Saturday, October 18, 2008

Prague Day 3

Apologies for the delay. This is day three from our trip to Prague.

We spent the morning at Petrin Hill, which we decided was probably the closest Prague gets to a "Mormon date." Then we went to some museums.

Wall mural.














Monument to political prisoners during the communist regime.












Me in front of the Hunger Wall.













Petrin Tower, a scale version of the Eiffel Tower. Of note
is the exhibit of Jara Cimrman and his various inventions
in the basement.
















The view from the topmost observation deck
of the tower.













Miriam lost in the mirror labyrinth.













Outside view of the labyrinth.













Statue in front of the Kafka Museum.
We also went to see the Alphonse Mucha museum.











Miriam in front of Lenin in the Communist Museum, located conveniently above the McDonald's.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Prague Day 2

On the second day of our trip we crossed the Charles Bridge and went to see Prague Castle.

This is the Astronomical Clock in The Old town Sqare


















Prague Castle from afar.












Czech composer Bedrich Smetana


















Regrettably unable to identify this statue.














With beer ad obscured.














One of the many statues on Charles Bridge. Here's a site that will give more detail and background than I could supply about these.


















Charles Bridge cont.



















Charles Bridge cont.


















Charles Bridge cont.













Note the Royal.














Prague Skyline. That's the Zizkov Television Tower in the distance (we didn't make it there though)












St Vitus' Cathedral, Prague Castle's main attraction.
















The stained glass windows inside are stunning.
































This one was done by Alphonse Mucha!

























































The extravagant tomb of St. John of Nepomuk













More St. John













Cannonball fired at the cathedral by the Prussians.











































































St. Ludmilla, with the scarf she was strangled with.
































The great hall of the palace, jousting tournaments took place in here.












Prague skyline again.













Courtyard













The Golden Lane













Miriam standing in front of a house Kafka once lived in.












Dungeon pit.













Grim statue















































That evening we went and saw Don Giovanni, performed in the Estates Theatre, where it premiered, also where scenes from Amadeus were filmed. Pictures will appear on the next post along with Petrin Hill!

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Prague Day 1

The first day of our (our being myself and my girlfriend Miriam, for those readers who are unaware) vacation in Prague was spent mostly in transit, we left Saturday at noon and arrived Sunday at two, having endured the disconcertion that goes with a trans-Atlantic flight and having the days contort in odd ways.

The nine hour flight was mostly insufferable, in they way that being in a cramped space that is too cold for nine hours is. Little sleep was had. The in flight movies were Kung Fu Pands (which I watched on the return flight), Made of Honor (which is bland to the point of barely existing, though it is a movie seemingly designed for air travel) and Then She Found Me (AKA Helen Hunt Gets and Ultrasound).

Eventually we arrived in Prague, 3 PM on Sunday, weary but excited.

We rented a small apartment in the heart of old town Prague for an incredibly affordable rate (though all in all, Prague was suprisingly affordable).












It was pretty cozy, despite the fact the we couldn't get the gas heater to work. Despite our tiredness we decided to do some exploring.












Havelska street, right outside our apartment. There was a market where people sold a variety of goods.











The St. Nicholas Church, I believe. Though Prague's streets are filled with many beautiful building worthy of having there picture taken.







A traditional Czech meal. The dumplings are quite tasty. This is the only food I took a picture of. Overall the food was quite good. I particularly enjoyed the roated duck I had one night. Also, gelato is the preferred type of ice cream (or zmrzlina), and it is far superior to regular ice cream.













Street performer, marionettes are kind of a big deal there.












Týn Church















Jan Hus monument in Old Town Square




















Powder Tower

We went to bed at the ridiculous time of 8, and slept 12 hours.
Tomorrow: Prague Castle!