Prague.
The city of one hundred spires.
We arrived at the hostel mid-afternoon. This was the first hostel we were at that wasn't within walking distance of the city, and we were told we would be fined excessively if we were caught jaywalking or without a tram ticket, which made venturing out surprisingly daunting. Our reluctance may also have been due to low energy levels after a week of go go going! :)
Maddie and I were going to be brave and tackle the tram system and have a picnic dinner, but then it bucketed down (followed by thunder and lightning!) so we hid inside and caught up on emails instead. We ate at the hostel restaurant that night, and had the goulash, which was very tasty but lacking in vegetables! It said it came with bread dumplings, but it was just a slice of bread, which was mildly disappointing. But we were hungry, and it was cheap, so overall thumbs up :)
We got an early night, as we knew the next day would involve a lot of walking (though I hadn't realised it would be 10 hours!!!)
Once again, we did the Sandemans New Europe walking tour. It's a really good way of making sure you snap pictures of all the "must sees", and learn the bare basics of the history, while (most importantly) getting an opportunity to orient yourself so that subsequent explorations have points of reference to look for :)
Like this beauty.
It is very entertaining standing among the hordes of people waiting for the hour to chime. I had been warned that it was disappointing, but I found it very endearing. I was amused at hearing choruses of "Is that it??" from a number of international travelers, but my "Awww" was echoed in equal measures :)
Our tour left from Old Town Square.
This is by Anna Chromy in memory of Mozart's opera, 'Don Giovanni', which premiered in this theatre in 1787. Someone climbed into it once, and got stuck. They were arrested once the police got them out. Clever.
I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but these tables are swings!! I don't know if it's particularly good idea whilst trying to digest, but it looked like fun :)
Colourful little streets in the pedestrian area of the Old Town.
Apparently, Prague likes its pink. Here are just a few of the buildings we saw whilst a-wandering.
The building at the end of Wenceslas square was used as the casino in the first of Daniel Craig's 007 films.
I had every intention of going back to get a closer shot, but never quite got round to it :(
This was a very cool idea; you bought a brick for a donation, and then decorated it with a message or picture of support. This was one of five different shapes that had been built with the bricks.
The Powder Tower. Very dark and brooding. Lots of bustling shoppers, tourists, and bankers underneath it.
The Cubist House of the Black Madonna. Also home of the best café in Prague (didn't get a chance to confirm this claim), The Grand Cafe Orient.
Franz Kafka sculpture.
Josefov, what once was the city's Jewish Quarter.
The Old New Synagogue, where, according to Jewish legend,
Golem was kept in the attic.
The Hebrew Clock of the Old Jewish Town Hall, which runs anti-clockwise.
The view from the hill behind the castle. It looks grey and miserable, but we were all dying from the heat after our climb (and I had the sunburn to prove it the next day! Ooops)
Our tour of the castle included exploring the surrounding areas, and other palaces.
A white peacock with her babies!! Cuuuuttee!!
These are replicas of statues stolen by the Swedes at some point in history.
The grotto was incredible. There was an aviary to the right that was housing six of the largest owls I have ever, and imagine will ever see. They were awe-inspiring. Photos didn't do justice, so I haven't bothered uploading.
Those black dots you can see in the facade facing us are ... cannon balls. Yep. Wow.
The tennis court at the Prime Minister's house. That's not him, by the way. I imagine he was off being busy and important (but hopefully not
stealing pens).
Can't say I'm a big fan of this delightful architectural example.
The Castle.
I've seen a number of cathedrals whilst traveling - but this one still managed to blow me away. The stained glass inside is very very colourful (I didn't even try to take photos with my phone, there's no way it would have done them justice).
To the left of the staircase is a room built specifically for the purpose of indoor jousting. Yes, you heard correctly. Jousting. Indoors. Seems ever so slightly excessive. We didn't go inside, but we walked the length of it from outside, and it is MASSIVE!
Rubbing the shiny part is supposed to bring you luck. Mhmmmm...
Maddie and I had dinner here.
Potato Pancakes. I know, I know! I willingly chose to eat potatoes! What is the world coming to??
They were incredible. So unbelievably tasty. Yum yum yum!
Then we went for a wander, and discovered a number of things ...
David Cerny's 'Piss' Sculpture.
The park on the other side of Charles Bridge. Thanks for another crappy photo iPhone, I love you too.
The creepy creepy babies. Their faces frighten me, so took a photo from this angle instead!
Can you see the angled line to the right of the middle of the picture? It's a giant metronome. Why? I have no idea. Because they can?
Charles Bridge.
I imagine the view from up there is pretty spectacular.
There are a lot of statues along the bridge.
A lot a lot.
More to rub for good luck. Apparently, one is good luck, the other bad. But there were so many disputes about which was which that I erred on the side of caution and rubbed neither :P
Then I walked back to my new hostel (Yay for booking accommodation on the internet - not! But it did mean that I spent a night at the Czech Inn Hostel, which was by FAR the best hostel ever!! Stay there if you go to Prague, it was incredible! It was like being a hotel, except that you were bunking with five other people. Brilliant! Worth the forty minute walk to get there for sure!)
The next day Maddie and I attempted to go shopping, which was a highly stressful, highly unsuccessful expedition. No wonder my travel funds stayed so healthy! Yay for post-earthquake spending mentality! :D
All in all, Prague was lovely, and incredibly beautiful, but looking back it was my least inspiring stop, and I'm not booking a trip back anytime soon.
Not when my favourite stop (see next update!) is only a night train away from Zurich! Woop woop!
Love to all!
xxox
