Prague : A feast for the eyes and heart.

Bridge over the Vlatva.

Prague
ah Prague
”sigh”
My word. Whether to write a journal entry for or a love letter to this fabulous city?  Ok, I’ll spare you the latter, but it’s a pretty darned special place.  I can see why latterly my parents so much enjoyed their trip or two here.  My time in this centre of Bohemian history and culture is bathed in adoration every step of the way.  I think this city is a reeeal little chocolate box of delights.  A new building; church; street; square or view to delight the senses at every turn it sometimes seems.  This too is true of many other beautiful European cities, but something about Prague
I dunno?
 just gels better; works better for the soul.  Yep, take one chocolate.

St.Vitus's Cathedral. The rose window.

Following a breakfast chat with a pleasant Sri-Lankan doctor in the peculiar bunker-like breakfast basement of the Chili Hostel I head out riverwards.  The sun still sleeps, snug and warm beneath it’s vast blanket of comforting cotton wool clouds.

An hour or so flicking through Isobel’s ‘Time Out Guide to Prague’ whilst she was out on the lash last night has given me a few pointers as to what to go check out, but I pretty much just grab a free tourist map of the city from the hostel reception and start strolling.

St.Vitus Cathedral door knocker (Detail).

  My preferred method of introducing myself to an unknown place.  I amble along the bank of the river Vlatva looking at the greyish-green reflections of it’s various bridges.  There is something always quite soothing about the gliding of a river first thing in the morning I think.  Prague has a fabulous, famous historic pedestrian bridge spanning the Vlatva, The Charles Bridge (Karluv Most).  Commissioned by King Charles IV in the 14^th Century it acts as an umbilical connection between the medieval heart of The Old Town of Prague and the area on the far banks referred to as Mala Strana; translating roughly to the ‘Lesser’ or ‘Little Quarter’.  The bridge is bookended by the ‘Old Town’ and ‘Mala Strana’ stone bridge towers and contains a large quantity of religious and monarchical statuary perched along its walls.

One of the spectacular stained-glass windows within St.Vitus.

  Some heavy duty restoration work masks some of the bridge at the present time.

Now in Mala Strana and heading up some winding, steep roads towards Prague Castle, one of the sights that dominates the city landscape when viewed from afar.  The largely walled castle grounds is principally comprised of The Old Royal Palace and Prague’s most impressive cathedral St.Vitus.  As I queue outside the cathedral mild rain threatens and umbrellas are prematurely popped up by doom-mongering tourists, but thankfully it never comes.  The cathedral contains some of the most beautiful, intricate and vibrantly coloured stained-glass windows I have yet seen, however I suspect these are more contemporary than historic.  I really couldn’t say?  Also at the rear of the cathedral nave rest the remains of the canonised St.

Parading the card within the grounds of Prague Castle.

Within the castle walls are accesses to various parts of the historic castle, palace and exhibitions therein (varying priced passes will obtain varying levels of access to these sights) and also Golden Lane, a quaint stretch of tiny little medieval terraced residences (built in the days when EVEN I would have been in danger of bumping my head on door-tops!) now occupied by various money-sucking tourist-trap-crap shops.

The ornate, baroque interior of the beautiful St.Nicholas Church.

Back at the base of the pedestrian hill (a long, wide stairway down called StarĂ© ZĂĄmeckĂ©) and now time for a change of scene.  A little splash of green in the quiet Wallenstein Gardens.  A real little gem set in the sunshine today, and away from the main thoroughfare.  A small(ish) well kept garden arrangement of plants, hedge-bordered paths and water features including a pretty pond inhabited by large carp fish which your eyes follow about whilst lone peacocks (the men’s feathers having fallen for the season already) strut about the periphery.  You move through the garden to a strange and impressive high wall of artificial drip-stone ‘stalactite’ formations.

The pretty Wallenstein Gardens.

In the heart of Mala Strana (The ‘Lesser Quarter’) you will come across and MUST visit the Church of St.Nicholas.  Do not hesitate to hand over the pitiful entry sum of 70 krona as you will not regret it.  This church is absolutely one of the most ornate and beautiful high-Baroque style churches I think that I have been in so far on my travels (and remains so at the time of writing/ early Oct 2008).

“Oh my GOSH!”
 so much seen I could (yes, you know I could!) fill pages waxing lyrical about the treasures to be found in and around Prague’s many and winding, pedestrian-friendly city streets, squares and avenues!

Still on the Mala Strana side of the Vlatva river more quaint churches and the fabulously colourful and creatively schizophrenic ‘John Lennon Wall’.

The 'stalactite' wall in the Wallenstein Gardens. Can YOU spot any creatures within it? First one to shout out gets a prize...err?... well, maybe.

Mooching back in the direction of The Charles Bridge there seems to be a queue for an imminently departing boat tour trip up and down the Vlatva river so I think “what the heck, yep for 200 krona I’m hoppin’ on board too!”  The weather is now staggeringly hot (the hottest of my journey so far!) so a good time to be kickin’ up your feet and floating down river.

I stroll back across The Charles Bridge now and into the medieval centre of the city.  Specifically the Old Town Square (Stavo Mestske Namesti) a fab, large pedestrianised space where cycle-taxis, horse and carriages and even a pair of newlyweds happily congregate amidst the throngs of tourists and touring groups here to see the sights.  Here again you are spoilt for choice as to where to put your eyes first!  Another grand church by the name again of St.

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.

Aaaagh!!
 so much to recall!
 the opera house; some other impressive tower thingamy; the synagogue; the mighty Wenceslas Square with the gold-domed National Museum at the top of the hill and a fab temporary photographic exhibition of the radical and satirical photo-journalists and cartoonists that continued to work anonymously before and after the Soviet tanks rolled into town to begin the occupation exactly 40 years ago this year; the building and shop facades with their occasional frescoed frontages; and the
 and the
 AND THE
 and it just keeps on coming ‘til the sun goes down and beyond.

The Astronomical Clock in The Old Town Square.

  Sweet delight after sweet delight.  One chocolate surprise from this glorious box of delights after the other ‘til you’re so bloated with happiness and contentment that your smile near bursts the sides of your culturally over-gorged chops!  But then they’re all gone
 the chocolates that is! you ate them ALL!  You pig! “How could you be so greedy and enjoy the experience so much!!!”
 but it’s ok
 “Phew!”
 I panicked there for a second
 Prague’s not all done.  Not by a long way yet ‘cos you just discovered the box is far from empty.  The sun’s gone down.  The city and all it’s monuments light up as do your eyes as you realise, disguised, there is a little corrugated plastic dividing tray within the box
 you can lift it off, and there spread before you a WHOLE new layer of treats to select from! “Put your hands up for Prague.

Beautiful Prague from above!

  I LOVE this city!” :)