Prague
Trip Start
Mar 11, 2008
1
18
37
Trip End
Mar 10, 2009
Prague,
Bohemia,
Czech Republic
Monday, August 25, 2008
So i decided to find Information office & get directions from them, but they were closed, so i went to ticket office & the lady said she wasn't from Prague? So i finally found the metro & the ticket guy was very helpful & told me how to get to Florence & from there i took a bus 1 stop to the hostel.
I arrived around 4.30pm & decided just to relax for the evening & hit the city tomorrow. I met some cool girls from Tazmania & we stayed up drinking & chatting until the early hours. I got up just before noon & headed to the centre of Prague for a free city tour around the old part of town. When i found the old town square i was like WOW....just the most amazing buildings & great vibe from the people. The tour was a walking tour for 3hours & i saw the house of Parliament,Prague vineyards,John Lennon memorial wall,the pub that was blown up in the Mission impossible movie, the steps that Matt Damon rode down on his scooter in Bourne Identity,Lots of beautiful Monastery's and 100 spires, The famous Charles Bridge & Prague castle which is the largest castle in Europe 70,000 square meters not including the grounds! It took from 1344 till 1933 to complete.I also saw the famous Peeing Boys!
After the tour i explored some more & found an International Folklore Festival where many different countries were taking part.
Dancing Building
I got myself something to eat & took a seat & the next performance on stage was the Maori's from New Zealand! I must admit i got goose bumps & felt a little homesick. There was one guy who is from Queenstown & plays up at the Gondola! Such a small world.I headed home about 9pm & decided no alcohol, as i wanted to be up early to explore some more.
Prague city used to be divided in 4 smaller cities, but now it is just one & so huge but compact. You can take trams,metro's & buses all over the city but i prefer to explore on foot, every corner i turned there was another impressive building.
I took another free tour at 10am to explore the New town & saw the National Theatre,Bethlehem Chapel,Velvet revolution,Francisan Garden,Charles University,Powder Tower,Rock wall & the Jewish Ghetto where all the building were knocked down 100years ago because of poor sanitation. But they left all the original Synagoges & the oldest one dates back to the 13th century where there are 80,000 names on the wall to remember those who were lost during the war,plus pictures from the children held in concentration camps. They also have the oldest cemetery in Europe which dates back to 15th century where you can see graves stacked up to more than 12 people high. After the tour i went to see the dancing building, which is all twisted & the cubic building. (will post photo's later).
I spent 3 full 8/10hour days exploring Prague & it is by far my most favourite city so far!
Prague is famous for their puppets & there are many shops & puppet shows. I also sampled the local beer Staropramen which was good & has no preservatives. There is a huge famous outdoor market & many great boat trip through the canal.
I highly recommend Prague, there is something here for everyone!
Bye for now, next stop Slovenia. Jo.
