Memory in Prague

 01/04/15

Our second day in Prague was full-on and the weather was temperamental (it had rained, shone and snowed!). We were not really prepared for those kind of weather since we thought April weather would not include snow, hence no snow/rain-proof coat, hat or shoes were available - only humble coat that we brought and our travel spirit! :)

We chose to do a 6h local tour (by foot) to sight-see Prague. The tour by sequence route is as follows:

Prague castle complex, St. Vitus church, Little Quarter (Kampa Island), Vltava river cruise, Charles Bridge, Czech lunch, Jewish Quarter and Townhall/Old town square.

We also returned to Charles Bridge to see how the city looks at night

I did not read historical book prior and not sure what to expect when hearing "Castle Complex" in Prague. Maybe something like Versailles? Or like Russian castle with Onion-shaped roof? Well, the castle complex itself is rather elegant and pretty due to Austrian power in the past.

Prague Castle Complex

 

Schwarzenberg Palace

We then visited St. Vitus church which is inside the Castle complex. It has Gothic style and is in UNESCO heritage list. It is a beautiful church inside and outside but maybe not something super-duper special if you have visited other Gothic churches in Europe. Since the castle complex area is elevated, by the end of the complex you can overview the city from the top. It was still exciting for us even on a cold and cloudy day (I think it will be surreal on a clear beautiful day)

St. Vitus Church

City View from Castle Complex

In Little Quarter (Kampa Island), we looked at the famous the Devil's stream. It was interesting because looking at the building in the area, I felt like in Italy (with the wash-out paints and flower pots :)). Other memorable area in Kampa (at least to me) is John Lennon's wall, which symbolizes the freedom of speech for the Czechs after long suppression. Even in weekdays there were musicians playing Beatles music - Oh what a feeling!! 

Devil's Stream (Kampa Island)

Streets on Little Quarter

Part of John Lennon's Wall (I HEART IT!)

John Lennon's Wall in Prague

Moving on from Little Quarter, we hopped onto 45 mins cruise along the Vltava river where we had our tea-break. The cruise had an open rooftop where we could chill out but must have admitted that it was so cold, we needed to refrain from staying too long outside.

Inside the River Boat

Vltava River Cruise

We could see Charles Bridge from Little Quarter and just in time as the sun was out. Walking through the bridge, there are plenty of statues with bronze part, which people queued to rub due to popular belief it brings "good-luck". Coming to this old charming city, I now can imagine the Medieval knights era - Knight on horse passing through Charles Bridge!! :) :)

After lunch, we went to Jewish Quarter where we saw the Old-New-Synagogue and is located close to Old Town Square. By the way, the area is surrounded by expensive boutiques (to those shoppers *

I gasped when arriving in Old Town Square. Church on the background, colorful Renaissance European buildings, horse-drawn carriages and red-roofed wooden kiosk...hands down beautiful! 

Old Town Square

Old Town Hall with its Astronomical Clock

Souvenir Shops in Prague

We returned at night to view the city. I think the photos below say it all. 

In all, this Bohemian city feels like three countries in one (France, Italy and Russia). Besides the beautiful Gothic churches and Renaissance-styled buildings, I can feel the strong Russian influence in Czech: lots of Babushka (Russian doll), vodka in their souvenir shop (even plastic packaging for a shot vodka). Prague is charming and incredibly beautiful (and cost reasonable too!). We will definitely return. 

Prague Castle Complex via Charles Bridge (Night View)

Powder Gate and Old Town Square (Night View)

My travel tips (which I will consider in the future should I travel again to Prague/elsewhere) based on today:

3. If you have limited number of day in a place, it is worth to join local tour to understand the historical means of the places and to optimise the time - I would not think we would have visited some place without local tour (i.e. John Lennon wall)

4. Suggest to visit Old town square (OTS) more than once (at least once on the day and once at night) as it offers different look - Church of Our Lady on OTS area looks magical at night