Prague

(Praha)

Prague skyline as seen from the top of Prague's Petřín Observation Tower

We spent seven days sightseeing in and around Prague immediately after Easter this year. It was a family gathering of sorts as Emily came from Dallas, Neil and his friend Katharine from Canada and England; Marie and Tomas live in Prague and served as guides and interpreters. We've long wished for Prague as a destination for our travels, but when Marie and Tomas moved there last September, it became a certainty. We were not disappointed in any way, except that seven days was not enough. We, like many other Prague visitors will return. You might want to go there, too. Have a glance at some of the sights we saw and see if you develop an attraction for Prague.

The Czech language is interesting----sometimes there aren't many vowels in words, and speakers of English and Romance languages (like us) are puzzled. And then there are all those diacritical marks they use. These seemed to compensate in some way for the absence of vowels. Marie, who has learned an amazing amount of Czech in the last seven months, was of major assistance and the abundance of English speaking folks in restaurants and our hotel was most helpful.

The Prague pages is organized by topics instead of being in chronological order----kinda like travel guides. We didn't come anywhere close to seeing all the sights and museums in Prague, so this is not a complete view of Prague. Stay tuned.

The Vltava bisects Prague and occasionally inundates it. A river plus people means bridges, and there are lots of them. The most popular, for tourists at least, is the Karlŭv most, or Charles Bridge. Only pedestrian traffic is allowed, and the bridge was jammed with tour groups, strollers, vendors, and musicians. It was built in 1357 has endured much since then. There is a spot marked on the bridge railing where a priest was thrown into the river and killed because he would not reveal the king's wife's confession. Interesting place, and a good one to start with.

Other Prague sights:

Old Town Square, Prague Castle, Little Quarter