Prague, A Fairy Tale City - 9-21-2010

Astronomical Clock Tower

Astronomical Clock

Good breakfast at the hotel and then we were off to walk Prague. First stop was the old town square, just steps from the hotel and home of the the astronomical clock found on the face of a large bell tower. From 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, when the clock strikes the hour, it goes through a mechanical rigamarole, with death (a skeleton) turning the hourglass, the apostles parading through open windows on top of the dial, and then a herald trumpeting the passing of an hour and welcoming the new hour. When all is done the tourists cheer and then proceed about their business. Not a huge deal but fun to watch nonetheless and the crowd gets into it.

Church of Our Lady of Tynn

Also dominating the Square is the Church of Our Lady of Tynn an imposing bit of gothic archictecture built in the 14th and 15th centuries. I mention this only because it contains the remains of Tycho Brahe, the astronomer known for many of his discoveries and also for his slightly eccentric character. He lost a portion of his nose in a duel and wore a metal replacement. He was also the owner of a pet moose, which, one day, drank too much beer and died after falling down the steps. Is it true? Who knows? But I'd like to believe it. Fact can certainly be stranger than fiction.

Making our way thru Hradcany

Now it was off for Prague Castle in the Hradcany District, located on the west side of the Moldau River.  Our hotel in the Stare Mesto district is on the east side of the river.  So we traipsed back across the King Charles Bridge which was even more busy than the evening before with tourists and vendors.  Regardless of which direction you are facing, the views are stunning.  The castle, of course, dominates the view, set on a hill above the city, but there are many other structures that vye for your attention, including the St. Nicholas and St. Michael churches, the National Theatre, various museums, and the watch towers on either end of the bridge.

Note I said that Prague Castle is on a hill. There are a variety of ways to reach the castle, including tram and metro, but, trying to work off last night's dinner, we elected to hike up the steps. Didn't count them but there are quite a few. Fortunately, it was cool and soon we found ourselves at the castle gate guarded by some royal police who are there more for the tourists than actual protection, though I certainly wouldn't challenge them. Into the first courtyard, then the second, then we purchased tickets, and entered the third courtyard.

Cafe at the Beginning of Our Ascent

The castle compound itself was huge and we could have easily spent all of our time there but, wanting to see other parts of Prague, we decided to focus on the St. Vitus Cathedral, considered the spiritual center of Czech Nation and also the exhibit that provided a history of the castle. Did I mention that the Czech President and what we would call the executive branch work from this castle? The legislative bodies, I believe, are housed in buildings in the valley below.

St. Vitus Cathedral

The St. Vitus cathedral is stunning with its size, numerous chapels, and stained glass windows.  Its construction depicts the various archictecture styles that have influenced the region over the centuries, heavy on the gothic and baroque. The church has been built and rebuilt multiple times but it was originally built in 927 BC by St. Wencaslas and contains the remains of Czech's first ruler. I must say that the history here is overwhelming and this area was constantly being conquered and reconquered, by various groups including the Moravians, the Romans, the Hapsburgs and most recently Germany. It is amazing that so much of the historic archictecture has remained intact.

St. Vitus

With our heads ajumble with history, we made our way down into the Mala Strana District for a bite to eat at one of the local cafes. Rick and I shared a portion of a roast duck and bread dumplings with red cabbage and sauerkraut, a typical czech dish that was delicious and satisfying. He had a local beer, I had a local white wine, Muller Turgau, and then we shared an apple streudel. Should mention that for an appetizer we were served bread with a spread that was made of "boar fat and fried onion". It was good but I had trouble getting past the fact that I was essentially eating lard.

To work of the boar fat, we wandered back to Stare Mesto, also known as "old town" and did a little bit of souvenir shopping and then back to the hotel to rest a little before setting out to a concert in the Baroque St. Michael church and dinner. While at the hotel, I managed to finally skype my mother for a few minutes which was great fun. We still can't believe that this is free. We briefly exchanged news and Mom warned me about bedbugs coming into the US from overseas travellers. Thanks for the heads up! Now off to the concert.

Concert in St. Michael's

Concerts in churches and other large buildings with great acoustics hav become quite the tourist industry here in Prague. In the streets along the shoppng districts, there are countless of people handing out leaflets advertising various concerts throughout the city. Of course, these people handing out the leaflets can get you "good discount price with a seat in the front" if you purchase right now. Finally I succumbed to a flyer that adverstised Bach's "Air", Pachabel's Canon, some pieces by Mozart and Dvorak, and finally, selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Good sport that he is, Rick agreed to come along. We went back to the church and the man, who had promised us a "good price" earlier, pulled us aside, and in hushed tones, asked us to quietly tell him the price he offered us earlier. He didn't want anyone else to hear what a great deal he had offered us. Rick just laughed. Tempted to undercut, we told him the amount and he surrepticiously gave us the tickets and then ushered us in, spoke with someone else and then carefully handed us over to the other individual who then seated us. Rick was convinced that the Chamber

View of Old Town from King Charles Bridge

Orchestra was going to be comprised of high school students (no offense Elena). As it turns out, the music was pretty good. Not sure why Pachabel's Canon was played at doubletime, but Bach's "Air" was lovely, and Dvorak's "The Lord is My Sheppard" with the accompaniment from the organ was well done. I thought the concert was worth 400 Czech Crowns, approximately $20 a person. And on our tickets it shows that the original amount was actually 550 crowns so, hey, we got a deal! ;-)

Wine Bar

Prague Castle from King Charles

Off to dinner at a wine bar acrossed the river in Mala Strana. I drank a very nice Czech red, no idea what it was, and Rick had South American red that I can't remember. We ordered some small tapas dishes of cheeses, meats, salads, and a fig sauce and balsamic sauce, and greatly enjoyed the light fare. Hiking back across the bridge, we found a violinist, who, was playing Pachabel's Canon the way I liked it, slow and deliberate. It was a wonderful moment, nighttime on the bridge, the moon rising above us, the Moldau streaming below us, the castle, lit up, looking down upon us, and the violinist playing one of my favorite songs. I tipped him big. As we walked away, he started playing Laura's song.

Violinist Playing Pachabel's Canon on King Charles Bridge