Days 4 and 5 Praha : Highlights

Ve čtvrtek 27. a pátek 28. srpna 2015

A cute florist called 'Metamorphisis' 

This is not far from the Jewish Quarter, Josefov, in Staré Mësto, the older Medieval settlement which was separated from the outside by a semicircular moat and wall.

Wreaths of dried flowers. 

I know we didn't see everything there is to see in Prague, but we did as much as we could, especially since I missed a whole day sick. We mainly walked and wandered, trying to avoid the tourist crush and staying outdoors as much as possible. We found things by chance, so much of it was pot luck.
My favourite places in Prague are located on the Malá Strana side of the Vltava River, on the opposite side of the Charles Bridge, Karlûv most, to the Old Town Square - these are Kampa, Prague Castle area  and the Waldstein Gardens. I will look at each of these separately.

1. Kampa

 Go down the steps at the end of the bridge to reach Kampa

Kampa is actually an island in the Vltava River on the Malá Strana side of central Prague. Charles Bridge crosses its northern tip and is connected to the island by the street Ulice na Kampê.  

It is separated from Malá Strana by a narrow artificial channel or canal, dug to power water mills, and the old water mill still operates, creating a relaxing sound. The area was named, the campus, 'field', in the 1600s by Spanish soldiers who tented there.

Penny's much better shot shows the strange gnome on the edge of the platform!

One tourist drawcard to Kampa is the Lennon Wall, which faces onto a small square. It was once a normal wall, but since the 1980's has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti, and pieces of lyrics from his songs. In fact, the day we were there, a couple of buskers were singing/playing 'Imagine' and 'War is Over'. just around the corner is the 'John Lennon Pub' with its yellow submarine interior.

Lennon-loving buskers

Me looking pretty silly infront of the wall.

The John Lennon Pub is just around the corner.

The yellow submarine entrance in the John Lennon Pub. 

I found this gorgeous restaurant Velkopřevorský Mlýn, address Hroznovà 3, (you can see why I had trouble pronouncing places names!) located right next to the canal and the water wheel, so I made a mental note to return for dinner as I was feeling better, infact hungry after eating very little for 48 hours.

Czech food 'made with love'!

 I actually did go there that evening and was so lucky to find my way back to it so easily through what seemd like a maze of Kampa streets, for my last opportunity to eat out and enjoy a Prague evening.

My meal - a delicious chicken caesar salad with a drizzle of balsamic and some of their special homemade limonàda served in a jar - I chose ginger lemonade with lemon, and a basket of bread rolls and herbed butter - cost just 15 euro.

For dessert, I bought a small banana sorbet in a cone to enjoy as I walked back across the Charles Bridge as the sun was setting and the full moon glowed over the Old Town and arrived safely back at the hotel at about 9.15pm!.

 

I stopped at one of the prolific Prague jewellery shops selling garnets and amber (from Poland) and after lengthy deliberations bought an amber ande silver ring for mum for 420Kc (15 euro)

The Astronomical Clock at night

Without much commentary here are some images of Prague Castle and the Waldstein Gardens.

2. Prague Castle, Prazsky hrad

Prazsky hrad dates from 870 AD, so is over 1100 years old! It was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors and presidents - it is now the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.

The riverside walk to the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

 Prague Castle is on the hill in the background of these shots.

I constantly had difficulty with the language - I initially had no idea how to pronounce place names

Nerudova - a famous street in Mala Strana, on the way to the castle.

 In true Praha style, most cafes and reastaurants have lovely outdoor dining areas on a terraci with umbrellas and pots of pink or red flowers.

Beautifully decorated metal door of St Nicholas Church.

Decorative facade on the building above the old wall-

The4 first courtyard of the palace.

St Vitus Cathedral

View over Prague on the walk back down from the castle.

Patterned footpaths - always!

3. Waldstein Gardens

A beautiful oasis of green and calm on the Mala Strana side of the river.

 The mysterious grotto with its drip stone walls - creates mystery with the hint of caves, animals and the unknown!

There is even an aviary, I saw a large owl in there, with the same drip stone walls - see below.

There were fenced off garden rooms - grass surrounded by tall pleached hedges where white and blue peacocks roamed.

Once a palace, Vitejte is the home of the Czech Senate (cesken senatu), is set amidst these gardens - this is the monumental Sala Terrena or garden room is a continuation of the palace's residential rooms, from which to view and appreciate the gardens.

Day 1 Praha (Prague)

Pondělí 24 Srpnem  

Monday 24th August

These my photos but the arty ones are Penny's - she always looks for the angle without the tourists!

We arrived in Praha at 11.30 am, fortunately greeted at the airport by a transfer to the Intercontinental Hotel, very plush, which overlooks the Vltava River, the longest and most important river in the Czech Republic, and a short distance from the main attractions it seems.

At first sight, I found Prague city centre gorgeous but somewhat overwhelming, especially after the opulence of Paris - so many old and grand buildings, spires, domes, churches - but what did I expect?

View looking south over Prague from Prague Castle 

The rooftops are distinctly different from Paris 

with their perhaps typical Czech pitched terracotta-tiled roofs.

I imagined a vast open main town square right on the river, in front of the Prague Castle with the famous Charles Bridge, Karlùv most, leading to and from it.

But Prague is not  as I imagined -  it's less open, less clean up close, with many of its statues and buildings darkened by age and pollution perhaps. 

The gothic facade of St Vitus Cathedral, which looks over the third courtyard of Prague Castle.

sSveral of the religious statues on Charles Bridge.

You can see where people touch the statue-

Tower at the Stare Mesto or Old Town end of the bridge

Darkened spires of church in the Medieval Old Town square.

However,  everywhere there is much beauty - with gorgeous detail on doorways, windows, 

ceilings, balconies, roofs  and walls.

The beautiful detail on the door of  St Nicholas Church,  Mala Strana.

The decorative ceiling and chandelier of a trendy restaurant, restauraci, in Kampa, near the canal. 

In the Old Town Square.

Pretty plaster work and. pastel-coloured facades plus more dark statues!

The Charles Bridge, Karluv Most, was commissioned in 1357 by Charles IV to replace the original 12th Century Judith Bridge which had been washed away by floods in 1342.  The new bridge,  completed in 1400 and taking Charles' name only in the 1800s, withstood wheeled traffic for 600 years, until it was made pedestrian-only after WW2. 

The Charles Bridge, "everyone's favourite place for a stroll" according to Lonely Planet, where you can  to listen to busking musicians,

...... have your portrait done by a talented artist,  buy local jewellery - very folk arty - or simply just soak up the views!

A great place to catch some. late afternoon sunshine!  

We enjoyed the Vltava riverside walk many times - a cool and relaxing way of reaching Charles Bridge.

On the river-side walk.

Charles Bridge and the 15th Century Bridge Tower. 

From our hotel, we we walked for 5 - 10 minutes along the  Parisesque, Parizska, tree-lined boulevard to reach the Old Town Square to find masses of people crowding around the astronomical clock, waiting for the 1pm activity, so we joined them, and were bemused by the  skeleton and a few other moving parts, all over in a couple of minutes! 

Then the crowd dispersed as did we and , feeling hungry after our 5am breakfast leaving Paris, we succumbed to some typical Czech food - not sure if it was this or a bug I picked up somewhere, I woke the next morning with a stomach upset and spent the next day in bed and barely ate for 48 hours - oh well, plenty of reserves!


Franz Kafka - a famous Czech author who lived in Praha.

Franz Kafka bronze sculpture

The Kafka Museum beside the Vltava River


There's some quirky architecture too.