Prague

I'm posting Prague in sections because I was there for so long.  They will be arranged thematically because I hate trying to write things as they happened day by day.  It always sounds like "Day Six: still no food or water..."

After a slow start to our Prague adventures, Mr. Master Cousin Marcus and I took in the city in a continued sense of leisure.  Having moved from twin beds in a dank hostel in Venice to queens with fluffy duvets at the Hilton might have been on of the reasons for sleeping late in the morning.  For me it might have been because I was in the presence of a bathtub for the FIRST time since leaving California.  But the real reason I slept so much is because I was hit in the head while having goulash on our first night.  I gather that it was a dishwashing crate but I never saw it coming.  Anyways, that put a damper on things in the beginning and I laid low for the first few days. 

My impressions of Prague were only clouded weather-wise, not by that misfortune.  I had never been further east than Leiden so going into the Czech Republic was exciting.  It didn’t disappoint. 

The city seems very well connected with a tight network of trams, trains, and subways within the city center.  But since the center is so small, it is entirely walkable.  I’ll skip the history lesson for two reasons: because I’m tired and because I am not really in a position to be setting myself up as an authority.

We were in Prague for a week, which is at least four days longer than most people suggested we visit.  But Marcus and I both tend toward a laid-back style of tourism.  We basically just walk around, hang out, and eat.  No museums, no tour guides. 

The Powder Tower

Wenceslas Square

Old Town Square

The Charles Bridge

A street so narrow that it requires a pedestrian traffic signal

Tranquility

Flowers in the Park

St. Vitus Cathedral

Castle complex

Restored facade

The architecture of Prague is really interesting.  There is, of course, a range of styles, perhaps one of the better cities for seeing such.  Cubist, Beaux-Art, and Modern, etc.  But most prominent to me, is the combination of Art-Nouveau and Gothic.  Literally right next to each other, is the Powder Tower (one of the 13 gates of the city and dating to the 15th century) and the Municipal House.  The only link between the two is the bright gold detail.  On the Gothic tower you can see it at the very tips of the spires and on the ornamentation in the hands of the statues.  On the Art-Nouveau "civic center" you see it in the ribs along the roof and window detail.  It really is quite stunning to see.  Also, if you want to feel like Walt Disney's version of Cinderella's castle was based on something real, come to Prague.  Everything has spires.