Prague

Well, here we are in Prague and the final leg of our journey. After fighting our way through traffic we arrived at our pink hotel on a hill on a busy street corner. Busy seems to be a fitting word for the city in general. It is definitely a happening place with many, many tourists.

Love this! The Dancing House designed by Frank Gehry

 

We began our guided tour of the city on Friday morning, starting with Prague Castle. It is the largest ancient castle in the world, dating back to the 9th century. Since its founding, it has contained the offices of the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.

 

Castle courtyard

 

The Crown Jewels (okay, these are actually copies)

 

I love the ceramic heating stoves. The opening is on the other side of the wall so that servants could feed the fire without disturbing the family.

 

Our guide explaining the various parts of the castle

 

Changing of the guard

 

St. Vitus Cathedral, founded by Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia in 925. The Roman Catholic cathedral is located within the Prague Castle complex and contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors

 

One of the beautiful stained windows of the cathedral

 

Denise attempting to get a picture of the whole cathedral

 

A beautiful walk down from the castle back to our bus, with vineyards on the right

 

St. Wenceslas Vineyard

 

 

Powder Tower, one of the original 13 city gates in Old Town, Prague, constructed in 1475. The tower was used to store gunpowder in the 17th century.

 

The Astronomical Clock, installed in 1410 on the wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.

 

 

Our last concert was in the beautiful St. Giles Church, founded in 1371. It was a 5:00 p.m. performance and the audience consisted of people wandered in and out from off the street. We sang in the balcony at the back of the church and were not actually visible from the main sanctuary, so anyone listening will have been treated to this beautiful sound coming from somewhere behind them.

View from the balcony

 

 

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