Magical Prague

We took a quick weekend break to Prague the capital of the Czech Republic.

Everyone raves about this city and now we know why.
Everywhere you look is picture worthy with stunning architecture.
Prague was largely untouched by WWII. The oldest evidence of
human habitation in the Prague valley dates back to 600,000 BC.


Prague is also the capital of Bohemia. After the collapse of communism
the Czech Republic split from Slovak Republic on January 1993.

The Czech Republic joined the EU on May 1 1994.

This is the Powder Tower which was built at the end
of the 15th century. It marks the old entrance of the city.

It was also where the gun powder was stored, hence the name.
This was right by our hotel leading to old Town Square.

Also on our way to Old Town Square was the
Municipal House which stands on the site of the
Royal Court, seat of Bohemia's kings from 1383-1483.
This building was constructed between 1906-1912.

Here is Derek standing in one of the streets leading
to Old Town Square. You can see the Old Town Hall tower
behind him.

This is the world famous Astronomical Clock on
the Old Town Hall tower. It was given a clock in 1410 and
improved upon in 1490 producing the marvel we see today.
Every hour on the hour Death rings his bell and inverts his
hourglass and the 12 Apostles parade past the windows
above the clock as you watch in the video below...

We took a quick break to have a Czech beer. I didn't know
this but the the Czech people consume the most beer in world -
even more than the Brits and Germans! It is not unusual to drink
it at breakfast! The Czechs invented the Pilsner in 1842 and
they call it liquid gold. They are very serious about their beer here.
The annual consumption is 160 liters per head.

The great cafe where we had our beer was located at the
foot of the beautiful Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. Though
Gothic from the outside it's interior is heavily baroque.

This Art Nouveau sculpture is of Jan Hus one of Europe's
earliest Christian reformers who was born in southern
Bohemia. The Church of St Nicholas stands in the background.

Now we are at the entrance of Prague Castle flanked

by baroque statues of battling titans. Every hour on
the hour the changing of the guard takes place. See below...

This is the entrance of St Vitus Cathedral. The
foundation stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor
Charles IV. It was laid on the site of a 10th century
Romanesque rotunda built by Duke Wenceslas.

The Czech Crown Jewels are kept in the cathedral.
The are rarely displayed to the public and include a gold crown

from St Wenceslas.

This striking, red brick, early-baroque facade
dominates the Third Courtyard in Prague Castle.
This is Prague's best preserved Romanesque
church built by St Wenceslas's father.


Now we are at Wenceslas Square. This is a main
gathering area for Praguers. The Christmas markets are
here, demonstrations and speeches are given here, and this
where the Russians came in with their tanks.

This is the National Museum that looms above
Wenceslas Square. You can still see the damage
from the Russian Tanks on the building's facade.

This is a monument of St Wenceslas in the center of the
Square.

Despite the ads and globalized brand names Wenceslas
Square has retained some architectural dignity with
some of the city's finest buildings. This is the Grand
Hotel Evropa which is the most beautiful building on the
square. Tom Cruise rented out a couple floors during the
shooting of Mission Impossible.

Now we are on one of Prague's most expensive
shopping streets. This was one of my absolute
favorite buildings in Prague.

Next, we stopped at a traditional Czech beer hall.
It was actually a microbrewery that boasts the strongest
beer in the world. This is a small regular sized beer bottle
that has 12% alcohol content. They won't even let you have
one for yourself. It actually states on the label "Never
drink it alone!"


The green building on the right is the Estates
Theater. It is the oldest theater in Prague and is
the place where Mozart conducted the premier of
Don Giovanni on October 29 1787.


This was just another beautiful building on the way to the Charles Bridge.

So, we finally reached Prague's main attraction, the

Charles Bridge. In 1357 Charles IV commissioned
Petr Parler to replace the 12 century bridge.


Another picture of the bridge with Prague Castle
in the background.

This is my favorite statue on the bridge. The stone
figures date from 1861.


Another beautiful sculpture on the Charles Bridge.


This sculpture is of St Barbara, St Margaret and
St Elizabeth.

And as we crossed to the other side of the bridge
we came upon this funny sign.


This is St Nicholas Church, one of central Europe's
finest baroque buildings. Mozart himself played the
piano here.


On our last day we went to Old Town Square to
visit the market. We has these yummy treats.
I don't know what it was but it seemed like grilled
dough with sugar. Mmmmmm.


Here is the advertisement for the dough treats.

Hmmm, something seems familiar about this sign.
This is one of the Czech Republics famous beers.
Budweiser does not seem so original anymore.


After our treats we took a hike up to
the highest point in Prague. It had an
amazing view.


We ate lunch at this really hard to find restaurant.
Derek decided to enjoy a Budvar.



Here I am in front of the restaurant that was on
a tiny road on the hill. What an adventure that was.
It was worth it alone for the views above Prague.

We absolutely loved Prague. It was very convenient
to get around and very English friendly. Not to mention
how beautiful it was. It was truly magical.

Love, Leah and Derek