Prague

When we arrived in Prague, we were cast off the bus to walk around until the hotels were ready and we had a very nice lunch with Martha and Brian (C2-35). Then we went to the Old Market Square where we photographed the door of Old St. Nicholas Church, a place where we had bought many a concert ticket in the past. (C2-39).

Top, right. Our Lady of Tyn Church. (C2-36), our two favorite Prague photo-ops. Bottom, right. Old Nicholas Church in the square and (C2-38). Here are our favorite photo ops in the Old Town Square.

We arrived at Hotel Pyramida: (C3-04) and pretty quickly were driven to the river boarding of our dinner cruise.

We boarded our ship and were soon under way. Below, we wait to "shove off". (P3-11).

The cruise was really beautiful, as the subsequent pictures attest. Left, we approach the famous Charles Bridge, (H3-05). Below, we have gone below the Charles Bridge in a very late setting sun. (P3-08).

Above is picture P3-10.

The modern building is interesting -- one of the few in this part of Prague. (H3-12).

It's getting late and the sun is lending less and less lighting on this beautiful city. (H3-15).

Below, it's the next day and we are starting on our walking tour.(H3-17). The weather was not great, but it soon cleared up.

Much of our tour involved the many statues that are all over Prague. To the right, the "five-star man" Saint John of Nepomuk, was a person who was cast off the Charles bridge because he refused to reveal the secret of the queen's confession. All the representations of him have a ring of five stars around his head.

C3-16

These statues are all in the palace grounds. Our tour guide compared the one on the left (H3-20) as a man with a baseball bat. It looks more like a golf swing to me. And can you see the five stars on the head below at the middle of the picture nearer the left side? (C3-24) I had to modify the color balance to bring out the stars.

Our guide to the left, (C3-30) was excellent. Early in the tour she pointed out a building that had antlers on the roof. (My picture didn't turn out.) That was because the builder was accused of being unfaithful and men who were unfaithful had to wear antlers. I asked what they did to women who were unfaithful. Later on she pointed to the cage below and said that's where they were confined. (H3-22).

St. George's Basilica, just above Golden Lane, founded in 793 by Benedictine nuns. It is the oldest Romanesque structure in Prague. The two towers have an Adam & Eve motif - wider south tower represents Adam; narrower north tower represents Eve who is in Adam's shadow! I should have stood back farther to really see the towers. Adjacent to St. George's is Bohemia's first convent, which is now a gallery of Gothic Czech art. This info is from Fodor's Guide to Prague and was supplied by Meg Hemingway who wins the free picture. (C3-27)

Below, we are just below Charles Bridge. (C3-31). After beginning our crossing, I again snapped the marvelous scene to the right. (C3-32). We even have an oil painting of that scene completed just before we crossed it in 1992.

Left (C3-33) is the statue of St. John on the Charles Bridge. The legend says that if you touch this part of the statue, you will have good luck. I expect no more lost luggage! (C3-36).

And as you see below, Elaine also wants good luck.

This is the exact place where John, the five-stars man was thrown off, and if you touch it, you will come back to Prague. So, Claudia will come back. (C3-37). Well, Elaine and I both came back twice and we had never touched it before! But, look who touched it!

Another beautiful building I can't identify. (C3-40)

In our last walk around Prague, we saw the astronomical Clock strike the hour (C4-01) and saw the new Municipal Building. (C4-02).

We were taken by bus to to Dvorak Hall of the Rudolfinum to warm up. This underexposed picture is of Bob trying to seat us on the balcony around the organ so we could perhaps hear each other. We in the back row had some problems, but the concert was received very well with a respectable audience. (H4-06).

After the concert was "dinner independent" so we decided find the restaurant we ate at last summer right on the water next to the Charles Bridge. The entrance above was narrow passage suitable for only one person. The very narrow walkway was monitored with a traffic signal. (See the green man in the light upper right.) Our meal right (H4-07) was great and those lights behind our heads are on the Charles Bridge.

That's the end of our Prague visit. We were off the next day to Vienna, the subject of the next trip page.
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