Prague Part Three

Saturday morning saw us heading off to the Castle District. I was totally unprepared for what we were about to see......it is massive.......like a whole 'nother town!  Once again there is the main square with places built around it....mainly built in the 16th - 18th century -  and then there is the Prague Castle.

Unfortunately the gardens around the castle were closed that day.....but we gazed through the gates....beautiful gates I must add!

There are several entrances to the castle and all with guards.....

 Very serious young men.....although I did see just a hint of a smile.....they must get soooo sick of their photos being taken!

This is the outer court.....

And this is the main entrance.....the hourly changing of the guard was about to take place so we stood and watched that before moving into the inner courtyard....

Outside the gates here is another huge square with palaces all round...but I was drawn as always to the music that was being played....very cool!

With the changing of the guard all done and dusted we moved into the inner courtyard.....

Then we came face to face with the cathedral of St Vitus, built in Gothic style, it is massive!

Little ol' me slightly dwarfed by huge doors!

Along with it seemed thousands of others.....we ventured inside....

Our lovely guide Martina, explaining all about it this cathedral.

Scenes from inside....beautiful stained glass windows....

The pipe organ...

The most sacred place inside the cathedral.....precious stones inlaid with gold on the walls....

You do wonder about the cost of building these places of course.....interesting with this particular cathedral.....the early parts such as seen here were built with the wealth generated from silver mines in the area.

We then entered another building which is the old royal palace, built in the 1400's. A lot more plain but still very beautiful....you weren't supposed to take photos evidently but I didn't know that till afterwards!    What are they gonna do??  This is the banqueting hall.....the largest medieval banqueting hall in Europe.....and is still used for state occasions.  Imagine having a party in here??

Then it was onto the quaintest little street ever called the Golden Lane. These used to be houses but now house the cutest ever little shops I'd ever seen, which although touristy, did have some really lovely stuff in and we all agreed we didn't have nearly enough time here to wander around :-(

Scenes from the Golden Lane.....

At the end of the Golden Lane we came out into the open and were high above the city with gorgeous views....

On the hillside here were planted grape vines....beautifully kept and very healthy looking.

Then with the thousands of others.....we made our way down the hill to the famous Charles Bridge....taking photos all the time of interesting views and scenes......

Check out these padlocks.....evidently couples who are in love write their names on the padlock,  lock it to the bridge then throw the key in the river......we've seen several of these across Europe....hmm!

Another view of Prague

Walking across Charles Bridge

We had lunch in one of most gorgeous little cafes by the bridge.....outdoors....the food was good too!

Their creative decor was so charming....

Check out the pretzels alongside the sewing machine!

And another corner ......

Then it was back into the main part of Prague where we were free to wander, shop, get lost......

Some things that took my eye....

You can sit in a shop window and let little fish nibble your feet......yeah nah!!

A rock band was playing....very loudly.....on an outdoor stage

A familiar name......gotta love free wifi!

In the evening we went to dinner in a brewery that was established in 1499! It was a lot of fun.....and I didn't have any beer! The food was typical of here......huge amount of meat....pork, duck AND sausage.....along with cabbage cooked two ways.....bread and dumplings! Phew! I'm afraid I didn't do justice to mine.

There was a 4 piece band playing in the corner, including a piano accordion. They were so good, and played songs we all knew. Interesting how music is a universal language. There was a big group of Polish people....about 30.....a bunch of lads I think having a stag do, probably about 15 of them, 11 of us kiwis, and many more in the place, and we all sang along heartily to the songs in our own language, everyone having a great time. Age and nationality no barrier......love it!

So ended my second day in Prague!

Till next time.....

Prague Part Two

On Friday afternoon we spent a few hours in the Old Town Square and the Jewish quarter and learned a whole lot more of the history of this fascinating place.

In days gone by the town square was obviously the centre of everything and as we stood in this one I tried to imagine what life would have been like in medieval times......I was helped by the smokey smell that was wafting around and turned to see a guy cooking huge hunks of pork on a rotisserie...

Pork is definitely the most commonly eaten meat......people were buying great chunks off this guy and going for it....I was half expecting them to chuck the bones over their shoulders as they walked by....ha!  Other popular food is of course sausages.....of all types, shapes and colours!

Central to this square is the old town clock that dates back to 1490.....we stood and watched as it chimed 3PM.....along with thousands of other people.  There are just so many tourists here......it is overwhelming!

The square is also the place where many violent things took place.......in 1621 fourteen people were murdered for the crime of being Protestants!  The date is now cemented in the pavement.

It was nice to see a bit of happiness around......Prague is a very popular place to come to be married, and in one day I think I saw  3 or 4 weddings, mostly in gorgeous horse drawn carriages.

After the old town square we moved into the Jewish quarter.  This was in such a state of disrepair....it was a ghetto really with no sewerage and so forth....that much of it was rebuilt in the 20th century, so it has much wider streets than some of the other parts of the old town. 

The Jews started coming to Prague in the 10th century, and of course the Jewish persecution started long before the Second World War. For example, only one son from each family was allowed to marry and have children  -  to keep the population down! This law was abolished in 1848.

The Jewish community grew and flourished - as we know, they are astute business people.

When World War Two arrived the Jews were isolated and their synagogues converted into warehouses. All their artefacts however, were kept as the Nazis planned to turn the area into a museum to an extinct race after the war!  That has very clearly backfired as it is now the largest Jewish museum in the world.....with thousands of visitors each year. There are 5 different synagogues each with different displays, and they also still function as places of worship.

But more than that......they are a very moving place of remembrance of the thousands of Jews who were killed during the war.

In 1939 25,000 Jews from the Czech Republic emigrated to different parts of the world. Of those who stayed 80,000 were killed.

There is a very moving tribute you can see of these people.....every persons name, date of birth and death is recorded on the walls....like in a handwritten script. Photography is not allowed however. There are also original drawings from the children displayed......they break your heart. 

It was a very sobering place to visit.....but I'm pleased I saw it and it will stay with me for a long long time.  The photos are the outside of some of the synagogues.

Prague.....a fascinating place.....more to come!

Till next time........

Prague Part One

We are spending three nights in Prague.....which I must say is very welcome after being in a different place every night for a bit!

These first photos area taken as we were driving in.....so my first impressions.....

The old and new are in stark contrast

Our hotel here - the Radisson - is very nice. We arrived early afternoon on Friday, and after a quick check in embarked on a city tour.....which was mainly on foot. Our guide while in Prague is a young woman named Martina.....she is lovely and so knowledgable......answers all our questions so graciously!

There are 1.3 million people living in Prague and over 10 million in the whole country. Unemployment runs at between 3 and 8%.

The Czech Republic was established as a country after the First World War in 1918. It was run by a communist government from 1948 - 1989 when it was once again returned to being a democratic country. Interestingly, between the two world wars it was the seventh wealthiest nation on earth.

It was quite an amazing feeling to stand in Wenceslas Square - where so many demonstrations and major political upheavals have taken place.....and where the Russian tanks rolled in in 1968.

The national museum is at the top of the square.....and below is the view looking the other way.

The buildings in this square date from the 19th century - there are none taller than 6 stories - so no high rise here.

The yellow building (hotel) in this photo is a good example of Art Deco style which can be see in various places.

A little bit of England in Wenceslas Square

In the pavement you can see the coat of arms of the city 

Amazing how this franchise finds its way into every city of the world!

Street theatre

Beautiful old cars for hire

And a typical souvenir shop.......chandeliers for sale.....everywhere!!

After wandering through this part of town we ventured into the 'old part'.......that's coming.....

Till next time......