Yes, this day still goes on. It was amazing to be in this totally new place seeing all these beautiful sites, but I was really tired (been awake for probably near 20 hours at this point).
However, we still managed to walk along the beautiful Charles Bridge that spans the Vltava River. This bridge has been around since the 15th century, so you can imagine what it feels like to cross something that old (and no, I wasn't afraid it would fall apart :). The walk reminded me of Monte Martre in Paris, because it was lined with artists drawing portraits or selling paintings of Prague, as well as other street merchants selling souvenirs.
The bridge itself has towers on both ends.
TT, me, and Vince on the bridge in front of one of the several statues lining the walk.
View of the Vltava River from the Charles Bridge
Buildings lining the waterfront
I think one of the best things about visiting such an interesting city is just walking the streets and taking in everything around you. I love the old cobblestone streets and the historic buildings that can house just about anything from museums to fast food joints.
Plenty of street performers (can you imagine making your living this way?)
Plenty of street performers (can you imagine making your living this way?)
After our walk across the bridge, we headed to the Klementinum complex that has several place you can visit. I was especially excited about the Baroque Hall Library they have there. Unfortunately, they do not allow photographs to be taken. I blogged about this library on my book blog already, so go there for a photo (worth a peek, I assure you) and more info about the collection.
In addition to the library, we took a tour through the mirror chapel and the astronomical tower (which I also adored). And, no photographs allowed there either. If you go to the Klementinum website, you can see some of what it was like. The astronomical tower, which had quite a number of staircases for climbing, was fascinating. They had some old instruments - mostly sextants - that lined the halls on the way up. Finally, at the top, we were able to snap photos of the view, which was spectacular:
Most of the city has these delightful red roofs, mingled with the interesting green of various towers
Vince and I outside the viewing tower - you may comment on my excellent expression, but just remember how jet-lagged I was at this point :)
A closer look at that cathedral (Tyn cathedral) which we didn't go inside but has been around since the 14th and 15th century. So much to see, so little time!
Next up we have:
All the folks standing by the Jan Hus statue. Read more about him there - really influential in the religious sphere. I assume the statue was not always that delightful green shade.
And because this square was just busting with awesome sights:
the Astronomical clock - which I adored, though wish I had been more awake to enjoy (there was an unfortunate photo of my head with the clock - it did not make it past my censors).
Our final trek involved going up a slight hill (though it sure felt like a mountain) past these beautifully shaped bushes:
to the fairly busy (in terms of historical events) Wenceslas square:
the man on the horse is Good King Wenceslas (ie Saint Wenceslas) the man in the UVU shirt is my spouse :)
it was really quite charming
though I don't think I properly enjoyed it that evening, since I simply fell into bed exhausted
In addition to the library, we took a tour through the mirror chapel and the astronomical tower (which I also adored). And, no photographs allowed there either. If you go to the Klementinum website, you can see some of what it was like. The astronomical tower, which had quite a number of staircases for climbing, was fascinating. They had some old instruments - mostly sextants - that lined the halls on the way up. Finally, at the top, we were able to snap photos of the view, which was spectacular:
Most of the city has these delightful red roofs, mingled with the interesting green of various towers
Vince and I outside the viewing tower - you may comment on my excellent expression, but just remember how jet-lagged I was at this point :)
A closer look at that cathedral (Tyn cathedral) which we didn't go inside but has been around since the 14th and 15th century. So much to see, so little time!
Next up we have:
All the folks standing by the Jan Hus statue. Read more about him there - really influential in the religious sphere. I assume the statue was not always that delightful green shade.
And because this square was just busting with awesome sights:
the Astronomical clock - which I adored, though wish I had been more awake to enjoy (there was an unfortunate photo of my head with the clock - it did not make it past my censors).
Our final trek involved going up a slight hill (though it sure felt like a mountain) past these beautifully shaped bushes:
to the fairly busy (in terms of historical events) Wenceslas square:
the man on the horse is Good King Wenceslas (ie Saint Wenceslas) the man in the UVU shirt is my spouse :)
Mostly what I learned of this place (and you can read up on those links to Wikipedia) is that a student lit himself on fire here - in protest against the invasion from the Soviet Union. (That is definitely one way to protest - I prefer methods involving less pain!) It also was the site of many demonstrations where the Czechs expressed their protests against communism. A very busy square indeed.
By this time, I was a walking zombie, but we still had to eat dinner. Which took forever. The meat apparently had to be slaughtered or plucked or both before preparation. I attempted to nap on the table. It was not comfortable (though at that point, I think it was pretty nice). We finally made our way to this charming little Pension:
where my parents have stayed in the pastBy this time, I was a walking zombie, but we still had to eat dinner. Which took forever. The meat apparently had to be slaughtered or plucked or both before preparation. I attempted to nap on the table. It was not comfortable (though at that point, I think it was pretty nice). We finally made our way to this charming little Pension:
it was really quite charming
though I don't think I properly enjoyed it that evening, since I simply fell into bed exhausted
Random Czechsky thought: let's talk a bit about food. The good: fried anything was pretty delicious - schnitzel, which is pretty much fried meat items, was quite good. Fattening, but who worries about that? My first food experience was not pleasant. One issue is that I can't read a lick of Czech (hello, difficult language). My parents were able to tell us essentially what things were. I went for dumplings, which in Czesky are knedliky. Dumplings were not what I thought they were. Boiled bread. Here I was picturing some kind of delicious potato with spices. Why this image? No idea. Boiled bread is not tasty. I made a valient effort to stomach at least one piece (there were several), but it did not happen. Fortunately, my dad, a living garbage disposal (no offense) was able to polish them off. Ugh. That's one traditional food I could do without. Bread in general, though...that's a topic for another random thought!
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