Prague Sightseeing

10 Apr 2012

Prague Sightseeing

We woke up and the hotel breakfast was just okay and very crowded so Bob went across the street for a cappucino. We headed for the famous Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most listen (help·info)) is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau) until 1841, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town and adjacent areas. This “solid-land” connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the “Charles Bridge” since 1870.

The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.

At night Charles Bridge is a quiet place, but during the day it changes its face into a very busy venue with painters, owners of kiosks, and vendors alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge. Then made a quick morning stop at McDonalds for a diet coke and snack. Then made our way up the steep roadway up towards the Castle. Along the way Sandra and Bob bought some wooden girl nesting dolls. Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad) is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is the biggest castle in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 metres in length and an average of about 130 metres wide. Our timing was perfect as large crowds were gathering to watch the formal changing of the guards which was a neat process to view. We then toured inside the beautiful Saint Vitus’ Cathedral (Czech: Katedrála svatého Víta.) It is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral.

Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, this cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country. The cathedral is under the ownership of the Czech government as part of the Prague Castle complex. I was hungry so we stopped at an outdoor cafe in the castle complex and had some delicious goulash on bread. After our break we continued our way back down and headed back to the other side of the river for some shopping. Sandra got her beloved “Prague witch.” Then we hit up some vendor stands for ham, halusky, and of course beers and brats. We continued exploring the streets of Prague and eventually stopped at a wine cafe. We enjoyed a 3-flights tasting menu (Jeremy got whites and I got reds.). We then headed towards our hotel and met a couple along the way who are from the US but are living in Germany as a military family. They joined us for a beer in a local bar, and we found out they were staying right across from our hotel in an apartment so we went over for a drink. HOW spacious and lovely! After being overserved, we made our way across the street back to our hotel. Afternoon flights back home tomorrow – can’t believe vacation is over!