Charles Brigde, Prague Castle and Mala Strana

Today we took a walk across the famous Charles Bridge, site of much tourist activity today but much darker deeds in the past. Ill-fated clerics, politicos, and religious laity met their demise on this bridge during the Reformation and the Catholic Counter Reformation. Prague has a rich religious history with its fair share of both grim and inspring stories. Many of the iconographic statues along the Charles Bridge depict martyrs and historical kings and princes of Bohemia.


It was much colder today with snow flurries falling most of the day. The weather cast a foggy spell over this ancient part of the city as we walked up the steep and winding cobblestones of the Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana) to reach the Staromestka Monastery overlooking all of Prague below. The reward for the long walk was a beautiful, though hazy, view of the city below, a first-rate art museum of Gothic and Renaissance paintings collected by abbots of the past, and a great lunch in the monastery's former cellar-turned-pub called Peklo (Hell). We've been sampling the Czech fare of goulash, potato pancakes, onion soup, and even hare stew. The Czech Republic is world-renowned for its beer such as Pilsner Urquell and the origianl Budweiser Budvar; Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other country in the world so as you would expect the pub culture is part and parcel of daily life. Cafes are nearly as numberous and the coffee has been as good here as in Italy.

After lunch, we made it to the Prague Castle area just as the daylight was fading. We were able to see the most impressive St. Vitus' Catherdal just as the sun set. The whole castle complex was a stunning mix of architechtural styles that though varied, all worked well together. We saw everything from Romanesque to Baroque stylings today but my favorite was still the Gothic spires of St. Vitus. Take a look at this link to see some photos by daylight: http://old.hrad.cz/castle/svvit_uk.html

We made our way back to the New Town with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday crowds, some just heading home from work, others heading out for dinner and the theatre. Luke napped on the way and we were able to look through one of the many antique shops in Prague. Lovely crystal, porcelain, and garnet jewelry are common in most of these stores. Fun to see and compare the goods sold today in the tourist shops with their predecessors of a bygone time.