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Published: February 27th 2005
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Golden Portal
The Golden Portal was the main entrance to the St. Vitas Cathedral. After the worship service I stepped out the chapel door into the sunshine. “Hmmm, I thought, it isn’t very cold today.” The weatherman had called for very cold weather today and for the next several days. I went back into the chapel and walked up to Harold.
“It’s not very cold out. Do you want to go downtown and take some pictures. The sun is shining and the light will be good.”
“Sure,” Harold said, “is Nancy going along?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll ask her.”
Nancy thought it over and decided she wanted a quiet afternoon in our room.
As soon as Harold and I stepped out of our building we knew we had been wrong about the temperature. The door from the chapel is on the protected side of the building, out of the wind. On this side of the building a nasty, cold wind was blowing.
Harold and I caught the two-thirty bus, changed to the subway at Dejvicka. We rode one stop and got off at Hradcanska. Hradcanska is the nearest stop to the palace and the St. Vitas Cathedral. Being near the castle and the seat of government it attracted the
The Golden Portal Mosaic of the Resurrection.
The mosaic of the resurrection above the doors of the Golden Portal. nobility and they built fine houses in this area. But today being near the crest of the hill the wind was whipping through the neighborhood. I felt sorry for the palace guards. Like those in England they are supposed to stand guard, not moving a muscle. Their uniforms appear to be quite warm. But to stand absolutely still for an hour or so in a biting wind, surely that is no fun.
"I feel sorry for those fellows," I said. "What a terrible job. Time must crawl by for them standing in the cold.
"I'm sure," Harold replied. "But it is simply part of their job.
“Nancy will really be happy she didn’t come along when we tell her how cold it is outside today,” I said. "I think she would be quite unhappy out here."
“She was smart,” Harold replied.
We walked to the St. Vitas Cathedral. I wanted to visit the area called the Golden Portal. The Golden Portal was the main entrance to the cathedral for centuries while construction was still in progress. Construction on the cathedral began in 1344 and ended in 1929. The work was not continuous as
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Iron work on one of the gates at the Golden Portal wars, such as the Hussite Wars and others brought work to a halt. Above the entrance ways at the Golden Portal is a tile mosaic of the Resurrection. The iron gates in front of the portal are elaborate. On each gate is two scenes, made of iron, of daily life, such as picking grapes, pruning trees, butchering a pig, etc.
Harold and I took pictures and then made our way down the hill. By the time we reached the Charles Bridge Harold said he was frozen and needed a cup of coffee. Stopping in a small coffee shop I had noticed before. In fact, I had pointed it out to Nancy yesterday.
“Would you like a crepe?” Harold ask. “Look they have strawberry crepes. We can share one.”
“That sounds good to me,” I replied.
Turning to the lady behind the counter Harold said, “Two expressos and a strawberry crepe.”
“We only have blueberry today,” she said. “Is that all right?”
“Sure,” Harold told her.
The coffee was all right, but the crepe was great. “I’ll bring Nancy here for a treat the next time we are in the area,” I said. “She
Women Spinning Cotton Into Thread
Iron work on one of the gates of the Golden Portal. really likes crepes.”
After warming up with the coffee and crepe we made our way across the Charles Bridge, snapping a few more pictures. By the we had stood about all the fun we could endure on this cold day and we headed back to the seminary and a warm room.
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