Praha! (Prague) Nov. 19th, 20th, 21st 2010

The view out of the boat window on our boat tour

The stairs leading up to the tower in the clock!

Astronomical clock

The Prague Astronomical Clock is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction.

It has three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months

Prague Castle

This fairy tale castle on a hill overlooking the Vltava River is the most popular sight in the city, reflecting the city's "Bohemian Baroque" architecture. The seat of Czech rulers for 1,000 years, today it houses the office of the Pesident. Contained within the castle walls are three courtyards, beautiful gardens, shops, and restaurants. St Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic landmark of the city started in 926 that has always been the center of Prague's religious and political life, is in this giant castle. The cathedral has 21 chapels as well as its most famous archway, the Golden Portal entrance , containing a mosaic of The last Judgement dating back to 1370.

Prague Castle

Baroque statues

Baroque statue

Right near our hotel in town

Me on the Charls Bridge overlooking

Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Malá Strana. It was actually called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) during the first several centuries. Its construction was commissioned by Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and began in 1357. In charge of the construction was architect Petr Parléř whose other works include the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge. Our tour guide explained this egg yolk thing to us!

Charles Bridge is one of the many monuments that were built during Charles' reign but it is not the first bridge that ever connected the Prague banks of the Vltava. Another bridge used to stand in its place - the Judith Bridge, which was the first stone bridge over the river. It was built in 1172 and collapsed in a flood in 1342

The bridge also has the Baroque statues (a total of 30) began to be placed on either side of Charles Bridge in the 17th century. Now many of them are copies and the originals can be seen in the Lapidarium.