Day Five - Prowling Prague

Europe » Czech Republic » Prague
December 24th 2007

Published: April 27th 2008

Even though I consumed almost a gallon of Prague’s finest brews last night, I didn’t wake with any semblance of a hangover. We did choose to sleep in though. A late night combined with the knowledge that our first tourist stop (Prague Castle) wouldn’t open until 9:30 convinced me that I needed to rest up a bit before my proposed full day drive on Christmas Day. Once again we began our day w... Read Full Entry

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One More Look at the Shrine

John's fame is such that there are statues of him throughout the city; even on the Charles Bridge from whence he was tossed. He is not only a hero to the Catholics of Prague but is also seen as a national hero willing to die for his principles.

St. Wenceslas Chapel

This is the most important chapel in the cathedral. St. Wenceslas, the patron of Bohemia, was a Duke of the Premyslid dynasty. He was murdered by his own brother Boleslav in the 10th century. There are legends about miracles he made during his life and he became a symbol of Christianity because of his moral life and martyrish death. To show respect for him, Emperor Charles IV. had a splendid chapel built above his grave in the 14th century and he decorated it with murals and semi precious stones

Too Bad We Can't Go in There

The chapel is off limits to tourists. No doubt because of all the jeweled decorations and gold leaf adornments.

St. Wenceslas' Grave

In the past the Czech crown jewels were kept here next to the tomb but they are now kept in the Crown Chamber, which can be entered only through the door in the St. Wenceslas Chapel. There are seven keys needed to open it, each one kept by a different person.

Chillin' in the Courtyard

We weren't quite sure where to go next. We were tempted to simply follow one of the many tour groups but they were agonizingly slow, pushy and conducted in Russian.

Golden Portal

Until the 19th Century this was the main entrance into the cathedral. Now it's only used on ceremonial occassions. Above the door is a 14th Century mosaic of the Last Judgement. There is also a nifty wicker Nativity scene set-up next to the entrance.

Theft in the Church

Before we finally left the cathedral Cassie sneakily stole my nice warm fuzzy hat.

Under Re-construction

It almost looked like we finally found a church in Europe devoid of scaffolding, but in this small section work was being done on the outside statues and memorials.

A Czecherd Dog

When I was shopping for a German Shepherd puppy on the internet I often found that the most prestigious and expensive breeders proudly proclaimed that their bitches had Czech bloodlines. Of course we ended-up taking the cheaper route - finding Zeta in the local newspaper. As she grew older I noticed black markings on her tongue. Knowing her I just assumed she ate a Magic Marker. Further research on the internet revealed that these black tongue markings are the sign of Czech bloodlines. This may be one of Zeta's relatives. Czech this one out.

That's the Last Straw

Gail got this closer look at the wicker manger at the side of the cathefral.

St George's Basilica

Just behind St. Vitus Cathedral is this older basilica. St. George's was built in the Romanesque style and dates from 915. We didn't realize that inside was another early Czech martyr - St. Ludmilla who was strangled by her daughter as she prayed. Just another place to add to our list of places we need to return to see. And to the left is St. George's Convent which we also skipped.

A Little Out of Place

We never learned what this building next to the basilica was, but its color scheme looked out of place in this part of the palace grounds. I think it might be a theater but can't find any info about it.

And Right Behind Me...

On the exact opposite side of this same square is the back of St. Vitus.

Another Little Boy Playing Soldier

These poor guards have to put up with tourists taking advantage of them all day long. So why be different? I wonder if Tyler had any idea how angry this guy looked.

The View from the Hill

We were in such a frenzy during our shopping spree in Golden Lane that we failed to take any photos. So fast forward to us standing outside the castle looking over the hillside surrounded by scores of tourists and other nefarious characters.

Is Prague Burning?

No, but it was very smoky and overcast. I've heard that the view from Castle Hill is beautiful in the summer when the sun is out and the chimneys are quiet, but on this chilly Winter day it was a bit depressing.

Not the Charles Bridge

Looking down into Mala Strana (Little Quarter). Manesuv Most is the name of this bridge which runs parallel to the much more scenic Charles Bridge. The latter is strictly a pedestrian bridge while this one is a main artery for the city.

Petrinska Rozhledna

This observation tower is a 1/4 replica of the Eifel Tower. Perched atop Petrin Park you can supposedly see across the country on a clear day. Today was not exactly a clear day.

Jaromir Green Shoes

After the pickpocketing incident I snapped this shot of one of the gang members. Note what lengths they went to in order to blend in with the tourists - ugly tourist clothing, a man purse and a camera. This was just a scond or two before he flipped us off.

Write This One Down Too

Our walk down from Castle Hill took us through the Little Quarter. In order to reach the entrance to Charles Bridge we had to walk through almost the entire neighborhood to reach the bridge entrance. This charming looking restaurant wasn't open when we walked by. Methinks alfresco dining in the Summer might be the way to go.

Just Hanging Around in Prague

We were a little leery of taking a picture in the puppet shop fearing the owner might start screaming at us for trying to steal her ideas or something. Back in the construction area Gail took this photo.

29th April 2008

Anna
non-member comment

I have been in Prague for 2 weeks, I absolutely loved. I was there with my friends. During the day we went to visit what the guide told us to: ) but we had a lot of fun during the night. I found the city beautiful, like a fairytale land, the towers, the castles, the cathedrals. I also found the city safe as you can see in this article from the government pages, I never had a problem by being out till late or walking to the hotel alone. Life there is so cheap we can live very well there. The price of the beer make us get drunk easier: ) I also was nicely surprised by the place we slept in I’ll leave you here a very good site of Prague hotels http://www.prague-hotels.org.uk/, they are cheap and very pleasant. For your next time. I was also very impressed by the Jewish quarter, specially the first synagogue where the names of the victims are written all over the walls. But I think the most beautiful was the Spanish synagogue. The S. Vito Cathedral is beautifulform the out side. I didn’t managed to enter, I didn’t understand why but there was a guard at the door that only let Czechs in. Although your pictures are very illustrative. The got a nice weather there it was sunny and hot. The only problem is that there no sea air circulating but that was ok. I intend to return for sure.

1st May 2008

Zigeuner
Doug L.

Your take on Prague
I too really liked Prague and would love to go back. But after our pickpocketing incident at Prague Castle I will probably never convince my wife to go back. What I especially like about Prague is the way everything is so centrally located. That and the beer!

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Day Five - Prowling Prague

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