PRAGUE
The Golden City as it is also known, capital of the Czech Republic and sits either side of the River Vlatva. We took the 1 hr 45 min flight over after work on Friday for two busy days of sightseeing. Surprisingly Heathrow was more efficient than we had expected, however our plane was late, so in hindsight we didn't have to leave work early. We took a punt with accommodation and chose 'the secret hotel' off the lastminute.com website. It worked out well for us as the 4* hotel was 2min from the metro, for about half of the normal discounted price. Bargain.
On Saturday we headed to Hradcany to see the Castle which is far more then just a Castle. It is also the location of a Cathedral, Basilica, and the Royal Palace, as well as other associated buildings. Unfortunately the Palace was closed for the weekend but it is still a full days worth of sightseeing. The Castle was completed in many stages and the style of building reflects that from gothic to renaissance influences often next to each other.
St Vitus Cathedral was built over 500 years and contains 21 very ornate chapels. The Wenceslas Chapel would be the stand out with the ceilings and walls covered in frescoes. As usual we took on the challenge of climbing to the top of the Cathedral, with the South Tower providing the 300 steps to the viewing platform. Quite a tricky process as there is only a single narrow spiral staircase.
The Golden City as it is also known, capital of the Czech Republic and sits either side of the River Vlatva. We took the 1 hr 45 min flight over after work on Friday for two busy days of sightseeing. Surprisingly Heathrow was more efficient than we had expected, however our plane was late, so in hindsight we didn't have to leave work early. We took a punt with accommodation and chose 'the secret hotel' off the lastminute.com website. It worked out well for us as the 4* hotel was 2min from the metro, for about half of the normal discounted price. Bargain.
On Saturday we headed to Hradcany to see the Castle which is far more then just a Castle. It is also the location of a Cathedral, Basilica, and the Royal Palace, as well as other associated buildings. Unfortunately the Palace was closed for the weekend but it is still a full days worth of sightseeing. The Castle was completed in many stages and the style of building reflects that from gothic to renaissance influences often next to each other.
The many different aspects of the Castle.
St Vitus Cathedral was built over 500 years and contains 21 very ornate chapels. The Wenceslas Chapel would be the stand out with the ceilings and walls covered in frescoes. As usual we took on the challenge of climbing to the top of the Cathedral, with the South Tower providing the 300 steps to the viewing platform. Quite a tricky process as there is only a single narrow spiral staircase.
South Tower of cathedral
Wenceslas Chapel
The trusty Insight Guide Book came out on Sunday as we walked all over the Old Town and checked out the rest of Prague. We stumbled across a display from the local military. What started off as a performance from the marching band turned into a display of gun handling, complete with firing off a few rounds. Not sure that all of the tourists (or pigeons) were quite ready for it either.
Again we did really well with the weather during our trip. Albeit a little cold (3-10 degrees) it was fine and provided a good opportunity for some night photos on Saturday night.
Apart from the annoying balloon on the right this would have been a really good photo
Charles Bridge
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