Blogs from Hradcany, Prague, Czech Republic, Europe

Today would likely be our final day of sightseeing in Prague, before moving on to Munich, so we decided to visit the area known as Wenceslas Square. Many important historical events have occurred here, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The square is named after the legendary and much revered duke of Bohemia who ruled from 921 until his assassination (by his younger brother) in 935. His martyrdom and the popularity of several biographies gave rise to a reputation for heroic virtue and piety that resulted in his elevation to sainthood. He was posthumously declared to be a king, and eventually came to be recognized as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is also the subject of the well-known "Good King Wenceslas", a carol for Saint Stephen's ... read more

We headed for Prague Castle via Malostranska. In 2005 we got off at Hradcanska and strolled through Royal Garden towards the entrance for the castle. This time we took the No.2 2 tram from Malostranska to Prazsky hrad. We weren’t sure which would be the right stop, but one of the local people let me know where to get off. It was the lunch time when we arrived at the castle site. We had lunch at the terraced restaurant garden. From where we sat down we could see its striking spires and towers of St Vitus Cathedral. My father said, ‘The cathedral look like Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona.’ My mother expressed interest in visiting Josefov, Jewish District, after looking round the castle. I said to her that there were several buildings we were going to ... read more

In der Nacht habe ich leider sehr schlecht geschlafen. Vielleicht bin ich es nicht mehr gewohnt, in fremden Betten zu nächtigen. Ich habe mich dann trotzdem zum Sightseeing aufgemacht und die Müdigkeit lies sich durch Kaffee beheben. Ich habe also nochmals an der Rezeption nach der Straßenbahnverbindung in den Westen Prags gefragt. Hier ändern sich nämlich gerne die Streckenführungen und meine Karte vom Reiseführer und auch die, die ich vom Hotel bekommen habe, waren veraltet. Dank der Beschreibung habe ich den Weg prima gefunden. Vor Ort war ich dann in der Strahov Bibliothek und dem gleichnamigen Kloster. Das war sehr sehenswert, auch wenn die Warteschlage vor dem Ticketverkauf doch etwas lang war. Wenn auch nicht so lange wie die an diesem Osterwochenende vor der Prager Burg. Danach bin ich zur Wallfahrtskirche Loreta. Die war auch ganz ... read more

Free free free internet!We love this feature! Just had our first long conversation with another Amercian and couldn't understand a word she was saying! Whoops. The train ride here was fabulous, through Bavarian village in a valley alongside a river. It is a pretty close second in terms of beauty to Switzerland! Going to search for food. Wil update later!... read more

Hi Everybody! In the last few days I have seen the Dancing House, the Prague Castle, the Kriski fountain, and I took a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the bone church. Because Prague was largely undamaged in WWII many of their architectual marvels still exist. Prague Castle is considered the largest ancient castle in the world. It has existed in some form since the 10th century. The highlight of Prague Castle is the St. Vitas Cathedral which was started in 1344 and not finished until 1929. Yes, 1929. It took them over 600 years to complete the cathedral. They even changed architectural styles in the middle of construction! Prague Castle was also the place of the second Prague defenestration (which is a Czech code word meaning: throwing people out of windows). This defenestration was ... read more