We started off our stay in Prague by visiting the square of the most important church in Prague; the St. Vitus Cathedral. Unfortunately we did not get to go inside because there was a mass at this time (some people ventured back later but I chose to see other things). We then visited the Old Royal Palace and also the St. George Basilica – founded in about 920 AD. Certainly a big difference here from the cathedral! From here there were great views of the city and I managed to capture a nice shot of a friend on the balcony.
Standing on the Balcony looking over Prague.
Standing in the entrance of the museum of Medieval armor.
After that we walked along the Golden Lane, filled with really tiny old houses that have now become shops. Running along the on the second floor (they are all connected) was a sort of museum of battle armor through the middle ages. There were quite a variety of armored suits, helmets, and shields! Even one for a kid (or midget I suppose).
One of the tiny houses on the Golden Lane
Next we watched a performance/procession of the Prague guards and then quickly headed off to the Prague Castle Gardens, founded in 1534. These gardens were absolutely beautiful, and considering that this day we had the most beautiful weather of the trip, our walk through these gardens was truly my favorite experience. Every turn gave another wonderful view of the city that really took my breath away. I really must say, the best things in life are free (well, ok, it cost a fair bit to get here, but after that…).
The Czech Guards
A small group of performers on the square
Viewing Prague from the Gardens
Walking down to the Wallenstein Palace
Looking at the Wallenstein Palace through my friend's glasses
A friend standing at the John Lennon Wall
After the gardens, we continued downhill and saw the Wallenstein Palace – the seat of the Parliament of the Czech Republic – which also had beautiful gardens. On our way to lunch (I must say we were all very hungry, our lunch was not until 3 in the afternoon) we got to see the famous John Lennon wall, walked across the Charles Bridge again, and had a little bit of free time in one of the town squares. Along the Charles Bridge I found it funny that there was a performer playing “New York, New York” and there were many tourists gathered around him singing along. I then hummed the tune later and a friend got annoyed that I was singing an obviously American tune on my first day touring in Prague. I guess they hadn’t noticed yet how much American music has become a part of the culture for Europeans!
The John Lennon Wall
Look, it's a mobius strip!!!
After lunch we had the rest of the afternoon free until the concert at night, so a friend and I decided to head off to the remains of a castle that we would not be getting to on our tours. Along the way we ventured into a mega store to look for batteries for her camera. It was quite something to see TV’s priced at over 100,000 (yes, in koruny, not in dollars). Electronics seemed to be quite expensive here – a camera that cost $600 in America was selling for almost $1000 here…
An historic rotunda in a more modern setting...
Unfortunately, once we found our way to the castle grounds, we could not find much of a castle, instead we found much of fortifications, old buildings whose significance we did not know, and a cathedral (but it was quite a site to see nonetheless). The best part however, was getting yet another wonderful view of the city, this time from right by the river. Of course, in my usual fashion, I convinced my friend to do a jumping picture with me – and it turned out quite nice!
Jumping picture over the Vltava River
On our way back to see the concert we got a little sidetracked because the trams were diverted by a marathon that was going on in the middle of the city. Nonetheless we got there and time, and got so see a nice sunset just one bridge north of the Charles Bridge!
Sunset over a bridge in Prague
Concert Hall in Prague
The concert hall was beautiful, although I found it odd that in the balcony there were large pillars obstructing the view from some of the seats. Not surprisingly, no one was sitting in those seats…I wonder if they cost less because of that too… The concert as I remember was the Mendelssohn Elijah Oratio. It is a good long concert so I decided to only attend the first half, and then to walk around old town Prague with a friend during the second half and before dinner.
On our walk we found many toy shops (particularly puppets and dolls) and also many jewelry and crystal shops – very expensive ones! We also found a shop selling some old film cameras, for not so cheap…
Here is a window advertisement that I do not think we would find in the states… I suppose the theme was back-to-school wear, but I don’t think American ads show any hint of academics in their ads…just the social importance of looking cool when going back to school.
Clothing ad using education as a theme
We had dinner in a cozy restaurant with a Jazz trio performing near the front, and a bar and club in the basement. After dinner about half of our group went to a sponsored club night thanks to IES. This club had many separate rooms, with one dance floor, and it had the feel of going to a club inside a cave. Pretty cool, and the lights on the dance floor were spectacular!
Our spot for dinner
The cool downstairs club area of the restaraunt
After an hour or two in the club, I decided to call it a night so that we could get up early enough for the morning tours and with enough energy for the whole day! Upon suggestion, one of my friends got up REALLY early in the morning (opted not to go to the club) to take pictures of sunrise in Prague. Turned out to be a little hazy but a good experience he said.
In a club in Prague
On the dance floor
To be continued with day 3….
Filed under: Abroad in Vienna
