Prague, Czech Republic

Ahoj (hello in Czech)! We spent a wonderful weekend in one of the most beautiful historical cities in the world, Prague!

We were lucky to have the opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel, which is a stones throw from the famous Charles Bridge.  The hotel is in a great location, about a five minute walk to the Old Town, and above all of the city bustle.

If you stay at the Four Seasons, make sure you request a room with the view of the Charles Bridge!

After dropping off our bags our first stop was Charles Bridge.  Charles Bridge was commissioned by King Charles IV in 1357 and has been operating ever since.  In the afternoons you'll find painters, musicians and art vendors amongst hundreds of tourists.  If you want to get the best view of the Vltava River below, without the large crowds, I suggest going in the early morning.

The bridge is lined with statues and it's important to rub statue of St. John of Nepomuk to get some good luck for the future.

Rubbing the Statue of St. John of Nepomuk

On the other side of the bridge we meandered through cobblestoned streets until we reached the charming town square.

The square is filled with local shops selling bohemian crystal, antiques, and jewelry.

In the center of the Town Square is the Jan Hus memorial and stands as a symbol against oppressive regimes.

In the Town Square we saw the famous Astronomical Clock. The clock is made up of three parts, the first part, the astronomical dial represents the position of the sun and moon in the sky. The second part, "The Walk of the Apostles" has a hourly show with figurines of Apostles striking the time, and lastly there is a calendar dial representing the months.

We saw "The Walk of the Apostles" and in the Middle Ages the mechanical performance was considered one of the wonders of the world-today it is still amazing to watch.

When the Czech Republic was a communist country and a parent wanted to name their child there was a list of government approved names that they could choose from.  To this day, each day of the year corresponds to a personal name, and when the calendar lands on a specific name day everybody with that name gets celebrated as a second birthday.  If you look closely on the clock you can see that every approved name is on there, letting people know when it's time to celebrate themselves!

Between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River we wandered into the old Jewish Quarter, known as Josefov. In the 13th century the Jews in Prague were ordered to leave their homes and settle in one area, and over the centuries the Jews were banned from living anywhere else in Prague. The area has undergone reconstruction, but luckily most of the significant buildings are preserved, and today, they remain a testimony to the history of the Jewish people in Prague. 

Jewish synagoge in Prague

We visited the Prague Castle.  The complex is made up of churches, gardens, winding cobblestone streets, royal residences, and St. Vitus Cathedral.

It took 600 years to finish the beautiful cathedral!

 I was trying out for a guard position

The views of Prague from the Castle District were gorgeous! 

If you're hungry for a good hot dog, Prague is the place to be!  While window shopping on Mustek street stop at a Koblasa stand.  They are delicious!

For dessert I suggest going to Restaurace u Parlamentu for traditional Czech fruit dumplings (Ovocé kendlíky). The dumplings were sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with butter and whipped cream.

The street art in Prague is worth stopping and admiring.  Lots of memorials commemorate the end of the communist era in the Czech Republic. The work of art below symbolizes how Communism takes a whole man and strips him apart until there is nothing left.

On Kampa Island we found some very LARGE babies by the famous Czech artist David Cerny.

Art everywhere!

We had a great time visiting Prague and look forward to coming back to see more of the beautiful city!

Off to our next adventure...