While I made it to the bus stop in Vienna more than an hour before the bus to Prague was to depart, the other members of my party were not so inclined, as they ran up to the bus just before it pulled away from the curb. Nonetheless, we made it to the Florenc bus station in Prague-- and it started to rain. We decided it would be worth it to take a taxi to the guys' hostel, and we still got lost. However, we did happen to drive through the one area in Prague that I was familiar with: the Tesla Ice Arena and the surrounding neighborhoods-- we even picked up free wireless internet (in order to look up the correct address of the hostel) outside the Hotel Expo, where we used to stay when we were competing in Prague!
The other area in Prague that I knew rather well-- I don't know the official name, but I call it the Clock Square in Old Town. Since I didn't have a working cell phone, I arranged to meet my friends here by the clock at 6pm.
Unfortunately, that's when the clock rang in the hour, so there was a huge crowd and lots of confusion. It was awhile before I managed to find my friends. Here's a detail shot of the famed clock. Like in München, crowds gathered religiously every time it was due to go off.
Rainy Prague, but decked out with Easter and Spring decorations. There were tons of market stalls, lots of food, and live music and entertainment (including a little boy were sang while playing the accordian).
The view from the top of the Clock Tower, a glimpse of Prague Castle and lots of red roofs.
We passed this as we walked up to Prague Castle. I spotted what looked (to me) like a Masonic symbol at the top, so naturally, I was quite curious and liked it very much.
A guard outside Prague Castle. I remember first seeing them in 2005 and taking a picture with them. This time, I refrained from doing so.
We went into the cathedral at Prague Castle, a spectacular building with gorgeous stained glass windows and intricate decorations. The part I enjoyed the most, however, was finding this small room within the vast space. Compared to the rest of the cathedral, at first glance, this seems to be a rather homely room. However, the door in the back right-hand side of the picture has seven disguised keyholes worked into the decoration. Going along with the locks, there are seven keys, each of which is given to a high-ranking official in the Czech Republic. The door can only be opened if all seven keys are present, however, but behind the door is a staircase that goes up, up to the highest part of the castle, which is where the crown jewels are kept. I'm so intrigued by this story, it's like a fairy-tale or something similar.
After the castle, we wandered around Old Town and happened upon this, this site? Memorial? Art installation? I'm not sure what it is, but it's striking.
My friends showed us the John Lennon wall, which, as a result of the gloom and misty weather, was more somber than usual, but still very colourful.
My only shot of the famous Charles bridge-- a rather incognito photo.
The other area in Prague that I knew rather well-- I don't know the official name, but I call it the Clock Square in Old Town. Since I didn't have a working cell phone, I arranged to meet my friends here by the clock at 6pm.
Unfortunately, that's when the clock rang in the hour, so there was a huge crowd and lots of confusion. It was awhile before I managed to find my friends. Here's a detail shot of the famed clock. Like in München, crowds gathered religiously every time it was due to go off.
Rainy Prague, but decked out with Easter and Spring decorations. There were tons of market stalls, lots of food, and live music and entertainment (including a little boy were sang while playing the accordian).
The view from the top of the Clock Tower, a glimpse of Prague Castle and lots of red roofs.
We passed this as we walked up to Prague Castle. I spotted what looked (to me) like a Masonic symbol at the top, so naturally, I was quite curious and liked it very much.
A guard outside Prague Castle. I remember first seeing them in 2005 and taking a picture with them. This time, I refrained from doing so.
We went into the cathedral at Prague Castle, a spectacular building with gorgeous stained glass windows and intricate decorations. The part I enjoyed the most, however, was finding this small room within the vast space. Compared to the rest of the cathedral, at first glance, this seems to be a rather homely room. However, the door in the back right-hand side of the picture has seven disguised keyholes worked into the decoration. Going along with the locks, there are seven keys, each of which is given to a high-ranking official in the Czech Republic. The door can only be opened if all seven keys are present, however, but behind the door is a staircase that goes up, up to the highest part of the castle, which is where the crown jewels are kept. I'm so intrigued by this story, it's like a fairy-tale or something similar.
After the castle, we wandered around Old Town and happened upon this, this site? Memorial? Art installation? I'm not sure what it is, but it's striking.
My friends showed us the John Lennon wall, which, as a result of the gloom and misty weather, was more somber than usual, but still very colourful.
My only shot of the famous Charles bridge-- a rather incognito photo.
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