It is halfway through the week and I wish the weekend would hurry up and get here. Its all very well and good to work hard and be productive members of society, but when its sunny and nice outside, like it has been these past two days (though I’m told it won’t last), I just want to run around, free of responsibilities. I’m dreaming of a nice sunny weekend. They're always full of possibilities. One of the nicest things to do on a weekend, especially a loooong one is to take a trip somewhere.
One trip we took recently and which I’m still savoring is the trip to Prague. It has to be one of the loveliest cities I’ve ever had the good fortune of visiting. Having visited before with my sister, I jumped at the chance to visit again, this time with my sweetie and my family. For centuries Prague was renowned for its art, music, culture and architecture and it has emerged from its communist years relatively unscathed. The city is beautifully set along the bend of the Vltava river, which is the longest in the Czech Republic and is ringed by low hills. As with every city with a river running across its length and breadth, Prague has its share of pretty postcard bridges but the most visited one has to be the Charles Bridge. You can’t miss it because hordes of people are strolling along and at various times of the day giving the statute of old king Wenceslas a good rub (its suppose to bring good luck!). If you can’t stand the crowds, the best time to visit is definitely the early morning.
On the bridge, one gets a great view of the Prague castle rising just behind it. The Mala Strana (or Little Quarter) clusters around the foot of the Castle. From the foot of Mala Strana, it is a picturesque walk up towards the Castle. From the main drag, one gets a good glimpse of all the narrow streets branching off in this mostly baroque district. The higher one climbs, the more one progressively gets that amazing view of Prague’s red roofs. From the vantage point afforded up at the Castle there is a panoramic sweep of the land, with the City laid out like jewels that dazzles the eye with its symmetry and grace. It is truly something delightful to see. Once on the Castle district, it is definitely a good idea to visit St. Vitus Cathedral where they have an Alphonse Mucha designed stained glass window.
Prague is one of those cities that almost always have a classical concert going on in one of its myriad churches. We were spoilt for choice in fact. Walking around, I could almost hear classical music everywhere; it was an almost palpable presence that made it difficult to resist the temptation of spending part of the evening listening to Mozart (or your composer of choice) within the church of your choice. And in the end, we didn’t. Our choice was the St. George’s Church in the castle district where we spent one of the most pleasant hours of our visit.
After we had our fill of the Castle, we crossed the Charles Bridge once more into Stare Mesto (old Town) to pay a visit to the Starometske Namesti (Old Town Square). It has been Prague’s principal public square since the 10th century and today it swarms with the hordes of tourists that visit Prague each year. And where there are tourists, there are of course the ubiquitous cafés and restaurants with a menu in a at least 5 languages and the little souvenir shops bursting with Bohemian glass, and tacky Czech Me Out shirts. None of these however detract from the charm of the square itself. There’s just something terribly winsome about the square with the wonderfully quaint Astronomical clock built on top of the Old Town Hall and the Church of our Lady before Tyn with its double spires. We were fortunate enough to discover a wonderful little square just within the shadow of the church where one could quietly sit and enjoy a meal or coffee far from the maddening crowd.
Whether it is for a long weekend or an extended visit, Prague offers myriad pleasures to the traveler that is worth visiting over and over again.
One trip we took recently and which I’m still savoring is the trip to Prague. It has to be one of the loveliest cities I’ve ever had the good fortune of visiting. Having visited before with my sister, I jumped at the chance to visit again, this time with my sweetie and my family. For centuries Prague was renowned for its art, music, culture and architecture and it has emerged from its communist years relatively unscathed. The city is beautifully set along the bend of the Vltava river, which is the longest in the Czech Republic and is ringed by low hills. As with every city with a river running across its length and breadth, Prague has its share of pretty postcard bridges but the most visited one has to be the Charles Bridge. You can’t miss it because hordes of people are strolling along and at various times of the day giving the statute of old king Wenceslas a good rub (its suppose to bring good luck!). If you can’t stand the crowds, the best time to visit is definitely the early morning.
On the bridge, one gets a great view of the Prague castle rising just behind it. The Mala Strana (or Little Quarter) clusters around the foot of the Castle. From the foot of Mala Strana, it is a picturesque walk up towards the Castle. From the main drag, one gets a good glimpse of all the narrow streets branching off in this mostly baroque district. The higher one climbs, the more one progressively gets that amazing view of Prague’s red roofs. From the vantage point afforded up at the Castle there is a panoramic sweep of the land, with the City laid out like jewels that dazzles the eye with its symmetry and grace. It is truly something delightful to see. Once on the Castle district, it is definitely a good idea to visit St. Vitus Cathedral where they have an Alphonse Mucha designed stained glass window.
Prague is one of those cities that almost always have a classical concert going on in one of its myriad churches. We were spoilt for choice in fact. Walking around, I could almost hear classical music everywhere; it was an almost palpable presence that made it difficult to resist the temptation of spending part of the evening listening to Mozart (or your composer of choice) within the church of your choice. And in the end, we didn’t. Our choice was the St. George’s Church in the castle district where we spent one of the most pleasant hours of our visit.
After we had our fill of the Castle, we crossed the Charles Bridge once more into Stare Mesto (old Town) to pay a visit to the Starometske Namesti (Old Town Square). It has been Prague’s principal public square since the 10th century and today it swarms with the hordes of tourists that visit Prague each year. And where there are tourists, there are of course the ubiquitous cafés and restaurants with a menu in a at least 5 languages and the little souvenir shops bursting with Bohemian glass, and tacky Czech Me Out shirts. None of these however detract from the charm of the square itself. There’s just something terribly winsome about the square with the wonderfully quaint Astronomical clock built on top of the Old Town Hall and the Church of our Lady before Tyn with its double spires. We were fortunate enough to discover a wonderful little square just within the shadow of the church where one could quietly sit and enjoy a meal or coffee far from the maddening crowd.
Whether it is for a long weekend or an extended visit, Prague offers myriad pleasures to the traveler that is worth visiting over and over again.
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