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Published: November 12th 2014
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Tim and I went for an early morning walk so that we could have a quieter, uninterrupted view of the river and its bridges. It was a bit damp and very misty but there were no crowds; just the early morning smell of pastries and various sausages fills the air as food vendors start their day. Sketch artists, souvenir sellers and performers claim prime positions as early morning joggers test their bodies on the Charles Bridge and the New Town hills. A few fisherman and a flock of seagulls provide the only action on the water as the river boats were yet to start their day. We had a coffee in the Old Town before heading back to stir up the others and have some breakfast.
After breakfast we all walked to the district across the Charles Bridge, that encompasses the Cathedral, the Palace and the community and businesses that service them. It's a steep climb uphill with a few seats along the way for a rest or just to sit and soak up the atmosphere of these old streets.
Nothing is free in Prague, so after buying a few tickets we visited the Bastion of St George which
was started in the 10th century and was established as the first convent for the nuns in Bohemia. After a fire during a siege of the castle in 1142 damaged the Convent and the Basilica, they were rebuilt in the Romanesque style and remain that way today. Heating was added in the 18th century but that's about it.
Next was the Castle and the Spanish Hall, a major feature of the castle. The steps leading into the rear of the hall large sloped to allow the entry of horses for jousting events. Just an early version of indoor sports we have today, I suppose.
We then checked out the Cathedral, and at the risk of appearing to be a non believer ( of constantly visiting churches, at least), after visiting many cathedrals and churches you become a little blasé about it all. They are magnificent, the features and the workmanship are amazing, some have a special sort of aura about them, but having visited so many in the past seven weeks, I'm not easily impressed anymore. But I'm still drawn to look in them; i'm the moth, they're the flame.
Our next intended district to have a
look at was the Jewish Quarter but when we arrived we were too late to be admitted anywhere. We had not estimated how long the early part of the day would take and have missed this opportunity. There are 6 synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery to see and we had to settle for the outside only. We had a walk through the area and the adjoining upmarket shopping strip until we ended up back at our accommodation. After a short break we went to a local restaurant for dinner before heading back early to pack our gear ready for an early departure to meet our flight to Russia tomorrow.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
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