Prague in a Day

November 17, 2023

I'm going to try to get back to blogging about our recent trip to Europe. I've been sick since we returned last week. First it was a head cold then it moved into my lungs. Covid test was negative, but I'm a little skeptical of that result. I wish I could say I am getting better, but Irv says I sound like I have pneumonia. All I know is that I sleep most of the day and have no energy to do anything.

So we arrived in Germany on a Tuesday and Jillian asked us if we wanted to go to Prague in the Czech Republic the next day. We said yes, but neither of us set an alarm. At noon Jillian finally came and knocked on the door and asked if we were okay. We had slept for 15 hours straight. Darn jet lag! (In Germany they have these metal shutters on the outside that completely block the daylight out. We might have slept all day if she hadn't knocked on our door.)

Prague is about a three hour drive from the LaRue house. We made our way to a parking garage and then went on foot to discover the city.

All these old cities used to have walls surrounding them and this is one of the gates that they kept. I think the history is fascinating.

There were lots of people milling around the city center.

This is the Jan Hus Memorial. He was a religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer who thought mass should be given in the local language instead of Latin much like Martin Luther. He was ultimately burned at the stake which started the Hussite Wars.

A beautiful couple was having their wedding pictures done.

We made our way into the St. Nicholas Church which had one of the most beautiful chandeliers I've ever seen.

There's nothing like the churches in Europe. I rarely pass one by without going inside.

When we came out of the church we started noticing a huge police presence complete with dozens of police vehicles and officers in full riot gear.

Hovering above was a helicopter broadcasting something to everyone in the square. Of course we don't understand a word of Czech, but we knew it was time to move on. There was a large group chanting something in the square which the police were monitoring. Later we found out there was a big futbol match that day and the opposing team was the one chanting. Eventually the police accompanied them to the stadium.

Here's the outside view of the St. Nicholas Church. It's a baroque church built in the 1700s.

Then we made our way over the medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall. It has three components--the astronomical dial representing the position of the sun and moon, statues of the catholic saints, and the walk of the apostles which occurs hourly.

Here's a short video of the big event.

Prague was a beautiful city when I visited there 30 years ago and it's even more so now that the Russians have moved out.

Next we made our way over to the medieval Charles Bridge which crosses the Vitava River.

My traveling companions decided to find a geocache. Irv went missing for awhile, but eventually returned.

We could see the magnificent castle and cathedral across the river. It doesn't look like it in this photo, but it's on top of a big hill. Off we went in that direction.

The bridge is lined with many beautiful statues. Many of them were undergoing renovation to clean them up.

Of course there were selfies along the way.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you we walked up the hill to get there. As it was getting dark Jillian had the brilliant idea of calling an Uber (or the Czech equivalent). Thank goodness.

Everything was closed by the time we got there, but it was still fun to walk around and admire the outside.

It is the St. Vitus Cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors are buried inside.

Then the lights came on and lit it up.

Construction began in the 1300s and like most of these old structures, it's constantly under renovation.

It's beauty was breathtaking. The gold mosaics were incredible!

Although we couldn't go in it this time, here are some shots of the stained glass windows from when I was there in the early 1990s.

After looking at as much as we could it was time to walk down the hill and grab an Uber to a restaurant Jillian suggested.

A waiter brings around shots of something which Jillian and I enjoyed. Here we are looking each other in the eye before gulping it down. It was quite delicious!

Jillian and I went for the Hungarian Goulash and it was wonderful! I think Irv had turkey.

The waiter comes around with a tray of beer--you have two choices: light or dark. Each time he comes around he just makes a mark on a piece of paper that is on the table. That could be dangerous. Jillian had to make the long drive home so we showed self restraint.