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Prague, Czech Republic
Who gives a damn about the prophets of Tesco
From its super efficient Soviet Bloc era subway system to its fairy tale spires to its castle on the hill, Prague is everything you always thought it would be. This first picture (as are most of the pictures in tonight's slideshow) is of the Charles Bridge, the best connection between the unbelievably scenic Staré Mesto (old town) and the unbelievably scenic Malá Strana, the side of the river with the castle, cathedrals and kings.
One of the great things about the Charles Bridge is its location- it is dead center on the best route between the two things you really want to see- the Old Town Square with its astronomical clock and the castle complex that overlooks it all. Another great thing is the view- the Vlatava River is certainly wide and provides sweeping views in all directions accompanied by all of the pleasant summer breezes you could expect on a river so generous. Another great thing are the bridge's towers at each end, which are actually climbable but are also certainly landmarks in their own right. Another great thing are the statues- marching up and down the bridge on both sides are a series of them, each with an individual identity, each providing another reason to otherwise arbitrarily stop and enjoy such a splendid place. Add them up and its certainly understandable why its the place to be- whether you're a tourist or pickpocket or guy pretending to be a statue, there's still plenty to go around.
The Prague Castle is located in the exact same place you would think it should be- smack dab atop a strategic hill overlooking the city and the river. The castle itself- containing a series of palace buildings and a cathedral- is now mostly open as a tourable museum complex. At various times in its existence, it was the home of the King of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor (the Hapsburgs hung out in Prague as Vienna was under threat from those persistent Turks), the Presidents of Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic, as well as quick layovers by all of the Russians and Nazis you would expect to find in that part of Eastern Europe.
It took some 600 years to finish St Vitus Cathedral (work finally finished up last century in the 1920s), and such a time lapse is certainly evident as you walk around the building. The gold mosaics pictured are from the oldest sections and just about the only memorable parts standing when all of those kings and emperors stopped by for their coronation ceremonies. Today the completed cathedral is interesting enough, although the real fun happens atop its climbable towers, where the cathedral and castle and city open up to all who survive the unbelievably busy, tight and poorly vented spiral staircase to get there and back.
Now let's review what we've learned so far. St Vitus Cathedral is on the upper right, with the walls, battlements and palace buildings of the Prague Castle surrounding it. In front of that is the unbelievably scenic Malá Strana section of Prague, while the much loved, all pedestrian Charles Bridge and Vlatana River stretch in all remaining directions.
Ok, we're only nine pages in (out of twenty-two!) and I'm already getting a bit fatigued, so I'm just going to go for the easy one here. I apologize in advance.
Hey Jesus looking saint statue guy, which way is the cathedral?
I'm so, so sorry.
This is the (still working) 600 year old Astronomical Clock at the (very) Old Town Hall, something that still draws the attention of even the most jaded guy on a segway.
It’s a good mile walk south (mostly along the river) to get to this, the Dancing Building designed by architect Frank Gehry. Gehry gets a little more specific with his description of the Dancing Building, calling it Fred and Ginger after famous, old Hollywood dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Ginger is on the left, possibly because it’s a more expressive, glamorous facade while Fred is on the right, possibly because it is (relatively) more conservative, or possibly because that part of the facade covers like 80 percent of the building and he always got more attention. Old Hollywood indeed.
