Prague at night is incredible. I still can't get over it. So far our favorite cities have been, London, Paris, and now Prague got added to the list. (and we had only been there a couple of hours)
We had previously decided we would meet at eight in the morning to get breakfast before checking out. The hotel had a nice little breakfast for us with the typical European fare: sandwich makings -- bread, cheeses, meats, and lettuce. Bananas, orange juice, nutella, and a few salads.
We ate and then packed and checked out. We were worried that it would take us quite a while to walk to the car, but in fact, it was very close. It was easier to find now that we knew the lay of the land and it being sunny outside. We stowed our luggage in the trunk and after consulting Rick Steves chose to walk towards the Jewish Quarter of the city.
We discovered a little plaque in honor of my absolute most favorite composer, Chopin. I have no idea what it says..... but I know that he is originally from Poland, which is the country just to the north.
Here is a little glimpse of some of the Art Nouveau architecture that runs rampant in Prague.
This is a church in the Old Town Square. I believe this is the church in one of my night pictures. Jan Hus is located right in front, but not pictured here. There were a bunch of workers out setting up some kind of stage in the square. Maybe a concert?
Also a neat building, Tyn Church has very spiky steeples. You can tell we are getting into more Eastern territory. I almost expect Dracula to meet us around the corner. . . (by the way, have you read The Historian? One of my top favorite books of all time)
Dusty (and part of Ben) are checking out the square. The square connects most everything together, so as pedestrians, it's the easiest way to get to different parts of the city.
More of beautiful Prague. We were worried it was going to rain at first, but it ended up being clear skies all day.
After wandering, we found the old Jewish Quarter. The Jews had been literally "quartered" here in the Middle Ages, segregated from everyone else. It's a compilation of many synagogues, buildings, and an ancient cemetery. According to their custom, Jews don't move a body once it has been buried, and since they only had this small area to bury their dead, the ground eventually rounded, and the stones are topsy turvy. There are over 100,000 people resting here. We saw the cemetery first.
We really learned a lot in the Museum about Jewish customs in their religion and in their daily life. They had many different exhibits which were incredibly interesting. The parts about the weddings and furniture were particularly neat to me. There are so many old items well preserved because when the Nazis took over Prague, they kept them to put in a future "Museum of the Extinct Jewish Race". Yuck.
Dusty and Ben bought some painted dreidels (tops) to take home to the kids.
Two synagogues stood out to us. One had painted in gold letters all the Jews who died in World War II. There were so many. A recording read the names as you walked through the rooms. It was a very somber place. The second was the oldest synagogue, in Europe, I believe. It was built in the 1200's for the Jews by the Christians who lived there, since Jews weren't allowed to build at the time. You have to walk down to get to the old street level and it's pretty small inside the actual synagogue. The beams at the top have an off-kilter 5 beam layout because the 4 beam method the Christians knew how to build was too much like a cross. It was very cool to see.
After the Jewish Quarter, we walked west across the bridge towards the Castle Quarter, which is located high on the hill. Here you can see a view of Charles Bridge, complete with old old statues and people selling their art.
To get to the castles, you can take a tram, or you can walk up flights of stairs on either side of the hill. We opted for the stairs. After a bit of a cardio workout, we reached the top of the hill and saw our first view of Prague.
When you enter the Castle Quarter, there a guards in their little boxes complete with a gorgeous striped paint job. (the boxes, not the Guards) There were usually at least two or three girls getting their picture with them as well. :)
We couldn't take photos of the first Palace we went into, as is usually the case with almost every Museum in Europe. It was the Lobkovitz Palace and had a grand history. This family had ruled the area of Prague and Czech Republic for many many centuries. But when World War II began, the family snuck out to their home in London. The Nazis seized all of their artwork and precious items. After the war, the family reclaimed most of what they could only to have it taken away again by the Communists. Only in 1989, after the fall of Communism in the country, did the remaining heir return and try to regain all that had been lost to his family.
The Palace wasn't very well attended and what a shame because it had some exceptional treasures. The Lobkowitz family were the patrons of many well known musicians, one of these being Beethoven. They allowed him creative license and because of this he could compose what he wanted. Today they possess the manuscripts of the Fifth Symphony (da da da dummmmm), and the Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy). Just seeing them sitting there behind glass, about four inches thick each-- what an experience! Some of the most glorious music written! They also had some lesser known works by Handel and Mozart. There were many beautiful instruments collected by the family and Halls of china and paintings.
After the Palace, the next big stop was St. Vitus' Cathedral. Ben and Dusty are getting ready to take photos. After all, one can't have too many pictures of Prague!
We walked around the outside with the crowds. Here are some scary gargoyles. I think they also functioned as rain spouts. But don't quote me on that.
We particularly liked the gold mosaics on the outside.
One of the portals to get inside. These were locked tight, but were such amazing looking doors.
Upon entering, you see the very skinny nave, almost colorless when compared to the gold reflecting at the alter.
The stained glass was different from others we had seen. The glass was cut so tiny the windows looked like mosaics.
Another Palace on the hill. We liked the white with the dark accents on top.
This is perhaps the more impressive entrance to the castles. We came in the back door I suppose. There is much more to see up here, but we wanted to see more further down.
Isn't Prague a gorgeous city? All those red roofs accented with green domes and church steeples?
We marched down the opposite stairs. It was picturesque. In fact, we followed a bride holding a giant bouquet of colorful balloons, and her groom complete with yellow tie and pink socks. I bet they were having a lovely time getting photographed.
That's a good looking statue. Wait! It's Dusty. Could have sworn he was a Roman God.
We stopped for a little snack. These were rolled in cinnamon sugar and cooked rotisserie style. Dusty became obsessed with them. On our way down we also bought some beautiful artwork of Prague.
Back down, we wound our way to St. Charles Bridge. But before that we passed this monument. Classic Prague. Weathered statues and gold halos.
A look at the cobblestones that are everywhere in Europe. They are easy to replace and a nice break from cement. Also a glimpse of my sturdy shoes that carried me everywhere for three weeks and not one blister!
I should have known something was up when these boys came walking towards me with these cheesy grins on their faces. Yep, they had a dare for me. Was I stupid enough to do it? I'll never tell. . . .
Almost to the bridge we found another place that sold the yummy pastries. We had also just previously been treated to some Doners, a sandwich filled to the brim with pork, cabbage, and some delicious kind of dressing. Ben loves them. While we were standing there, eating, and people watching, a man came out from a tower and played a little fanfare on his trumpet. He swirled his cape and everything! As if this moment couldn't get any better!
The Bridge is loaded with old statues that are being slowly restored. Here's a look back at the Castle Quarter. See St. Vitus' twin steeples? The white Palace on the right is the Lobkovitz one.
Many artists selling their works are here along with some great jazz musicians. Evidently Prague is a big jazz place. I did not know that beforehand.
This is the entrance of the Museum of Young Modern Art. Makes you want to go in huh?
After doing some shopping in the stores that line the walkways (Dusty found some good stuff), we got back to the Old Town Square.
They hadn't been preparing for a concert, but for some arrival of VIP's. There was as big crowd and lots of clapping. I could barely get this snapshot of the Astronomical Clock. We did get to see the puppets come out dance though.
It was getting late in the afternoon. We wanted to visit the Museum of Communism, but despite all three of us, we could not find it! There were so many other things to see and do, but we decided to call it a good day-trip, and head for home. We trekked back to the car and waved goodbye to Prague. I would love to return someday. It was filled with ambiance, great architecture, good food, and tradition.
We had a smooth ride back to Ben and Becky's. We ate pizza and chatted with Becky, and I got to snuggle her little baby! We also want to thank B&B for treating us to our little Prague trip! It was amazing. We plan on returning the favor someday.
What I want to remember about Prague:
Charles Bridge at night Dusty ordering dinner beautiful watercolors for sale
all of us thinking we needed to go a different direction cobblestone everywhere
Dusty's hat and T-shirt he bought our cool hotel Beethoven's 5th symphony
views of Prague eating doners castles on the hill Jewish cemetery
Ben taking pictures of us driving with GPS art nouveau architecture
the feel of the city Wenceslas Square good food wandering aimlessly
We had previously decided we would meet at eight in the morning to get breakfast before checking out. The hotel had a nice little breakfast for us with the typical European fare: sandwich makings -- bread, cheeses, meats, and lettuce. Bananas, orange juice, nutella, and a few salads.
We ate and then packed and checked out. We were worried that it would take us quite a while to walk to the car, but in fact, it was very close. It was easier to find now that we knew the lay of the land and it being sunny outside. We stowed our luggage in the trunk and after consulting Rick Steves chose to walk towards the Jewish Quarter of the city.
We discovered a little plaque in honor of my absolute most favorite composer, Chopin. I have no idea what it says..... but I know that he is originally from Poland, which is the country just to the north.
Here is a little glimpse of some of the Art Nouveau architecture that runs rampant in Prague.
This is a church in the Old Town Square. I believe this is the church in one of my night pictures. Jan Hus is located right in front, but not pictured here. There were a bunch of workers out setting up some kind of stage in the square. Maybe a concert?
Also a neat building, Tyn Church has very spiky steeples. You can tell we are getting into more Eastern territory. I almost expect Dracula to meet us around the corner. . . (by the way, have you read The Historian? One of my top favorite books of all time)
Dusty (and part of Ben) are checking out the square. The square connects most everything together, so as pedestrians, it's the easiest way to get to different parts of the city.
More of beautiful Prague. We were worried it was going to rain at first, but it ended up being clear skies all day.
After wandering, we found the old Jewish Quarter. The Jews had been literally "quartered" here in the Middle Ages, segregated from everyone else. It's a compilation of many synagogues, buildings, and an ancient cemetery. According to their custom, Jews don't move a body once it has been buried, and since they only had this small area to bury their dead, the ground eventually rounded, and the stones are topsy turvy. There are over 100,000 people resting here. We saw the cemetery first.
We really learned a lot in the Museum about Jewish customs in their religion and in their daily life. They had many different exhibits which were incredibly interesting. The parts about the weddings and furniture were particularly neat to me. There are so many old items well preserved because when the Nazis took over Prague, they kept them to put in a future "Museum of the Extinct Jewish Race". Yuck.
Dusty and Ben bought some painted dreidels (tops) to take home to the kids.
Two synagogues stood out to us. One had painted in gold letters all the Jews who died in World War II. There were so many. A recording read the names as you walked through the rooms. It was a very somber place. The second was the oldest synagogue, in Europe, I believe. It was built in the 1200's for the Jews by the Christians who lived there, since Jews weren't allowed to build at the time. You have to walk down to get to the old street level and it's pretty small inside the actual synagogue. The beams at the top have an off-kilter 5 beam layout because the 4 beam method the Christians knew how to build was too much like a cross. It was very cool to see.
After the Jewish Quarter, we walked west across the bridge towards the Castle Quarter, which is located high on the hill. Here you can see a view of Charles Bridge, complete with old old statues and people selling their art.
To get to the castles, you can take a tram, or you can walk up flights of stairs on either side of the hill. We opted for the stairs. After a bit of a cardio workout, we reached the top of the hill and saw our first view of Prague.
When you enter the Castle Quarter, there a guards in their little boxes complete with a gorgeous striped paint job. (the boxes, not the Guards) There were usually at least two or three girls getting their picture with them as well. :)
We couldn't take photos of the first Palace we went into, as is usually the case with almost every Museum in Europe. It was the Lobkovitz Palace and had a grand history. This family had ruled the area of Prague and Czech Republic for many many centuries. But when World War II began, the family snuck out to their home in London. The Nazis seized all of their artwork and precious items. After the war, the family reclaimed most of what they could only to have it taken away again by the Communists. Only in 1989, after the fall of Communism in the country, did the remaining heir return and try to regain all that had been lost to his family.
The Palace wasn't very well attended and what a shame because it had some exceptional treasures. The Lobkowitz family were the patrons of many well known musicians, one of these being Beethoven. They allowed him creative license and because of this he could compose what he wanted. Today they possess the manuscripts of the Fifth Symphony (da da da dummmmm), and the Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy). Just seeing them sitting there behind glass, about four inches thick each-- what an experience! Some of the most glorious music written! They also had some lesser known works by Handel and Mozart. There were many beautiful instruments collected by the family and Halls of china and paintings.
After the Palace, the next big stop was St. Vitus' Cathedral. Ben and Dusty are getting ready to take photos. After all, one can't have too many pictures of Prague!
We walked around the outside with the crowds. Here are some scary gargoyles. I think they also functioned as rain spouts. But don't quote me on that.
We particularly liked the gold mosaics on the outside.
One of the portals to get inside. These were locked tight, but were such amazing looking doors.
Upon entering, you see the very skinny nave, almost colorless when compared to the gold reflecting at the alter.
The stained glass was different from others we had seen. The glass was cut so tiny the windows looked like mosaics.
Another Palace on the hill. We liked the white with the dark accents on top.
This is perhaps the more impressive entrance to the castles. We came in the back door I suppose. There is much more to see up here, but we wanted to see more further down.
Isn't Prague a gorgeous city? All those red roofs accented with green domes and church steeples?
We marched down the opposite stairs. It was picturesque. In fact, we followed a bride holding a giant bouquet of colorful balloons, and her groom complete with yellow tie and pink socks. I bet they were having a lovely time getting photographed.
That's a good looking statue. Wait! It's Dusty. Could have sworn he was a Roman God.
We stopped for a little snack. These were rolled in cinnamon sugar and cooked rotisserie style. Dusty became obsessed with them. On our way down we also bought some beautiful artwork of Prague.
Back down, we wound our way to St. Charles Bridge. But before that we passed this monument. Classic Prague. Weathered statues and gold halos.
A look at the cobblestones that are everywhere in Europe. They are easy to replace and a nice break from cement. Also a glimpse of my sturdy shoes that carried me everywhere for three weeks and not one blister!
I should have known something was up when these boys came walking towards me with these cheesy grins on their faces. Yep, they had a dare for me. Was I stupid enough to do it? I'll never tell. . . .
Almost to the bridge we found another place that sold the yummy pastries. We had also just previously been treated to some Doners, a sandwich filled to the brim with pork, cabbage, and some delicious kind of dressing. Ben loves them. While we were standing there, eating, and people watching, a man came out from a tower and played a little fanfare on his trumpet. He swirled his cape and everything! As if this moment couldn't get any better!
The Bridge is loaded with old statues that are being slowly restored. Here's a look back at the Castle Quarter. See St. Vitus' twin steeples? The white Palace on the right is the Lobkovitz one.
Many artists selling their works are here along with some great jazz musicians. Evidently Prague is a big jazz place. I did not know that beforehand.
A view of the river. The gold capped building is the National Theatre I think.
This is the entrance of the Museum of Young Modern Art. Makes you want to go in huh?
After doing some shopping in the stores that line the walkways (Dusty found some good stuff), we got back to the Old Town Square.
They hadn't been preparing for a concert, but for some arrival of VIP's. There was as big crowd and lots of clapping. I could barely get this snapshot of the Astronomical Clock. We did get to see the puppets come out dance though.
It was getting late in the afternoon. We wanted to visit the Museum of Communism, but despite all three of us, we could not find it! There were so many other things to see and do, but we decided to call it a good day-trip, and head for home. We trekked back to the car and waved goodbye to Prague. I would love to return someday. It was filled with ambiance, great architecture, good food, and tradition.
We had a smooth ride back to Ben and Becky's. We ate pizza and chatted with Becky, and I got to snuggle her little baby! We also want to thank B&B for treating us to our little Prague trip! It was amazing. We plan on returning the favor someday.
What I want to remember about Prague:
Charles Bridge at night Dusty ordering dinner beautiful watercolors for sale
all of us thinking we needed to go a different direction cobblestone everywhere
Dusty's hat and T-shirt he bought our cool hotel Beethoven's 5th symphony
views of Prague eating doners castles on the hill Jewish cemetery
Ben taking pictures of us driving with GPS art nouveau architecture
the feel of the city Wenceslas Square good food wandering aimlessly
No comments:
Post a Comment