We bid a fond farewell to Paris

and journeyed back in time to the old world atmosphere of the Czech Republic.

There is a down town area with new modern buildings.

 

 

 

However, we were mainly in the Old Town (circa 1200s) and New Town (circa 1400s) areas where there is a much different feel, as if the city/country were frozen in time centuries ago.

An Introduction to Prague

Friday dawned chilly with a  threat of  showers, but knowing our time in Prague was short, we headed out to explore.  This I must add was a bit difficult in Prague and let me explain why. In Paris, we didn’t know the language or our way around, but we had a good map and the streets had names like Rue St. James. In Prague, the map was tiny and the streets were named things like Jeruzalemska and Vrchliskho and to make matters worse, the streets change names every few blocks so Jeruzalemska durned into Kylevka and then into Oldrichova.

That was a  challenge! But being the determined souls that we are, we found our way to the first “Must See” in the guidebook – Wenceslas Square

– named for the king of Christmas carol fame. Wenceslas, who was actually a duke, reigned over Bohemia in the early 900s. He was killed by his brother but was so loved and respected by the people of Bohemia that he was declared a saint and made a king posthumously.

 

 

Enough history.

We were in Wenceslas Square and it quickly became evident that something exciting was getting ready to happen. Groups of people in colorful costumes were congregating on the sidewalks and in the streets.

Small bands were warming up their instruments and there was a feeling of anticipation in the air. We moved on following our guide book and ended up in Old Town Square where there were even more people in costumes as well as food kiosks, street entertainers and people everywhere. We discovered that we had happened upon the annual Prague Gypsy Festival! There were groups performing while crowds clapped and tapped their feet to the music – so, so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We grabbed a bite to eat while we absorbed the party atmosphere and enjoyed the celebration. What a great introduction to Prague!

Old Town

Old Town is the center of the historic district. Many of the buildings here date back to the 1200s, built in the gothic style with wonderful towers and spires.

 

 

 

The ancient gothic structures had a very different feel than the architecture we found in Madrid and Paris.

 

 

We headed back to Wenceslas Square on our way home. I should add that this square is in New Town which only dates back to the 1400s. Here there is more baroque style in the architecture (that really sounds like I know what I’m talking about and I so totally don’t, but that’s what the guidebook said).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prague – Day 2

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful. We had decided to make the trek to Prague Castle – about 3 miles each way, but that was if you could follow the map and took the direct route which we couldn’t and didn’t and ended up going about half a mile in the wrong direction and having to retrace our steps…expletive! We eventually got pointed in the right direction and headed toward the castle enjoying the views along the way.

The castle sits atop the highest hill in Prague. The area is so beautiful that the walk didn’t seem all that long.  We walked across a large bridge over the Vltava River and were soon climbing the stairs to the precipice. The grounds are lovely and the views from the garden walls – spectacular!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About a million stairs later, (after this trip I’m going to make an exercise video called Calves of Steel…) we finally reached the castle.

As everywhere we’ve gone, we found street entertainers, but these people take street entertaining to a whole new level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took enjoyed the entertainment, took pictures and enjoyed the experience. Then around 11:40, there was a mass movement of people toward the gates of the castle, and we learned that there would be a Changing of the Guard at 12:00 (Prague Castle now houses the governing body of the Czech Republic). We managed to get near the front and, though squashed between hoards of people, Tom managed to get a pretty good picture.

Lots of pomp and circumstance in the changing of the guard – pretty cool to watch.

After a quick but delicious lunch in a small pub, we took a few more pictures,

 

 

then made our way back toward the city below to get a look at the Vltava River and its surroundings. We’d talked about taking  one of the sightseeing bout tours and sure enough, a guy dressed as an old time sailor approached us with a deal we couldn’t refuse – a river tour, a free beer, ice cream, and a chance to be off our feet for and hour.

The trip was interesting, relaxing, and enjoyable – well worth the cost of admission. We headed home tired, having walked 7.5 miles by the time we got home, but having thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Our Last Day in Praque

There were a couple of guidebook suggestions that we had not gotten to, so we decided to take those in. The first was the clock tower. This ancient clock and astronomical dial date back to 1410 and were built by Mikulas of Kadan and Jan Sindel.

A tour is available to the top so up we went – yep, more stairs, but the views from the top were magnificent!

And so we said goodbye to beautiful, old world Prague.

Next stop, Lithuania.