A Grand Tour Part 10 - Prague

We had looked forward with enormous anticipation to our visit to Prague. Many friends had talked to us about its beautiful architecture and the magic surroundings, plus of course its history. Certainly we were not disappointed.
The bus dropped us off in the Castle Square situated on the top of the hill from where it commands great panoramic views of the city:
As we left the bus, we immediately got a good view of St. Vitus Cathedral which is very prominent on the Prague skyline:






One wonders how tired these guards must get when tourists stand along side them and try to chat them up. I was a good boy and just said 'g'day' and 'thank you'. It is just a fun picture to take and hence, here it is:



We were an attentive lot as we listened carefully to our local guide, giving us the run down on the history of the castle and its surroundings.



One of the disappointments for the day was that, being a national public holiday, the cathedral was closed to the public as it was being prepared for a special service. When asked, the guide informed us that there was not a lot of interest in religion by young people and that the older generation kept up the interest in the things of God. Sadly to me, that is a reflection of the western world generally.


Inside the castle, the guide told us the story of how in the 1400s the Chancellor was thrown out of the window - the higher one above the steps in the picture. Obviously, he must have been one of those very 'popular' politicians! As luck would have it for the Chancellor he fell into a heap of garbage that was just dumped where the steps are and so he had a comparitively 'soft' landing and survived. What that says is that rubbish was just thrown out and left for goodness how long. A habit of the times.


The views from this part of the castle were also excellent, as the following will show:

From here we were guided along narrow streets with lots of atmosphere. Little shops attracted our attention as did display windows way above the heads of the crowds:


As we wandered down the hills, we enjoyed the views again as well as more of the Prague atmosphere:


On the way down to the old city, it was delightful views such as this that caught our attention:

Finally, the Charles Bridge that dates back to the 1400s and a look back at St..Vitus on the hill.

Even had to join the rest of tourist in posing here:
Once across the bridge, we entered the old city and found a marvellous variety of architecture. Here is just a small sample:













Having wandered and shopped at the Bohemian Glass Shop, we relaxed over lunch with Shaun. This surely was welcome after so much walking:

In the afternoon it was good to cruise on the river and take in the sights over a drink with some eats:

Finally, and as a fitting end to a great tour, we went out together as a group to a restaurant for a wonderful night of entertainment and good food.
The young man was a virtuoso on the cimbalom or hammer dulcimer, while the older guy with the white moustache was a virtuoso on the washboard!

It was a fitting end to an interesting and enjoyable tour with special thanks to our Tour Guide Thomas and our fantastic bus driver Juri. Plus of course we made lots of new friends and trust that they continued to enjoy their own itineraries. As to us, we are off to the Baltic States and welcome you to follow our journey as we fly to our next chapter of adventure in Tallinn, Estonia.