. Local legend says that the artist was blinded by the town so he would never be able to repeat such a work of art anywhere else. I would not have believed it until we saw the torture chambers in the Castle. Much of the city is beautifully preserved (or renovated) and is rather worth a visit. Hopefully you will enjoy the (many) pictures below.
A little Military-Industrial-Complex graffiti.
The State Opera building.
The National Museum.
In the park near the Modern Art Museum.
The National Theater.
The Charles Bridge over the river Vltava and part of the city from the National Theater.
The Prague Castle in the distance.
The bridge near the National Theater.
An attempt to capture the beauty of Prague at night from the Castle. Not much justice is done here, but it is the best I could do. This was our third trip up the hill.
An attempt at the TV tower at night.
One of the unnaturally large glasses in which our night cap was served.
The other unnaturally large glass (and J).
The mosaic on the side of St. Vitus' Cathedral inside the Palace Walls. This was our second trip up the hill.
St. Vitus' near dusk.
The balcony made famous by the Velvet Revolution, which Tupac got kicked out of because his rhymes were weak.
The clock on St. Vitus' Cathedral.
The city during the day from the castle.
St. Nicholas' Cathedral (and a clock of course).
The Castle Gardens.
The ceiling of St. Thomas' Cathedral.
Some modern art, an island in the river and a beautiful summer day.
Modern Art or Kitsch? You be the judge.
The Charles Bridge with the Castle in the background.
The small break in the river.
One of the many synagogues in the Jewish Quarter.
Another synagogue.
The Cubist Houses were unsurprisingly a somewhat anticlimactic stop on the walking tour.
Either the New Old Synagogue or the Old New Synagogue.
J in front of his favorite part of Prague, the hill to the Castle.
Another bridge.
A ceiling in St. George's Basilica inside the Palace. This was on our first trip up the hill. J paid 500 Korunas for two tickets to three items, meaning we saw all three in detail. :)
One of the many overlooks at the Castle.
What I thought was a rather nice wall.
The primary hall in the Castle.
Up close with the Cathedral Clock.
The Golden Lane, which is supposed to be a well-preserved Medieval street mostly consists of kitchy shops and memorials to torture. Ah, the Dark Ages really were the good ole days.
The back of St. Vitus'.
St. George's.
An impressive door.
The entrance to the palace.
The impressive carved stones in the buildings around the Castle (or the Prazny hrad in my nearly flawless Czech).
Clock close-up.
The Castle on the hill.
The hill overlooking Prague with the TV tower in the distance.
The river.
The Castle from the bridge.
The Music Hall.
Highlights from walking through the Old Quarter.
Photographic evidence I have seen the clock. It really is breathtaking.
Enjoy.
Various interesting facades around Prague.
A skilled navigator.
A nice window.
Jon in the Bethlehem Square.
My first clock.
A little Military-Industrial-Complex graffiti.
The State Opera building.
The National Museum.
In the park near the Modern Art Museum.
The National Theater.
The Charles Bridge over the river Vltava and part of the city from the National Theater.
The Prague Castle in the distance.
The bridge near the National Theater.
An attempt to capture the beauty of Prague at night from the Castle. Not much justice is done here, but it is the best I could do. This was our third trip up the hill.
An attempt at the TV tower at night.
One of the unnaturally large glasses in which our night cap was served.
The other unnaturally large glass (and J).
The mosaic on the side of St. Vitus' Cathedral inside the Palace Walls. This was our second trip up the hill.
St. Vitus' near dusk.
The balcony made famous by the Velvet Revolution, which Tupac got kicked out of because his rhymes were weak.
The clock on St. Vitus' Cathedral.
The city during the day from the castle.
St. Nicholas' Cathedral (and a clock of course).
The Castle Gardens.
The ceiling of St. Thomas' Cathedral.
Some modern art, an island in the river and a beautiful summer day.
Modern Art or Kitsch? You be the judge.
The Charles Bridge with the Castle in the background.
The small break in the river.
One of the many synagogues in the Jewish Quarter.
Another synagogue.
The Cubist Houses were unsurprisingly a somewhat anticlimactic stop on the walking tour.
Either the New Old Synagogue or the Old New Synagogue.
J in front of his favorite part of Prague, the hill to the Castle.
Another bridge.
A ceiling in St. George's Basilica inside the Palace. This was on our first trip up the hill. J paid 500 Korunas for two tickets to three items, meaning we saw all three in detail. :)
One of the many overlooks at the Castle.
What I thought was a rather nice wall.
The primary hall in the Castle.
Up close with the Cathedral Clock.
The Golden Lane, which is supposed to be a well-preserved Medieval street mostly consists of kitchy shops and memorials to torture. Ah, the Dark Ages really were the good ole days.
The back of St. Vitus'.
St. George's.
An impressive door.
The entrance to the palace.
The impressive carved stones in the buildings around the Castle (or the Prazny hrad in my nearly flawless Czech).
Clock close-up.
The Castle on the hill.
The hill overlooking Prague with the TV tower in the distance.
The river.
The Castle from the bridge.
The Music Hall.
Highlights from walking through the Old Quarter.
Photographic evidence I have seen the clock. It really is breathtaking.
Enjoy.
Various interesting facades around Prague.
A skilled navigator.
A nice window.
Jon in the Bethlehem Square.
My first clock.
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