I don't often win the currency exchange game but everyone is a winner in the Czech Republic. £1= 26 Kc, even if it's slightly deceiving, it's still a pleasant surprise when £60 turns into 1,600 Kc. I don't often get the chance to carry around a 1000 note, but I think I could adapt to this much cash. Cash stacked, Ashley and I boarded the plane for country 14. I've always wanted to go to Prague, despite my limited knowledge about the country or culture, I've heard only amazing things about the city and its nightlife.
I grown spoiled by quick, cheap flights, allowing way too many travel options! I almost from my ass-numbing 7 hour flight back home over Christmas. But an 1hr 20 min and £50 later, we were in the Czech Republic, a sunny new country! With each country, we grow increasingly comfortable with public transport, why waste money on cabs, when a bus and train can get you there for a 1/8th of the price! Because Prague is a cheaper city, that and January is considered off-off-off peak, we found a hotel for the same price of our usual hostel accommodations. £20 for real beds, with sheets included, and an ensuite bathroom….my travel dream!
From our hotel, we started off to Stare Mesto (Old Town) which was considered the medieval center of the city. It creates a maze of streets and alleys, filled with shops, restaurants. We navigated into the center of the square, church steeples seem to be entangled among brightly colored buildings with intriquly painted facades. The paintings as much a work of art as the churches themselves, each with a different story. We wandered into the gothic Tyn Church, its spires peek behind shops making the entrance seemingly hidden. With a quick look around, we exited to the sounds of trumpets. Wanting to see what the fuss was about, we walked towards the crowd and stumbled upon one of the most famous sites in Prague, the Astronomical Clock. Hundreds of people crowd around each hour to watch little figurines of the Apostles shuffle past the windows. Below are the four threats to the city (in medieval times) Death carrying an hourglass and tolling a bell, the Jew with moneybags, Vanity admiring its reflection, and also racist the Turk fit with a turban shaking his head. A costumed trumpeter bellows during the show from atop the tower. The clock face and figures are relatively low on the tower, making it easy for tourists to watch the show each hour. It is no wonder why people crowd around it, it is beautiful and old fashioned. We stopped next to the clock for some grub. We sat at an outside café under heat lamps for traditional Czech lunch and mulled wine, a perfect way to warm up before exploring the city.
Unlike many other European cities, there is no visible damage from Hitler's wrath. Virtually untouched, at least physically, the city has maintained its medieval layout, with an abundance of stunning Baroque architecture. We made our way through the old town to Charles Bridge, one of the most famous monuments in Prague. Originally only adorned with a crucifix, the Catholic Church commissioned another 21 sculptures to be erected across the bridge during the 17th century. It’s not the sculptures individually that are fascinating, its that each is different in material and design. Buskers, beggers, and people hawking chaciques line the bridge in between the marble, gold, bronze and stone figurines. Most have faded with the centuries, except for spots polished by the touching of travelers. We couldn’t understand the importance or superstition of tourists rubbing a certain statue. Once across the bridge, we wandered up the hilltop to Prague Castle. The walls surround the castle, a cathedral, a basilica, and a ton of other government buildings. We joined the crowd ignoring the ticket booth and head straight for the Cathedral of sv Vit. I’ve come to the point in my travels that I am rarely impressed by a church, after awhile the stained glass begins to blur and fade from one cathedral to another basilica. But for the first time in the last 4 countries, I was impressed. It wasn’t the height of the nave or the gold statues adorning the walls, it was the stained glass. It was bright and vibrant, seemingly more modern than others I’ve seen before. Personally in awe, we set our to find out what else the castle had in store. It felt like we walked around the whole perimeter without stumbling upon a castle, at least not a castle we have come to know. Maybe we missed it but the rest seemed a little too modern to impress us, well except the view from the top, that wasn’t too bad at all!
Along the way back we passed various Absinthe cafes and stores. I’ve only tried Absinthe once, the smuggled souvenir of a friend, entertained us for hours. A lot is said about Absinthe, mostly about its hallucinating power, all I can say about it is, that night the bathroom seemed far enough to make me take a break half way down the hall. So it was decided we were going green….
I grown spoiled by quick, cheap flights, allowing way too many travel options! I almost from my ass-numbing 7 hour flight back home over Christmas. But an 1hr 20 min and £50 later, we were in the Czech Republic, a sunny new country! With each country, we grow increasingly comfortable with public transport, why waste money on cabs, when a bus and train can get you there for a 1/8th of the price! Because Prague is a cheaper city, that and January is considered off-off-off peak, we found a hotel for the same price of our usual hostel accommodations. £20 for real beds, with sheets included, and an ensuite bathroom….my travel dream!
From our hotel, we started off to Stare Mesto (Old Town) which was considered the medieval center of the city. It creates a maze of streets and alleys, filled with shops, restaurants. We navigated into the center of the square, church steeples seem to be entangled among brightly colored buildings with intriquly painted facades. The paintings as much a work of art as the churches themselves, each with a different story. We wandered into the gothic Tyn Church, its spires peek behind shops making the entrance seemingly hidden. With a quick look around, we exited to the sounds of trumpets. Wanting to see what the fuss was about, we walked towards the crowd and stumbled upon one of the most famous sites in Prague, the Astronomical Clock. Hundreds of people crowd around each hour to watch little figurines of the Apostles shuffle past the windows. Below are the four threats to the city (in medieval times) Death carrying an hourglass and tolling a bell, the Jew with moneybags, Vanity admiring its reflection, and also racist the Turk fit with a turban shaking his head. A costumed trumpeter bellows during the show from atop the tower. The clock face and figures are relatively low on the tower, making it easy for tourists to watch the show each hour. It is no wonder why people crowd around it, it is beautiful and old fashioned. We stopped next to the clock for some grub. We sat at an outside café under heat lamps for traditional Czech lunch and mulled wine, a perfect way to warm up before exploring the city.
Unlike many other European cities, there is no visible damage from Hitler's wrath. Virtually untouched, at least physically, the city has maintained its medieval layout, with an abundance of stunning Baroque architecture. We made our way through the old town to Charles Bridge, one of the most famous monuments in Prague. Originally only adorned with a crucifix, the Catholic Church commissioned another 21 sculptures to be erected across the bridge during the 17th century. It’s not the sculptures individually that are fascinating, its that each is different in material and design. Buskers, beggers, and people hawking chaciques line the bridge in between the marble, gold, bronze and stone figurines. Most have faded with the centuries, except for spots polished by the touching of travelers. We couldn’t understand the importance or superstition of tourists rubbing a certain statue. Once across the bridge, we wandered up the hilltop to Prague Castle. The walls surround the castle, a cathedral, a basilica, and a ton of other government buildings. We joined the crowd ignoring the ticket booth and head straight for the Cathedral of sv Vit. I’ve come to the point in my travels that I am rarely impressed by a church, after awhile the stained glass begins to blur and fade from one cathedral to another basilica. But for the first time in the last 4 countries, I was impressed. It wasn’t the height of the nave or the gold statues adorning the walls, it was the stained glass. It was bright and vibrant, seemingly more modern than others I’ve seen before. Personally in awe, we set our to find out what else the castle had in store. It felt like we walked around the whole perimeter without stumbling upon a castle, at least not a castle we have come to know. Maybe we missed it but the rest seemed a little too modern to impress us, well except the view from the top, that wasn’t too bad at all!
Along the way back we passed various Absinthe cafes and stores. I’ve only tried Absinthe once, the smuggled souvenir of a friend, entertained us for hours. A lot is said about Absinthe, mostly about its hallucinating power, all I can say about it is, that night the bathroom seemed far enough to make me take a break half way down the hall. So it was decided we were going green….
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