PRAGUE IDYLL

A Fairy Tale Dream

2006-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

At the Rudolfinum

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Welcome to my view of Prague.

I have tried to keep the entries organized in a way that makes sense, generally grouped together by area.

Check back again to see more photographs, which I will upload in the next day or so!

If you want to view the blog chronologically, scroll to the beginning and work your way back!

Enjoy,

Laurel

2006-06-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

2006-06-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

2006-06-28T13:45:00.001-07:00

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View from Terraced Gardens - Church of St. Nicholas, Little Quarter

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View From Castle Looking Toward Little Quarter

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On the lower right corner you can see some of the terraced gardens we enjoyed walking through on the way down from the Palace.

Castle Guard

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View from Castle, Looking Toward Charles Bridge

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Torture Chamber

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The Castle wall contained displays of armor and this spooky room at the end. I was pleased I was able to take this photograph with available light, as it was very dimly lit. I have to give credit to my Nikon 24-120 VR lens!

Golden Lane Doorway

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This doorway is less than 6 feet tall, which is actually quite generous as I (at 5'6") had to duck to enter some of the houses.

Golden Lane

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Hordes of tourists crowd this narrow picturesque street. The tiny, brightly colored houses, which now house shops, are built into the wall of the Castle and originally housed Castle guards. The street is named after the goldsmiths who lived here in the 17th Century. The blue house pictured here, No. 22, once housed Franz Kafka, who stayed there with his sister for a few months. Although it seems romantic now, living here would have been very uncomfortable and the area was a slum by the 19th Century.

Chapel at the Royal Palace

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The portrait represents Maria Theresa.

Vladislav Hall at the Royal Palace

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In 1618 a couple of politicians were chucked out of the window on the right (an act called defenestration) as a protest but they survived the 50 foot fall by landing in a dung heap.

St. George's Basilica

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Founded in 915, this Romanesque Church has had many renovations, including the terracotta Baroque facade. St. Ludmilla, Bohemia's first female Christian martyr is buried here. She was strangled, while praying, on the orders of her daughter-in-law. Some things never change.

Golden Portal Showing The Last Judgment

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This was the main entrance until the 19th Century. The mosaic detail was constructed by Venetian craftsmen in the 14th Century.

Exterior of St. Vitus's Cathedral

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Chapel of St. Wenceslas

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This chapel contains the tomb of St. Wenceslas. The walls are encrusted in a mosaic of polished garnets and fine gilding.

Martyr with Headdress of Five Stars (St. John Nepomuk)

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This guy's tongue was supposedly cut out and then he was thrown in to the Vltava on orders of the King because he wouldn't betray the Queen's confession. The sculpture is made, rather uniquely, of solid silver.

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Breathtaking Gothic Interior

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Work began on this church in 1344.

Gargoyle Downspout

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Richly Decorated Exterior of St. Vitus's Cathedral

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At the Castle

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Czech Crystal

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Hungry?

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Pastel Confections at Entrance to Bridge Street

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Exit from Charles Bridge to Little Quarter

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Superstitious Tradition Claiming to Bring Good Luck

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These gold carved images (the one on the left is of a dog) on the Charles Bridge shine brightly due to the constant rubbing.

Sketch Artist on Charles Bridge

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Madonna on Charles Bidge

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Crowds on the Charles Bridge

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South of Charles Bridge

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"Fred and Ginger" by Frank Gehry

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Charles Bridge and Castle from South

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Plum Liquor

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Glimpse of Historic Interior of Restaurant in Alley

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Begging, Czech Style

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Absinth - Illegal Almost Everywhere Else

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Library Bar

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Renaissance Bas-Relief

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Jewish Quarter - Ornamental Carving Above Door

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Star of David Plaque

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Old-New Synagogue

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Still in use, this Gothic building is the oldest synagogue in Europe and has survived since around 1270.

Modern Martyr

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Student Jan Palach burnt himself to death in Wenceslas Square to protest the Soviet occupation. As you can see, people leave flowers in his honor.

Rudolfinum

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View of Castle from East Side of Bridge over Vltava

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Entrance to Restaurant

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Pretty Shop

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Franz Kafka Statue

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Egyptian Influence - Detail from Previous Post

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Another Interesting Restaurant Facade

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Another Pretty Entrance

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Restaurant Exterior with a Modern Feel

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Church of St. Gall - Statue on Facade

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Built around 1280, in the 18th Century there was a Baroque renovation, including figures of saints on the outside of the church.

Closeup of Firefighters

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Ministry of Local Development!

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Pastel Buildings in Old Town Square

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The pale yellow, Art Nouveau building on the right was built in 1898 and has sculptures of firefighters on top. This pretty edifice houses the Ministry of Local Development. Now that's what government offices ought to look like!

Puppetts for Sale

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Perfection!

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Concerts are now held in this amazing space.

Gorgeous Chandelier in St. Nicholas Church

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St. Nicholas Interior

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Church of St. Nicholas in Old Town

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Another One of Those Plaques

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Fleur de Lys Plaque to Identify Building

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Jan Hus Monument

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Massive sculpture in honor of Jan Hus (circa 1915), who was burnt at the stake as a heretic in 1415, giving up his life rather than forfeit his beliefs.

Old Town Square: East and North Sides

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The building in sunlight on the right is Kinsky Palace, a lovely pink and white stucco Rococo palace which is now used for art exhibits.

Church of Our Lady before Tyn

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This Gothic church began construction in 1365.

Astronomical Clock at Old Town Hall

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There has been a clock here since the beginning of the 15th century. On the hour, a procession of the 12 apostles appears at the two windows above the round clock face (if you look carefully, you will see a couple of apostles at the open windows, as this photograph was taken at 3 pm.) Also, the skeleton to the right of the clock pulls a rope and turns over an hourglass and the Turk beside him moves his head. Other moving figures are Vanity (who looks at himself in a mirror) and Greed. At the end of the display, a cock crows and the clock chimes the hour. Quite a spectacle that attracts a huge crowd of spectators!

Old Town Hall Tower with Tyn Church in Background

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Old Town Hall

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Near Old Town Square

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Lady with Friends

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This lady sits with some pigeons on a balcony and watches the flocks of people stroll by on Karlova (Charles Street), on their way to Old Town Square from Charles Bridge.

This is an Art Nouveau statue of the legendary Princess Libuse, head of a West Slavic tribe that founded the Premyslids, a dynasty that ruled Prague for 400 years. She succeeded her father and became the first woman ruler. She married a humble ploughman. She is said to have had a vision that foretold Prague's glories.

Flowerbox

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Thinkers on the Roof

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Walking East along Karlova

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Beautiful Baroque House, At the Golden Well.

Crooked alleys eveywhere

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Around every corner there is another intriguing curving street beckoning you to follow it. We had great fun getting lost!

Along Karlova

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King Wenceslas

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This guy presides over the square at the entrance to the Charles Bridge on the Old Town (Stare Mesto) side.

Entrance to Charles Bridge from Old Town

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This shot was taken early in the day so it is eerily free of the crowds that usually engulf this area.

Carved face

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Carved details like these are ubiquitous in Prague.

2006-05-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

This blog contains an account of our five day visit to Prague. We never did get over the jet lag while we were there but we enjoyed ourselves in spite of it! We were shocked at the beauty of the city. Since our visit was so short, we didn't get to see everything, but hopefully these photographs will give a small taste of the glories of Prague. This is the first building we encountered after leaving the hotel the afternoon we arrived.