Blogs from Prague, Czech Republic, Europe - page 183

We have gotten very little walking in since we arrived back on January 20th and this morning we decided that "this has to change." So after lunch we walked to the trail that goes up the Sarka Valley, strapped on our Yaktraxs and headed up-stream walking over the several inches thick ice. And, "Yes, the Yaktraxs work." We did not slip once and if you don't slip you probably wil; not fall. Even in the hardest ice the traxs dug in, leaving little impressions in the ice as we walked. "Why were we so dumb that we did not use these before," Nancy mused as we walked. Not wanting to admit to being dumb I said nothing in reply. My blood pressure has been quite high and I have been so upset about it. This evening ... read more

Our Lady of the Snows is one of our favorite churches in Prague primarily because of the mosaic of Mary and the baby Jesus above the entranceway. It is one of the most beautiful mosaics we have seen. The church is the tallest church in Prague, measuring 111 feet in height. Founded by Charles IV on September 3rd, 1347 as the abbey as a monastery for the Carmelites and place for future coronations the plans were for the church to be the largest one in Prague. Events overtook plans and only the presbytery and the monastery were completed. The St. Vitus Cathedral is much larger. The church, now surrounded by other buildings, is very easy to walk by and not notice. Except for the mosaic, Our Lady of the Snows is not the most beautiful church ... read more

One of the great things about living in London is that you can be sitting at your desk on a cold, dreary, grey Thursday afternoon and by late evening have arrived in a lightly snow covered Prague. We left London on our wedding anniversary to spend the weekend in this much-anticipated Eastern European city celebrating three years of marriage. Being the middle of February it was absolutely freezing, but there is definitely something special about looking out over the countless gorgeous vistas as the snow falls lightly through the air and settles in a thin blanket over the top of the stunning ancient buildings. After a hearty breakfast - as all the food is in this part of the world - of cold meats, boiled eggs, bread, cheese, yoghurt and tea and coffee we were ready ... read more

Prague is a city filled with beautiful buildings that date back several hundred years. Fortunately these have not been ripped down to make way for modern non-descript steel and glass buildings that, to me, are not attractive, much less beautiful. The buildings shown here are all in a small area of Prague ... and like the doorways we have not begun to scratch the surface in showing the ornate, beautiful buildings of Prague. Sad to say my ignorance is such that I cannot say, "This is a Rococo design," or "This is a Renaissance design." ... read more

In this city of buildings and churches that date back hundreds of years there is one church that, from the front, appears new and modern. In actuality the front is new and modern in design, but the rest of the building is quite old. This is the Emauzy Church. Emauzy is Czech for Emmas and this church is named for that Biblical town. The Benedictines founded the church in the 14th century and the monastery that stands beside the church. During World War II the Naxis gave complex to the Red Cross and during the Communist era it was used as governmental offices. A friend here gave me much of this information. Late during World War II, February 14th, 1945 to be exact, the church was damaged during an American bombing raid. There must have been ... read more