Friday through Sunday 15-17 February 2008

Czech this out… (Sorry but it HAD to be done)

This past weekend we took a trip for our anniversary to visit the land of my heritage, a place where they not only know your name, but know how to pronounce it correctly as well.

Prague, simply put, was one of the most beautiful cities we’ve visited, mainly because it escaped the bombing of World War II. Let’s start with our hotel… Located in a protected building that shared the eastern gate of the town’s original walled city, it was within earshot of the bells of Tyn Church (which serves for a great morning alarm clock, whether or not we NEEDED that alarm), and a mere five minute walk from the Old Town Square. Breakfast was served every morning deep in the building’s cellar which dated back to the late 1600’s. Seems having a Czech surname finally paid off, as the hotel was fully booked and they set us up in one of the suites that overlooked the façade of the Church of St. James.

Now on to the sights... (as always - clicking on an image will get a larger version)

Old Town Square:

Should one walk out of our hotel and through the Ungelt Courtyard one would find himself right in the centre of the Old Town Square, which has been the heart of Prague since the 10th century.

Surrounding the square are beautifully pastel coloured buildings, as well as, the 14th century Tyn Church whose multiple Gothic spires dominate the square.

Town Hall and Astronomical Clock:

The centrepiece though of Old Town Square is the Town Hall and its Astronomical Clock, which is a collection of old world calendars, moon phases and zodiac symbols. Oh yeah… it keeps time too, and on the hour this timepiece, built in 1490, treats tourists to a procession of the twelve apostles.

Municipal House:

After this trip I have come to realize that I truly enjoy the Art Nouveau style of design and Prague’s most prominent display of this is its Municipal House. Ornately detailed in fantastic swirls of colours and tiling the interior almost outdoes the stunning façade.

It was in the basement of this building where we enjoyed what Amy describes as one of her best European meals in a long time. She made a point to throw in "European", because I think, for her, nothing compares to Ruggles or Vic & Anthony’s back home.

Powder Tower:

Located adjacent to Municipal House is the imposing Powder Tower, originally one of the entrances to Old Town it acquired its name in the 17th century when it was used to store the city’s cache of gunpowder.

Charles Bridge:

Completed in 1400 the Charles Bridge is Prague’s most renowned monument.

Now just a pedestrian bridge, it is adorned with thirty statues and features the Gothic Old Town Tower which some consider to be the finest Gothic tower in central Europe.


Prague Castle:

More of an “area” than a castle in the true sense, it still is Prague’s most visited site. Sitting high above the city this was Amy’s favourite place to visit as we had to climb the hill not once… but twice. There was a Presidential election occurring when we were there and most of the castle “complex” was cordoned off including our first choice to enter.

We did get to visit the most visible part of the Castle quarter, St. Vitus Cathedral which dates back to the 14th century. Including within one of the several beautiful side chapels is the tomb to Good King Wenceslas.


The Jewish Quarter:

Prior to World War II close to 80,000 Jews lived in this area which now totals closer to 6000, and still, to this day, contains the oldest working synagogue in Europe. Also synonymous to these streets is Franz Kafka. Time constraints limited my visit, but I did take in Spanish Synagogue with it bold Moorish interior.

...and surprise… surprise also took a walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery. Founded in 1478 it is Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, and while there are over 12,000 remaining tombstones, there are thought to be closer to 100,000 people buried there in about twelve layers.

Sedlec Ossuary:

Continuing with the macabre… one of the highlights of the weekend (for me anyway) was a coach trip out to see the Sedlec Ossuary which is a small church decorated with the bones of between 40,000-70,000 people.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.


Cellar Pubs:

One of the coolest aspects of Prague, that neither of us realized, was the use of century old cellars to house pubs and restaurants. Climbing down narrow stairways into deep low arched stoned ceilings halls was… surprisingly enjoyable and made it one of our favourite things in what has become one of our favourite cities. Did I mention the cheap beer?

I could go on and on about Prague. The meandering maze of cobblestone streets lined with colourful buildings with intricate detailing made for surprises around every corner it seemed.


These were just the highlights, but we also ventured into several other churches where it struck our fancy, surprisingly finding out that Prague offered some of the most magnificent church interiors we have seen since our visit to Rome. Baroque chapels and tombs, as well as, the iconic statue of the infant Christ were within some of the churches we visited.


We did some of the more touristy things like walked through Wenceslas Square and even some of the lesser known things like finding the John Lennon wall hidden in Prague’s backstreets.

As much as we did do, there is so much more. It’s truly a shame we haven’t visited Prague earlier as we very well might have made a return visit. We enjoyed it that much… even IF there wasn’t a kolache to be found anywhere in the city.

We did have a great anniversary weekend in Prague. Ray forgot to mention that there were snow flurries each day, with mostly clear skies. It really was beautiful... but, I have to say that the "bone church" gave me the creeps!