Dobry den Praha (Hello from Prague--in Czech)

We just returned from an extremely memorable trip to Prague! So much more captivating than I anticipated...strong Christian influences, amazing churches, excellent food, rich in history (some relics dated from BC era!!!)--not to mention most buildings were established well before Columbus discovered America, We walked over tombs of Saints and Bishops, mets some friendly locals at various establishments while we enjoyed Czech pivo (beer). So, be prepared for a bombardment of photos. I may have to do this in stages....
Day 1... We arrived early in the morning...Thanks to my husband booking a 6 am flight at an airport 1 hour away...Love ya hun! We dropped off our luggage at Hotel Waldenstein in the Little Quarter (Prague is organized into 5 areas and Little quarter is the most central). We walked over the Charles Bridge into Old Quarter. The Charles bridge crosses over the Vlatava and is lined with several statues. Here is a photo of Peggy and I halfway across the 520 meter bridge that was built in 1357. In the background is the Prague Castle with the St. Vitus Cathedral.

Here is a view looking back to Little Quarter. you can see several of the statues.

Aaron and I in front of St. John Nepomuk, who was tortured and thrown off the bridge in the late 1300's. The reliefs on the statue depict the martyrdom of the saint. They are polished bright from people rubbing it for good luck.

Aaron and Peggy in the Old Quarter overlooking the Vltava and Little Quarter, with the Prague Castle/St. Vitus Cathedral in the background.

Aaron and I goofing off in front of the US Embassy

Our quaint hotel room...no, all three of us did not have to sleep in two twin beds. There was an additional bedroom off of this one.

Day 2. We walked up to the Prague castle. This was taken at a scenic overlook

The next few are of the St. Vitus Cathedral and the Prague Castle. We rented audiophones that explained the Gothic architecture of the grounds and the religious artifacts. Several Bishops are buried here.




It was nice to have the Audiotours because it explained the significance of the various Popes and Bishops to the Czech church and the meaning of the frescos, stained glass, and the various chapels off the High Alter.
We climbed 287 steps of the Great South Tower of the St. Vitus Cathedral. It was a spiral staircase that was filled with the odor of the Europeans and became very interesting when meeting oncoming "traffic". But, the view was worth it!


We took a break at a pub on the way back to our hotel. A typical Prague street in the background

Day 3...We visited the Church of St. Nicholas. It is interesting that these Churches sat empty during the Communist Rule (from approx 1948-1989) because of a ban on organized religion

The dome frescoes were incredible!!!


Yeah!!! Starbucks!!! Although it was about 7 dollars for my Venti Caramel Macchiato. Prague is going to the Euro next year and are currently using the Czech Koruna. There are approximately 16 Koruna in 1 US Dollar...made for some interesting math. Next time...bring a calculator.

Next, we toured the Wallenstein Palace and Gardens, home of the Czech Senate. Here is a pic of Aaron and I in front of a pond with a Statue of Hercules (you can see the Church of St. Nicholas in the background)

Aaron and Peggy in one of several gardens on the property. In the back left corner is what is called the Grotesquery...it looked like carvings of people scaling a wall in the distance, but is a imitation of the walls of a limestone cave, covered in stalactites.

Have you ever seen an albino peacock? There were several peacocks "chirping" away in the gardens. What can I say...I have sympathy for this one...its not easy being pale complected.

At one of our favorite restaurants...St. Nicholas Cafe.

Aaron in front of the US Embassy. He was able to go inside and speak with one of the Ambassadors. Had we been in town for a bit longer, he offered to give us a tour of the City. He stated that the US Embassy in Prague is one of the softest targets because there is not a 100 yard perimeter around the building. But, they do check all cars driving past the Embassy and will not allow cars to stop in front.


This is Old Town Square with a huge astronomical clock and more beautiful Churches and sculptures.



Aaron was extremely patient with Peggy and I while we shopped for crystal and various Souvenirs, so Aaron's one request was to find U Flexu. A brewery that was established in 1499. It was a lot of fun. We sat at a long table, a waiter brought us all a beer and convinced us to try some shot of the nastiest tasting alcohol. And, when you were finished with your beer, you received another...like it or not. These really cute old guys were playing mostly German music (our table was filled with crazy Germans...I can say that since I am part German). It was quite the lively atmosphere...a good, mild preparation for our trip to Munich in October.



Prague at night, on our way back to the hotel
Day 4...our last day. We have logged quite a few miles of walking throughout Prague (to help burn off the Czech Goulash and Potato Dumplings, Beer, and Pizza we have consumed). We never utilized public transportation (although, their Trams appeared to be very clean and easy to use)..our hotel was in such a central location. Today, we took our time checking out of our hotel, shopping for the last minute souvenirs we wanted to buy, and trekked up a large hill to the Strahov Monastery (founded in 1140). It provided for some beautiful last views of the city before we flew out.



Hope you enjoyed these photos...it took FOREVER (2 hours) to post them all.
Oh, and while we were enjoying ourselves in Prague, someone in California was enjoying a shopping spree with my Bank Card!!! Luckily, my bank froze my card (the thieves managed to spend over $700.00 and it could have been worse) and the case is going to the Fraud Investigation Dept...gotta love ID theft! Hopefully it gets resolved before our cruise. Intersting...my card is in my wallet and they must have made a duplicate card...