May 9-12: Prague, Czech Republic

Like many of our vacations, Jennie and I choose our destination and the timing of our vacation based on a particular city's marathon schedule. The Prague marathon was well timed and is a city that we have wanted to visit for quite some time now after hearing countless people say that it is the most beutiful city they have ever seen. Naturally, our vacation (officially) started as soon as I was finished the marathon! Here are some of the highlights.

GENERAL
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic at the geographical heart of Bohemia and Europe. Its beautiful cityscape was created by various emperors, artists, and religious communities earning it the distinction of being referred to as "the mother of cities", "city of a hundred spires", and "the golden city."

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain Prague has benefitted from a large influx of western tourists all wanting to see this hidden gem. We found that the crowds were dominated by French, Italian, and (North American) english.

One thing that surprised us was how many marionette stores and theatres there were. Apparently there is a special type of marionette - the Rod marionette - which is Czech. We were unable to go see a marionette show, but I will certainly plan to go to one next time.

Jennie and I were blown away by the beauty of Prague. What really grabbed my attention was how colorful the buildings are. Over the past year I have gotten used to "Paris Gray" where one building seems to melt into the other for miles throughout the streets of Paris. In Prague each building was colored differently adding to its unique character and charm.

Typical Prague Street.


Prague is bisected by the River Vltava, requiring the construction of many picturesque bridges to cross. Here is the Manesuv (foreground) and Karlov (Charles) Bridges taken from Letna Park.

Cechuv Most (Bridge). Here I had a post marathon ice-cream bar and climbed those stairs on the other side of the bridge.


Those stairs led some really nice views of Prague from Letna Park. At the top there was nothing but skateboarders, rollerbladers grinding on every curb imaginable, and a giant metronome. This metronome marks time where a giant statue of Joseph Stalin once stood. Here is Jennie overlooking Old Town.


Another great vantage point is from Petrin Hill. Jennie and I spent our last day walking around the wooded pathways that popped in and out of fantastic vistas overlooking the city.


We found a lot of enclosures carved into the rocks along the hill. They looked as they there were once used as shelter/housing. Now we suspect they are just a place for the local kids to smoke weed.

However, you do not have to climb high to get a good view as pretty much anywhere in Prague is nice! Here I am on the Most Legil with St. Vitus's Cathedral and Charles Bridge in the background.

Walking down from Petrin Hill we also ran into the sculpture below, which shows (from top to bottom) evolution from an incomplet man to "the complete man". Naturally, I felt that there should be one more man added in front...there, perfect!

It is hard not to be a "poser" when it seems you want to take a picture around every corner (I think they spelled "poser" wrong!!).


Very close to our hotel in New Town was the Dancing House. Apparently this building is supposed to resemble two people dancing. Personally I thought that it was supposed to represent a cannonball that had been shot into one side of the building, which was showing the impact of the force. Jennie informed me otherwise.


OLD TOWN SQUARE
This was a marketplace during the 11th century. In 1338 John of Luxembourg gave Prague's burghers permission to form a town council , then the old town hall was built. More importanty, Jennie and I found that prices of EVERYTHING decreased the further you got from Old Town Square where all the tourists could be found. In fact, if you are looking for your Starbucks fix, you will find it here.

Astronomical clock (left) and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn (right). Every hour, on the hour, people gather to watch the astronomical clock. Bells ring and little doors open, which reveal rotating and dancing 15th century statues of the 12 apostles. The astronomical clock tells time and relates the movement of the planets around the earth and the sun and the moon through the signs of the zodiac.


Astronomical Clock on the side of Old Town Hall.


Sun setting behind Church of St. Nicholas. We went inside this church, which is extremely small and used for concerts.


CHARLES BRIDGE (KARLUV MOST)
The Charles Bridge began construction in 1357 under the reign of Charles IV. Peter Parler was his chief architect who also undertook the construction of the St. Vitus's cathedral. There are 30 statues, installed from 1683 onwards, along the bridge of saints and other religious figures. The idea was to lead the masses back to mass.

Depending on the time of day you decide to visit Charles Bridge, you will get a completely different character to it. It the mornings and evening is was quite peaceful and relaxing to enjoy the city from. During the day it was full of musicians, street vendors, and (of course) tourists. One of the musicians has inspired me to buy a harmonica!






During our final hour and with our last 200 crown, we took a paddle boat on the Vltava river. This provided a unique view of the city (Jennie with Charles Bridge in the background).




One of the many statues along Charles Bridge.


MALA STRANA (LITTLE QUARTER)
Crossing the Charles Bridge from Old Town you enter Mala Strana. There were many really interesting restaurants and streets to explore here. One restaurant was accessable only by a very narrow gap between two buildings. It was so narrow that they had to use a traffic light to control the direction the way people would walk since there was no room to pass each other.


Here we also stumbled upon the John Lennon Wall. The wall was started by a Mexican student after Lennon's assassination and has since been painted over many times.


NERUDOVA STREET
Within Mala Strana, Nerudov Street leads up to the Prague Castle and St Vitus's Cathedral. This street requires special mention as it has the highest concentration of house signs within the city. Prague did not use house numbers until 1770. Before that time houses were identified with symbols, which often had alchemical significance.

Looking up Nerudova Street


The Golden Key. Castle goldsmiths worked in this house in the 17th century.


The Red Lamb.


The Three Fiddles housed violin-makers in the 18th century.


ST. VITUS'S CATHEDRAL and THE ROYAL PALACE
These are the structures that dominate the Prague skyline high atop Hradcany Hill. Jennie began to wonder just how many pictures I had taken of it because it seemed that everytime I looked at it, it was worthy to captured "in just the right light"! As far as (man-made) backdrops go, one would be hard-pressed to find one as beautiful as this. (I emphasize 'man-made', because nothing can compare to wild flowers in a mountain meadow).

Taken from Charles Bridge.


Taken from Petrin Hill.


Charles Bridge, St. Vitus's Cathedral and the Prague Castle.






Jennie and I went up and in the cathedral as well. We arrived early to beat the crowds. Although we beat the crowds, our eager-beaver antics were rewarded by getting soaked by a 2 hour rain storm (other than that, we had perfect weather for the entire week!). If we just would have slept in we could have saved 400 crown on our overpriced umbrella sold at the gift shop and we would have been dry for rest of the day (I will use this argument in the future when I do not want to get up!)








This is the main entrance into the Royal Palace. Today it is the home to the President of the Czech Republic. Personally, I just thought that the sculptures on either side of the gate were awesome. Some people have "Beware of Dog" signs to ward of intruders but not the President of the Czech Republic. He has these 2 bad ass statues, which say, "if you trespass you will get a beat-down with a piece of lumber and my steak knive."


Going past the Cathedral is Novy Svet. This street is full of low-lying houses built in the 17th century for castle workers. Their previous slums were burned down in 1541. It is also supposed to be a good place for "romantic strolling." So, we romantically strolled. Please note the overpriced walking umbrella - Jennie thought it gave me a distinguished air...


To finish off, here I am enjoying what I look forward to most on vacation - the local cuisine. Jennie was laughing at me because, although I started by saying we plan our vacations around marathons, she knows that I plan it around the local cuisine. How else can I explain why we have taken 2 trips to Bavarian county (Munich - Oktober Fest, 2008) in the past year where it is nothing but meat, starch, and beer?! Although some people hit the sights hard, I hit the food hard!