Since 1993 Prague has been the capital of the Czech Republic and I can't imagine a more fitting city for them to have chosen for this honor. Prague has long been an important city rich in cultural, religious, and political arenas. There are innumberable museums, churches, bridges, theatres and other amazing buildings. We could have easily and happily spent several days exploring and enjoying. Our first and last stop was the famous St. Charles bridge. All the statues and the view from there coupled with the musicians and stalls selling all sorts of things along it's span make it a fascinating place to begin (and end!) our day. The next place we headed for was to the castle complex up on top of the hill, but on our way we couldn't resist stopping at the Church of St. Nicholas, an amazing baroque style church. From there we began our climb, ending up at the top just as the guards were getting ready to change in front of the palace. Once inside the castle walls we came to the massive gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. I can't say enough about it. I love so many things about gothic churches, the flying buttresses, the stained glass windows, the vaulted ceilings, the gargoyles, the organ. Just amazing. After visiting the cathedral we went around behind it to visit "The Golden Lane". It is a quaint little street that the homes along it were originally built for the castle guards. In the 17th century goldsmiths lived in the houses and this is where it got it's name. Now the houses have been restored and mostly house shops and studios. The upper stories are connected and contain an exhibit about armor and weapons. The highlight for Jeffrey was the crossbow shooting range at one end. Unfortunately the attendent had to take a break and Colin didn't get to try his hand at it. Once we were finished there we hiked back down to the river and beyond to see the Old Town square and the Astronomical Clock and other sites that are there. It was beginning to get dark as we got there, so we had to start making our way back to the car (after we made our obligatory souvenoir stops!). Our route took us past the St. Charles Bridge again and it was so beautiful in the dark with the lights reflecting off the water that we had to go across and back just one more time.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
AHA! We visited Praha too!
(aka Prague, but the Czech's call it Praha)
Since 1993 Prague has been the capital of the Czech Republic and I can't imagine a more fitting city for them to have chosen for this honor. Prague has long been an important city rich in cultural, religious, and political arenas. There are innumberable museums, churches, bridges, theatres and other amazing buildings. We could have easily and happily spent several days exploring and enjoying. Our first and last stop was the famous St. Charles bridge. All the statues and the view from there coupled with the musicians and stalls selling all sorts of things along it's span make it a fascinating place to begin (and end!) our day. The next place we headed for was to the castle complex up on top of the hill, but on our way we couldn't resist stopping at the Church of St. Nicholas, an amazing baroque style church. From there we began our climb, ending up at the top just as the guards were getting ready to change in front of the palace. Once inside the castle walls we came to the massive gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. I can't say enough about it. I love so many things about gothic churches, the flying buttresses, the stained glass windows, the vaulted ceilings, the gargoyles, the organ. Just amazing. After visiting the cathedral we went around behind it to visit "The Golden Lane". It is a quaint little street that the homes along it were originally built for the castle guards. In the 17th century goldsmiths lived in the houses and this is where it got it's name. Now the houses have been restored and mostly house shops and studios. The upper stories are connected and contain an exhibit about armor and weapons. The highlight for Jeffrey was the crossbow shooting range at one end. Unfortunately the attendent had to take a break and Colin didn't get to try his hand at it. Once we were finished there we hiked back down to the river and beyond to see the Old Town square and the Astronomical Clock and other sites that are there. It was beginning to get dark as we got there, so we had to start making our way back to the car (after we made our obligatory souvenoir stops!). Our route took us past the St. Charles Bridge again and it was so beautiful in the dark with the lights reflecting off the water that we had to go across and back just one more time.
Since 1993 Prague has been the capital of the Czech Republic and I can't imagine a more fitting city for them to have chosen for this honor. Prague has long been an important city rich in cultural, religious, and political arenas. There are innumberable museums, churches, bridges, theatres and other amazing buildings. We could have easily and happily spent several days exploring and enjoying. Our first and last stop was the famous St. Charles bridge. All the statues and the view from there coupled with the musicians and stalls selling all sorts of things along it's span make it a fascinating place to begin (and end!) our day. The next place we headed for was to the castle complex up on top of the hill, but on our way we couldn't resist stopping at the Church of St. Nicholas, an amazing baroque style church. From there we began our climb, ending up at the top just as the guards were getting ready to change in front of the palace. Once inside the castle walls we came to the massive gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. I can't say enough about it. I love so many things about gothic churches, the flying buttresses, the stained glass windows, the vaulted ceilings, the gargoyles, the organ. Just amazing. After visiting the cathedral we went around behind it to visit "The Golden Lane". It is a quaint little street that the homes along it were originally built for the castle guards. In the 17th century goldsmiths lived in the houses and this is where it got it's name. Now the houses have been restored and mostly house shops and studios. The upper stories are connected and contain an exhibit about armor and weapons. The highlight for Jeffrey was the crossbow shooting range at one end. Unfortunately the attendent had to take a break and Colin didn't get to try his hand at it. Once we were finished there we hiked back down to the river and beyond to see the Old Town square and the Astronomical Clock and other sites that are there. It was beginning to get dark as we got there, so we had to start making our way back to the car (after we made our obligatory souvenoir stops!). Our route took us past the St. Charles Bridge again and it was so beautiful in the dark with the lights reflecting off the water that we had to go across and back just one more time.
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