Praha
Prague is a very interesting city. I was really looking forward to going to Prague everyone that I had ever talked to that had gone to Prague just absolutely loved it. It is a lovely city and the architecture is very nice to walk around and just look at. Everything was starting to bloom while I was there so that made everything even more lovely. But I felt that Prague was a lot like Budapest in the way that they refuse to be group in with "Eastern Europe" and the kind of food they have and the fact that everything is pretty cheap, but I felt it was more over run with tourists and the people were not nearly as friendly. Not to say they weren't nice, but I have met nicer. The history of Prague really was amazing, but the most expensive things in the city were the historical sites that was disappointing to me. But, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to go. Also, Prague really promotes itself as a party city. This is definitely the case. This kind of was disappointing because they are catering to the young stupid kids that come to Europe for study abroad, but really just want to party. I didn't have a bad time at all and wouldn't mind going back one day, but it wasn't quite what I expected.
Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti)
The historic square is in the center of the Old Town quarter of Prague. It was a really beautiful square with gorgeous buildings and a fun atmosphere. Besides the historical side of the square there is a bunch of street food and little cafe's around as well as street performers galore.
Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock (Staromestska Radnice)
Prague's Astronomical Clock is pretty fantastic. It was built in the 14th Century and still works accurately. It is the oldest astronomical clock in the world still working.
Church of the Virgin Mary before Tyn (Kostel Panny Marle pred Tynem)
This church is the dominant building/feature in Old Town Square. The church was built in the 14th century and used to be a primary place of worship for foreign merchants visiting the city. This is probably the coolest church I have ever seen before. I loved the way it looked and wished there were more buildings still around from this era.
St. Henry Bell Tower (Jindřišská věž )
When St Henry Church was built has it's own steeple, but the walls of the church were not strong enough to support heavy bells, so it was decided to build a bell tower separate from the church and that's how St. Henry Bell Tower came to be the 65 meter high bell tower in pretty much the middle of a street in Prague. I loved this bell tower. It is quite unique looking. I thought it was cool that it was just kind of hanging out by itself, but it was also kind of weird.
Municipal House Hall (Obecni Dum)
So, we had a nice night and went to an Orchestra event in th Municipal house Hall. It is such a beautiful building and the music was amazing. Sometimes I feel like such an old person. I mean I would much rather go to classical music concerts and have a fancy dinner with a nice bottle of wine and go to bed reasonably early than stay out late drinking and spending my money that way... oh well. Haha, but anyway the even was spectacular and the building was just as gorgeous inside as it was outside.
St. George Basilica
This is the oldest church within the Prague Castle Complex. It dates back to the 10th century and built in Romanesque style. I love how small and lovely this church was next to the huge overwhelming St. Vitus Cathedral.I didn't actually know this was anything special when I took a picture of it at first I just liked the way it looked.
Powder Tower (Prasna brana)
Poder Tower was one of the several entrances to the city in the 15th centrury. Origins of its name date back to the 17th century when the tower was used to store gun powder. I loved this Tower. It was kind of dark in the sculptures that it was decorated with, but I think that all of the architecture of Prague is a little creepy.
St. Nicolas Church
This is the biggest baroque church in Prague, with a dome scaling to 70 meters in height. Mozart played the organ in this church. This was built in the 18 century and is 1 of 3 St. Nicolas Churches in Prague.
Old Town Bridge Tower
The bridge tower is built on the Old Town side of the Charles Bridge hence its name. It was built in 1373 and is decorated with sculptures of St Vitus and Charles IV. The Tower once displayed the heads of 12 Protestant leaders executed in 1621, and was also the site of the final conflict of the Thirty Year war. It was a pretty amazing site to see. I thought that it was more amazing looking than the whole Charles Bridge.
Charles Bridge (Karluv Most)
The construction of this bridge was started in 1357 under the rule of King Charles IV and was finished in the early 15th century. It was the only bridge crossing the Vltava River until 1841. This bridge make Prague important as a trade rout between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge is 621 metes long and nearly 10 meters wide. It is decorated by 30 statues most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700, but now all replaced by replicas. Let me tell you that the bridge was probably one of the creepiest things I have ever seen. I mean there are creepy religious statues all along the bridge staring down at you. I did not feel any spiritual feelings on this bridge just a little creeped out.
National Museum and Saint Wenceslas
Wenceslas Square isn't actually a square, but a long and airy avenue. It was named after Sanit Wenceslas who is featured in the square in front of the National Museum building on a horse. The horse is the most common meeting spot for locals who say "let's meet under the tail"
Matthias Gate and Prague Castle (Prazsky hrad)
This gate dates back to the early 17th century. This gate was built during the regime of the emperor Matthias. In old times, this triumphant antique gate separated the Prague Castle quarters from the Castle Square. Prague Castle is one of the largest Castles in Europe with over 700 bedrooms. I was a little disappointed with Prague Castle. It was more of a Palace and not a castle. It looked really modern and not really special at all. It almost looked like a nice hotel like a plaza or something. I don't know I definitely didn't want to pay to go inside of it. Also, we watched the changing of the guards while we were there. It was pretty normal. But nothing will be as awesome as Athens' changing of the guards. But it was nothing to brag about seeing.
St. Vitus Cathedral (Chram svateho Vita)
So the gargoyles on this church were so creepy. And yes this gargoyle is a human...
This is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. It is located within Prague Castle and contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. It is the biggest and most important church in the country. It is also home to the Czech Crown Jewels. I really liked this Cathedral. I thought it had a lot of similarities to the Cathedral back in Salamanca, but I really liked all of the Gargoyles on the Cathedral. They are creepy, but awesome.
Jubilee Synagogue Jubilejní synagoga
It is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue because of its location on Jerusalem Street. It was built in 1906, designed by Wilhelm Stiassny and named in honor of the silver Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The synagogue is designed in Moorish Revival form with Art Nouveau decoration. After the Czech Republic became independent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it became more usual to call the synagogue the Jerusalem Street Synagogue. This was the coolest synagogue I had ever seen in my whole life. It was so colorful. I just loved it.
Beer Brewed by Monks!
The Strahov Monastic Brewery is pretty much what it sounds like: a monastery where the monks brew beer. So we couldn't pass up the opportunity to drink beer brewed by monks. It was very delicious. It was a nice home away from home. I think it was my first craft beer since I think Budapest and it tasted like something Rough Brewery would have.
Random Exploring Pictures
I just thought that this name was funny. Also, restaurant and all the bars had "U" in front of the rest of the name.
Just a whole pig roasting on the sidewalk. No big deal
Prague is a very interesting city. I was really looking forward to going to Prague everyone that I had ever talked to that had gone to Prague just absolutely loved it. It is a lovely city and the architecture is very nice to walk around and just look at. Everything was starting to bloom while I was there so that made everything even more lovely. But I felt that Prague was a lot like Budapest in the way that they refuse to be group in with "Eastern Europe" and the kind of food they have and the fact that everything is pretty cheap, but I felt it was more over run with tourists and the people were not nearly as friendly. Not to say they weren't nice, but I have met nicer. The history of Prague really was amazing, but the most expensive things in the city were the historical sites that was disappointing to me. But, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to go. Also, Prague really promotes itself as a party city. This is definitely the case. This kind of was disappointing because they are catering to the young stupid kids that come to Europe for study abroad, but really just want to party. I didn't have a bad time at all and wouldn't mind going back one day, but it wasn't quite what I expected.
Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti)
The historic square is in the center of the Old Town quarter of Prague. It was a really beautiful square with gorgeous buildings and a fun atmosphere. Besides the historical side of the square there is a bunch of street food and little cafe's around as well as street performers galore.
Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock (Staromestska Radnice)
Prague's Astronomical Clock is pretty fantastic. It was built in the 14th Century and still works accurately. It is the oldest astronomical clock in the world still working.
Church of the Virgin Mary before Tyn (Kostel Panny Marle pred Tynem)
This church is the dominant building/feature in Old Town Square. The church was built in the 14th century and used to be a primary place of worship for foreign merchants visiting the city. This is probably the coolest church I have ever seen before. I loved the way it looked and wished there were more buildings still around from this era.
St. Henry Bell Tower (Jindřišská věž )
When St Henry Church was built has it's own steeple, but the walls of the church were not strong enough to support heavy bells, so it was decided to build a bell tower separate from the church and that's how St. Henry Bell Tower came to be the 65 meter high bell tower in pretty much the middle of a street in Prague. I loved this bell tower. It is quite unique looking. I thought it was cool that it was just kind of hanging out by itself, but it was also kind of weird.
Municipal House Hall (Obecni Dum)
St. George Basilica
This is the oldest church within the Prague Castle Complex. It dates back to the 10th century and built in Romanesque style. I love how small and lovely this church was next to the huge overwhelming St. Vitus Cathedral.I didn't actually know this was anything special when I took a picture of it at first I just liked the way it looked.
Powder Tower (Prasna brana)
Poder Tower was one of the several entrances to the city in the 15th centrury. Origins of its name date back to the 17th century when the tower was used to store gun powder. I loved this Tower. It was kind of dark in the sculptures that it was decorated with, but I think that all of the architecture of Prague is a little creepy.
St. Nicolas Church
This is the biggest baroque church in Prague, with a dome scaling to 70 meters in height. Mozart played the organ in this church. This was built in the 18 century and is 1 of 3 St. Nicolas Churches in Prague.
Old Town Bridge Tower
The bridge tower is built on the Old Town side of the Charles Bridge hence its name. It was built in 1373 and is decorated with sculptures of St Vitus and Charles IV. The Tower once displayed the heads of 12 Protestant leaders executed in 1621, and was also the site of the final conflict of the Thirty Year war. It was a pretty amazing site to see. I thought that it was more amazing looking than the whole Charles Bridge.
Charles Bridge (Karluv Most)
An close and personal look at one of the statues on the bridge
I view of Lesser Prague from the bridgeThe construction of this bridge was started in 1357 under the rule of King Charles IV and was finished in the early 15th century. It was the only bridge crossing the Vltava River until 1841. This bridge make Prague important as a trade rout between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge is 621 metes long and nearly 10 meters wide. It is decorated by 30 statues most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700, but now all replaced by replicas. Let me tell you that the bridge was probably one of the creepiest things I have ever seen. I mean there are creepy religious statues all along the bridge staring down at you. I did not feel any spiritual feelings on this bridge just a little creeped out.
National Museum and Saint Wenceslas
Wenceslas Square isn't actually a square, but a long and airy avenue. It was named after Sanit Wenceslas who is featured in the square in front of the National Museum building on a horse. The horse is the most common meeting spot for locals who say "let's meet under the tail"
Matthias Gate and Prague Castle (Prazsky hrad)
This gate dates back to the early 17th century. This gate was built during the regime of the emperor Matthias. In old times, this triumphant antique gate separated the Prague Castle quarters from the Castle Square. Prague Castle is one of the largest Castles in Europe with over 700 bedrooms. I was a little disappointed with Prague Castle. It was more of a Palace and not a castle. It looked really modern and not really special at all. It almost looked like a nice hotel like a plaza or something. I don't know I definitely didn't want to pay to go inside of it. Also, we watched the changing of the guards while we were there. It was pretty normal. But nothing will be as awesome as Athens' changing of the guards. But it was nothing to brag about seeing.
St. Vitus Cathedral (Chram svateho Vita)
This is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. It is located within Prague Castle and contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. It is the biggest and most important church in the country. It is also home to the Czech Crown Jewels. I really liked this Cathedral. I thought it had a lot of similarities to the Cathedral back in Salamanca, but I really liked all of the Gargoyles on the Cathedral. They are creepy, but awesome.
Jubilee Synagogue Jubilejní synagoga
It is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue because of its location on Jerusalem Street. It was built in 1906, designed by Wilhelm Stiassny and named in honor of the silver Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The synagogue is designed in Moorish Revival form with Art Nouveau decoration. After the Czech Republic became independent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it became more usual to call the synagogue the Jerusalem Street Synagogue. This was the coolest synagogue I had ever seen in my whole life. It was so colorful. I just loved it.
Beer Brewed by Monks!
The Strahov Monastic Brewery is pretty much what it sounds like: a monastery where the monks brew beer. So we couldn't pass up the opportunity to drink beer brewed by monks. It was very delicious. It was a nice home away from home. I think it was my first craft beer since I think Budapest and it tasted like something Rough Brewery would have.
Random Exploring Pictures
I don't know what this is about, but I thought that it was funny.
Beautiful path behind the monastery.
Just a beautiful view of the city
Stepping off on St. Charles Bridge and into Lesser Prague
We couldn't have been there at a better time. Everything was starting to bloom.
