Prague’s Old Town has maintained a lot of its historic character (in part due to surviving WWII relatively unscathed), but that means that modern vehicle and pedestrian traffic are folded in on top of one another.
Tag: Czech Republic
Petřín Orchard and Castle
The stones of Petřín were supposedly dug up and used to make the buildings of Prague. Looking at Prague from that hill, the it’s impressive to imagine the relocation efforts over centuries.
Dinner on the Water
Crisp late autumn nights are the perfect time to sit between a warm heater and a cold canal for some early supper.
Predefenestration View
The hilltop above Prague, now the site of Prague Castle, has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. Events of enormous historic importance (like the Defenestrations of Prague) happened via windows looking out on a very similar view.
Down the Hill from Prague Castle
After we spent an entire day exploring Prague Castle, strolling gently down the sunset-lit cobblestone streets to dinner felt exceptionally satisfying.
Night Traffic in Prague
Every driver told us that this was the “off season” and that winter was when the infrastructure of Prague was repaired before the next summer. I can’t imagine the traffic in May…
Trees and Paths Above Prague
Legend says the rocks of Petřín were extracted to make the buildings of Prague beneath it, and the result is a park covering almost the entire hill.
Birds of Prague
This is the picture of Prague from every postcard and stamp, and it just happened to be across the street from our hotel: the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River, with Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral rising above. The dramatic clouds made an effective backdrop for the horde of gulls winging above it all.
Sunset on the Vltava River
After a cloudy week in Prague, our final day brought an incredible sunset over the Vltava River.
Armored Embrace
In the dusty smaller hallways of Prague Castle, arms and armor stand at attention. This particular combination of gauntlets and hilt stood out to me.
Petřínská Rozhledna
Iron Petrin Tower (tower than the Eiffel Tower, incidentally) looks out over Prague.
Subtle Knives
Perhaps it’s the excellent new Rian Johnson movie Knives Out, or perhaps it’s the new HBO adaptation of the His Dark Materials trilogy, but this case full of daggers in Prague Castle put me in mind of Philip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife.
The Biggest Music Club in Central Europe
Continuing on the juxtaposition theme from my last post, here we have the “BIGGEST MUSIC CLUB IN CENTRAL EUROPE” jammed into a tiny corner between buildings along Prague’s Vltava River.
Night Traffic Over the Vltava River
Jiráskův Most over the Vltava River touches old town at the site of the glowing Dancing House, the “only new building in Old Town,” I’m told. At night, the juxtaposition with the rectilinear older forms starts to grow on me.
Tunnel Through a Building
The old buildings of Prague change at a glacial pace, as this tunnel through a building reveals. The pattern of the taillights, however, reveal the recent vintage: that saw-like pattern can’t be formed by old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, but rather by the rapid on-off of LED hardware.
Decaseconds 