Charles Bridge
One of the most historic erections in all of Prague built in the 14th century and home to many a famous statue. It was decimated by the floods in 2000 but has been lovingly restored. The bridge is lined with musicians strumming violins, artists doing portraits, and locals selling loads of touristy knickknacks. In short: Ally heaven!!
Ally and me on Charles Bridge
This is one of the only photos of us taken together so we thought we’d include it. That's the Prague Castle in the distance that we were crossing the bridge to get to...
Prague Castle
The famous Prague castle houses a soaring cathedral in its centre. The castle dominates the horizon from Charles Bridge and provides lots of photo opportunities. Imagine my chagrin when no sooner had we neared the castle's fabulous fade and my battery runs out of juice. Ally's camera came to the rescue - much to her delight because I'm forever giving her a hard time when her phone runs out of batteries (which it does rather often) and threatening to send her on a "101 battery management" course.
Prague at night
Beautiful! Buildings always look so different when lit up at night. Ally and I went for a night time stroll by the river and experimented with our cameras with this shot. Photography has become something that we both enjoy. We had a fun competition on the go to see who could capture the best shot of the trip - to be judged by Kerry, the photo guru. I'm hoping this one taken my moi might do the trick!!
Horse and carriage, love and ...
How romantic! Not even the tangy smell of horse pee could deter us from a journey through the city on a horse driven carriage for two. The horses were huge and the driver was a charming old chap. We soon found ourselves the unwitting focus of many a budding photographer who wanted to capture a historic building with our horse and carriage as the foreground. The trip lasted 20 minutes and cost the equivalent of a night's accommodation - but it was romantic and we loved it.
Prague from on high
In the 1800’s, they built this Eiffel Tower replica on top of the hill overlooking Prague. Except, it’s only a third of the height and rather rickety as you get towards the top (after climbing many a stair). In fact, upon climbing to the high lookout, I could swear I felt the tower lean a bit as all the tourists crowded on the side with the view of the castle. Had me very anxious as I'm a terrible coward when it comes to heights. I managed to squeeze off a couple of photos from the top and then rushed down as fast as the steep, winding stairs would allow.
Classical Concert
Prague is a real cultural hotspot. In some cities, the local touts flog city tours, restaurants and even illegal substances (Amsterdam!) whilst in Prague, every tout is selling tickets to classical concerts. The city must have the highest number of classical concerts per capita in the world. We succumbed to the pressure and opted for a concert at St Nicholas Church in the square. It turned out to be the highlight of our entire trip. The choir and orchestra played highlights from Vivaldi, Mozart and Bacht and had us enthralled (the soprano soloist in particular had the most beautiful voice we've ever heard). The audience brought them back for 5 curtain calls and three encores. Great, spiritual stuff.
Boat Trip
One of the best ways to see Prague is from the river, so we went on a two and a half hour boat expedition along the river. The weather was stunning so we lazed on deck, enjoying the rays. It was a great way to see the famous Charles Bridge and Prague Castle from a different angle and to meet some fellow tourists for a chat. The trip provided a buffet lunch but we were so stuffed on meats and cheese from an earlier meal that we couldn´t really tuck in.
The Jewish Cemetary
One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe with graves dating back to the 13th century... A poignant place - especially considering that the local Jewish community was all but wiped out in the Holocaust. The few that survived then had the stifling effects of communism to contend with. A grim story but with little pockets of hope. There are but 6000 Jews living in the city today...
A table with a view
Another great highlight, this restaurant stole the show. Awesome views over the city, delicious food impeccably presented and wonderful, friendly staff - all for less than the the price of a very average UK restaurant… It was situated just below the palace and called "U Zlatne studne" for future reference. If you ever visit Prague, don't miss it! We had a bit of trouble finding it due to a very dodgy map in Lonely Planet but nothing that could not be rectified by the shortest taxi journey in all of history (we happened to be 50 metres from the place when we called out for help.)
Communist Prague
Prague was under communist rule from just after the 2nd world war until 1989. This excellent museum gives a vivid feel for what life was like during those austere times. For example, the museum contains a replica of the kind of shop you would have found in the communist era. Tescoes or Marks & Spencers it most certainly was not. In fact, not even Asda on a bad day… Almost no selection at all, just piles of non-descript tins of stodgy something or other. Shopaholics would have been very sad people indeed in communist Prague. Incredible to think that was only fifteen years ago.
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