Prague Trip - 2008 - Day One

So it is my first day in Prague. British has finally found my bag and got it to me in the morning. Not bad. My buddy Steve Larose and I are staying together for that first day in, but today I got my own room that will go for the rest of the week. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza. A nice remnant of the Cold War, but an alright hotel at that.

Steve and I, as usual spent the day trekking all over the city seeing the sites, drinking beer and shooting photos. We visited the Old Town Square, St Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and countless alleys, shops and bars. Two highlights were eating in Old Town Square under the awnings in the center. We had classic Czech food and beer with an amazing view 360 degrees around us. Second we found a riverside pub that we drank and smoked in the open air just bellow Prague Castle. Unbelievable.

We also had a great time shooting the gardens around St Vitus Cathedral. We have also begun working on our skills at shooting in HDR (High Dynamic Range) photograhy. It is difficult and time consuming since you have to bracket three shots with different exposure levels. The real hitch comes in that the camera cannot move between the three so everything is done on a tripod, even during the day. The shots are epic though and I will be posting soon (got to make you read first).

For dinner our friend Rick took Georges, Steve, Eric and I to dinner at Fish, a gourmet Czech whole fish restaraunt on the river just under Prague Castle. We ate outside with a couple great wines and flaming deserts. Nice

Footnote:

I forgot to include in my previous blog of the first day, that Prague was taken over by the Czech International Marathon. Four thousand runners from all over the world ran over 20 kilometers finishing in the Old Town Square. The whole place was taken over with staging, LED walls, finish line balloons, etc. Steve and I were out shooting (of course) and got some great shots of the runners. It was difficult because we were about a hundred yards from the finish and it was packed. I also didn’t have the money to buy the telextender toob I wanted for my long throw lens (choice between that and the fisheye and I think you will be glad I chose the fisheye). At any rate, we also had front row seats to a runner completely collapse dead in front of us, needing ambulance and medical treatment. It was truly the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I also have HD video of the events, but editing is taking me a lot of time. Hopefully soon.