Prague : July 2013

I took a short trip to Praha (Prague) in July 2013. I always wanted to see the city and people almost always give it great reviews.  July might not be the best time to see it (it's a little warm) but at the same time, it didn't really seem that overcrowded. And overall, the city has a great feeling of being relaxed - very different from Paris. I stayed at the Clarion Hotel which is in a great location.

  I flew on Smart Wings. I'd never heard of them, but they worked fine for me.

The first night I ate with Becca and Lamb at Tři století. It was a nice restaurant and my mushroom appetizer is shown below. Was delicious! They are on Trip Advisor.

After supper, we crossed the famous Charles Bridge and I took a couple shots (both at the east side).

The next morning, I met my friends in the Old Town Square. As you might expect, there is a lot of history here.  One of the first things you'll notice is the statue of Jan Hus (shown below). It's a pretty interesting story as Hus was burned at the stake. He was burned for trying to do what Martin Luther would do about 100 years later.

Also in Old Town Square, is the famous astronomical clock (or its homepage). It's somewhat cool, but seriously overrated. In fact, it's been sited as the most overrated tourist attraction. It has moving parts and is very old, so it's still worth a watch. Just be in the Old Town Square at the top of any hour and watch it for yourself.

After watching the clock chime, we took about a 2.5 hour walking tour of the city. We used Royal Walk Free Tour, and the concept is you pay in tips - i.e., pay buy performance.  250 CZK is about 10 € which seemed to be the average, but don't feel bad to pay less if the guide is crappy. Here are some shots from the walk-around...

Left: Chrám Svatého Mikuláše (St Nicholas Church) Right: Obecní dům (Municipal House)

 

Left: Stavovské divadlo (Estates Theatre), is the only theatre left standing where Mozart performed

Right: Týnský chrám (Church of our Lady before Týn)

After all that walking, we got some beer and food at the  Pivovarský Klub.  They have lots of beer and are in the top 5% of restaurants (according to Trip Advisor).

We split for an afternoon siesta and on the way home, I saw this clock tower and graffiti. I had to take a picture of the clock because it seemed so Cold War. I'll admit I don't where people could travel back then but there are cities listed at the bottom which seemed a little out of reach (without serious paperwork). I thought the graffiti was cool, too.  Kinda reminded me of Peter Gabriel's album, So.

After the siesta we met for supper and I took a couple of evening shots...

Left: Dome on Saint Francis of Assisi Church and statue of Charles IV.

 Right: Týnský chrám (Church of our Lady before Týn)

Left: Svatý František | Right: the Absintherie

Our last even for the night was to get some absinthe at the Absintherie (above). It was a recommended stop par Trip Advisor. Absinthe is strong stuff so we only had one, but it was cool to try it.  When in Rome...or Prague.

DAY TWO.  I rented a bike from Praha Bike and ended up using it for about eight hours. It was a good bike trip and the map they gave me was super detailed. I don't know for certain who makes the map, but this is their web site. On the printed map, all bike trails were marked with dashed lines. More so, the person suggested a route on the map and it ended up taking the perfect amount of time - even with stops along the way.  Here is "my" bike and some pics along the way...

I had to get a shot of the bike - this is a bridge still under construction. It's a only line on Google maps but as you can see, it's on its way to completion. I hadn't ridden a hybrid bike before and I have to say, they're pretty nice. As a side note, the lock they gave me was the best. I should have noted the brand. It wasn't in the standard 'phone cord loop' format and the lock spun - super easy to use.

So, thanks to the girl who gave me the map, I visited the Galerie Hlavního Města Prahy. What a bizarre deal. It's this immaculate place and it's a ghost town. There were even signs for the entry but the doors were closed. And to add a final touch of surrealism, the chandeliers were on. Here are a couple of shots and an aerial view.

 As you walk into the park.

Left: as you look to the left with the impressive staircase. Right: aerial shot from Google maps.

I don't have a picture, but I came across a cool kayak training course in the river - made me want to go kayaking somewhere. After I crossed the river, I saw the church below. Nothing incredible, but I thought it would make a good picture. It is the Church of Saint Anthony of Paduan.

The next place I stopped was the Prague Metronome. And I thought the clock tower was a Cold War remnant. And this was erected in 1991. Funny enough, it was "ticking" the day I arrived and didn't work since. Maybe it's because of all the shoes on the power line. It replaced a huge statue of Stalin which is also shown below.

The Metronome today and the Stalin statue destroyed in 1962.

The Stalin statue from the bridge (looking north) and its destruction.
Aside from the fact that Stalin was who he was, I think I'd like to have seen the statue.

In Letná Park or Letenské Sady (same place with the metronome), there was this awesome cafe in the Hanau Pavilion. If you get a chance, have a drink or eat here because the building is great and the view is awesome. Here's a picture...

After visiting the park, I toured the Praha Castle (or in Czech). It cost 250 Kč (~10€) if you want to see the four most popular things - Katedrála sv. Víta (St. Vitus's Cathedral), Starý královský palác (Old Royal Palace), Bazilika sv. Jiří (Basilica of St. George) and Zlatá uliča (Golden Lane). Here's my ticket (front and back) which lists them. It's a pretty good system...you buy the ticket, they show you the map on the back and you're on your way. Pretty much side-steps building crowds.

 Ticket front (above) and map on the back (below) showing where you've paid to visit.

Here are some shots of the church (inside and out)...

 

But, I have to say, the most amusing thing to me was the lighting. It was like visiting someone's house that was decorated in the sixties and hasn't change since. Sadly, it's hard to capture stuff like this in pictures, but here's my attempt...

 Left: these are just clear light bulbs - strange. Right: the light fixtures throughout the church.

 I tried to capture the lights against parts of the church making them seem so out of place.

I also had to post this...on "the Diet", there sat thirty burghers. Classic.

The other church inside the castle grounds, the Basilica of St. George, has a very nice exterior, and yes, it had 60s light fixtures, too.

With this same ticket you can also visit a collection of armor. There were some cool suits and helmets, but I took the picture of the suit you could wear to a party...

I continued on and took a picture of this random building just because it looked so good and then I rode up to the "Eiffel Tour" of Praha (or Petřínská rozhledna). As I was approaching the tower, I heard someone say, "it's more like the Awful Tower".  I thought that was well played.

 The random building (left) and the "Eiffel Tour" (right)

It cost 105 Kč to climb the tower.

It was nice to climb the tower since there was a good breeze and the view was great...

This is the church (above, right) at ground level and just down the road, a sweet shot of the American embassy - flag furling.

After I descended the hill, it was up another hill to the Vyšehrad cemetery (or its homepage). Again, this was a suggestion from Bike Praha and I'm glad I went. The scenery was fantastic and the church and cemetery were worth seeing.
I entered the Vyšehrad cemetery from the back (rear of the church) and the wings of this angel were the first things I noticed.  The picture is of her inside the cemetery. It was a really nice cemetery and the church next to it is not only a great building, but it can be seen it from many parts of the city.

 A guardian angel

Tow views of the church and cemetery.  Left, from the back and, right, from the front - both within the cemetery.

There were many elaborate adornments for the tombs and this one grabbed my attention. It is a couple (not sure if it's meant to be a specific couple) which appear to be descending into a grave together. It's hard to see but the stone in front of the women is in the form of a staircase. I had the feeling that it's always nice to have someone - in good or bad situations. And it's nice to have the peace to calmly enter any situation, even your own death.

After this cemetery, it was about a 30 minute ride directly back to Bike Praha. They're open until 20:00 so there wasn't much pressure. It was a great bike tour.

Addition: I thought I already included this, but my last supper in Praha was at Caffrey's Irish Bar. I sat outside and had an incredible dish. I thought I had written it down and wish I would have. It was so delicious. I don't like when I forget stuff like that.