We stayed in a hostel in the Old Town, walking distance to many of the attractions. It was a fairly relaxed weekend as we wandered along the cobbled streets admiring the architecture and various landmarks along the way. We did all the general things that I like to do when I go to a new town… including:
- Climbing a tower and appreciating a bird’s eye view of the city (top left – view of Old Town square from the top of the Old Town Hall tower)
- Understanding a bit of the local history at the Czech National Museum (top right)
- Eating the local grub & brew (bottom left – eating a Trdlo (pastry) from the Easter markets)
- Visiting the local castle (bottom right – In this case the 9th century Prague Castle, the world’s oldest castle in use, stands in prominence over the city. As well as a quick walk through the grounds, we checked out the impressive St Vitus Cathedral.)
In the evenings we enjoyed the local culture, including a contemporary ballet at the National Theatre and attuned our ears to the sound of a viola ensemble performing a selection of Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi & Dvorak. We wrapped up the long weekend with a visit the Karlstejn castle, located about an hour of Prague by train.
Most cities have a few “unique” features and Prague is no exception. Here are just a few…
- Astronomical clock, which not only tells the time but provides the relative positions of the sun, moon and zodiacal constellations. Every hour the tourists flock to the clock to take to watch the “procession of the 12 apostles” who pop out briefly on the hour.
- A statue of a crouching man, build by the letters & symbols from every language in the world… pretty cool.
- The Freedom wall, a memorial to John Lennon and his ideas for peace and a monument for free speech.
- And finally there was an interesting mechanically statue which apparently moves to write the quotes of famous Czech residents. If you combine the picture with your imagination, I’m sure you’ll get the idea… bizarre!
