Prague

---

I'm posting a lot of pictures of Prague because the architecture made it a really beautiful city to photograph. I'd read about how Prague hadn't suffered much damage during World War II, so the city was a mix of different periods from Barogue to Renaissance to Gothic. But walking through the city, it's not like you look at a building and think, "Wow, what an interesting piece of Gothic construction, how fascinating that it's right next to a Renaissance church." Because I really couldn't tell you what style I was looking at or when it was built. I just know there were a lot of cool ornate buildings and old churches.

Seven years ago when I was in Europe I heard about how cheap the Czech Republic was, with beers for 25 cents. It's not as cheap as that anymore, but it was still mostly affordable (beers for $1.25 if you avoided the bars in the main square inundated by tourists).

It was raining when Pam and I headed out for the evening. With map in hand, we navigated the curving streets with funny names that changed every block to a vegetarian restaurant my mom had sent an article about. Eating a light tofu and pasta dish while watching a video on the Titanic projected onto a flatscreen TV on the wall, I felt more like I was in Los Angeles than a former communist city. We also passed local bars with sophisticated women dressed up in black and heels, which made it feel like Prague was undergoing a renaissance.

After dinner, still raining, our search for a bar turned into a scavenger hunt because it wasn't where it was supposed to be. That must be a common thing because we ran into other lost souls, four Americans stationed at a military base in Hamburg. They were looking for an absinthe bar that also didn't exist so we all went to Molly Malone's, an Irish bar popular with tourists. To no surprise there was a stag party there. We saw these bachelor parties everywhere during our sightseeing that day. Pam had read that Prague was a popular destination for stag parties. Groups of men from England and elsewhere fly in for a cheap weekend. They were easy to spot because the guys wore matching polos with funny sayings (John's Hanging Part 1) and dressed the groom in funny costumes (the one in Molly Malone's was casually drinking his beer while wearing bright orange spandex shorts and a tank top).

---

Photos

View from Charles Bridge
A view of the castle wall and cathedral from the Charles Bridge.

Charles Bridge
Crossing the packed Charles Bridge.

View from Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge

Prague Castle
A view of the city below Prague Castle.

Castle Gate
I liked the violence portrayed by the statues placed atop the gate leading into the castle. Good intimidation technique.

Say Hi to the Apostles
Every hour Christ and the Apostles pass by the windows above the Astronomical Clock and face the crowd of gathered tourists, a quirky event.