Prague

Prague, pronounced ‘Pra-Ha’ in Czech, is a city of 1.4 million people with old, renaissance architecture right next to modern glass buildings.  They use several types of public transportation including a subway and are working hard to become a modern community since gaining their independence from Communist control.

Our first outing is a ride up to the Prague Castle which overlooks the whole city. To get there we crossed the Charles Bridge which is lined with saints and biblical statuary used as worship centers to replace churches during the Black Plague era.  The Prague Castle is not only the palace of the president and the offices of government but also the St. Vitus Cathedral and Basilica.  The church was completed in 1929 and the palace buildings were constructed by the communists from 1948 to 1989.  To enter the church we would have had to stand in lines to buy a tickets.  The square surrounding the cathedral is made up of buildings painted with mosaic tiles, the old Royal Palace, and residences.  The architecture is both Gothic and Renaissance.

We then walked down the hill, through the old part of town and across the Charles Bridges which was wall to wall with people. We did get a few pictures of the statuary.  The bridge is the oldest in Prague and built by King Charles IV.  You might recognize this area from a Mission Impossible movie.

After crossing the bridge we enter New Town which is only 100 years younger than Old Town.  We viewed the Astrological Clock from 1390, King Wenceslas (from the Xmas song) Square, and the Political Square where protests are held before heading back to the hotel

Later in the day we enjoyed a food tour of Prague by Jan with  https://www.tasteofprague.com/our-story  We had a huge variety of traditional foods, a tour guide who helped us understand the Czech people, history, and a visit to the places locals enjoy.