Prague, Czech Republic

I knew nothing about Prague before we arrived here four days ago. But after spending only a few days here, I feel certain I'll return at some point. The city is beautiful. Everywhere you look you see original Baroque and Romanesque style buildings, which is unique to Prague since it was one of the only major cities in Europe not to be bombed during WWII. All of the original character of the city has mostly been preserved, and you really feel like you've taken a trip back through time as you wander the cobblestone streets of Prague. Adding to the atmosphere of the city is the large number of street musicians you'll come across while walking around Prague. They'll be set up on the Charles Bridge or by the steps to Prague Castle playing Jazz or traditional Czech music, and they are all really, really good.

Random buildings of Prague:

                                                   

The Vltava River separates Prague into two halves, which are linked together by multiple bridges. The most famous bridge is Charles Bridge, a pedestrian bridge with 30 statues, 15 on either side. Thousands of people cross the bridge multiple times a day to get from the Old Town to Mala Strana. 

                                       (Rainbow over Charles Bridge after a quick rain)

Our Hostel was at the base of Charles Bridge, in the very center of Prague. We could be on the bridge after just 5 steps out the Hostel's front door. From there we could turn right and be at Prague Castle in Mala Strana in about 15 minutes, or turn left and be at the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square in 15 minutes. 

(Our Hostel is the blue building; it was also a tourist information center, so we got lots of discounts on tours, shows, and food)

If I didn't know much about Prague, I knew absolutely nothing about Czech food. But it is delicious, and thankfully cheap (The Czech Republic is part of the EU, but since it hasn't joined the Euro yet the exchange rate here is still in our favor). Since we've been here we've tried: Goulash, The Czech version of beef stew, usually served in a bread bowl; Fried duck breast with homemade bacon dumplings and cranberries; Schnitzel with various meats (veal, lamb, pork, etc); Lots of hearty soups; and way too many Czech pastries, strudels, and desserts to remember. While these were all delicious, as any citizen of the Czech Republic will tell you the most important food group here is Beer. Czech's have the highest annual consumption of beer in the world, drinking on average 148.6 Liters of beer per person, per year! Compare that with Germany (106.1), Ireland (98.3), and the US (77.1).  But I can't blame the Czechs; their beer is delicious. The preferred type of beer here is a Pilsner, but you can find just about anything you want. I've also sampled Grog, which is Czech Rum (made from potatoes) that's served in hot tea or water. Apparently Czech's only drink it in the winter, because the waiter looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered it in the middle of August.

                       (Dessert one night: Apple Strudel, Grog and Pear Brandy. And no, this wasn't all just for me) 

I'm going to do something a bit different and just post pictures of things we've seen during our stay here with short descriptions of what I can remember, partly because we've squeezed so much into this trip that the days have run together, but mostly because this city is beautiful and I want to post a bunch of the pictures I've taken!

 (The John Lennon Wall. Young Czechs would come here to air their grievances about the communist government during the Cold War. The wall got its name after thousands of Czechs came to leave flowers here and pay their respects after Lennon was killed.)

                                    (Interior of  a Catholic church in Prague)

 (The Astronomical Clock, built in the 1400s. Every hour the doors below the clock face open and mechanical saints do a loop around the clock.)

                                                 (Strahov Monastery)

 (Library of Strahov Monastery)

                                                           (Exterior of St. Vitus' Cathedral)

(Interior of St. Vitus' Cathedral) 

 (Jewish cemetery of Prague. The graves here are 12 layers thick, with a new layer of soil and all of the previous headstones being placed on top of the preexisting graves. That's why the headstones are so close.)

 (Spanish synagogue; we saw a concert here one night and the music was as beautiful as the setting.)


 (View of Prague from the gardens of Strahov Monastery on a hill above the city.)

  (View of Prague and the Vltava River from a tower in St. Vitus' Cathedral high above the city.)

(Charles Bridge at night. We took a dinner cruise up the Vltava river on our last night in Prague. The boat was propelled by a huge paddlewheel, the dinner was buffet style, and their was a live Jazz band.)

(Charles Bridge over the Vltava River with St. Vitus' Cathedral in the background.)

We leave tomorrow for the last leg of our trip which we'll spend in Dublin, Ireland. This will be the first time I will have been in a country where most people primarily speak English since mid-June, and I'm looking forward to it!