Prague is just magical. No other description. It is one of the few cities in Europe which was not leveled in the Second World War, though the Soviets didn't do them many favors.
Czech Republic is the home of the founding father of the Art Nouveau movement, Alphonse Mucha. He was a good old Czech boy, born back in the late 19th Century and has a museum showcasing his works right across from our hotel in the New Town. I'm sure you'll recognize his work, it all mostly looks like this:
The buildings reflect this movement. You'll see Gothic and medieval structures, side by side with a friendly Art Deco neighbor, like these two just below. The blackened building is the old Gothic Powder Tower, next door to the Art Nouveau Municipal Building
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| Municipal Center |
One of my favorite stops, which I had insufficient time to appreciate was the Lennon Wall. Now, its important to know that John Lennon never actually visited Prague. However, after his murder in 1980, he became sort of a hero for pacifist Czechs, make sure to come back later for info on the "Velvet Revolution". They began to graffiti this one wall with drawings of him, art, song lyrics, etc, then every so often someone would come along and whitewash over it. Then it would come back. As time went on, the owners just surrendered to the inevitable and it became the only spot in Prague where graffiti is legal.
Shortly after this stop, we boarded our bus and set out upon the "long and winding road" (see what I did there?) up to Prague Castle, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 years old. The castle, it seems, is the seat of government so we could not tour the inside, but we could have toured the Cathedral on its grounds. It was spectacular, and Jeff really wanted to go inside. Unfortunately, due to a personal emergency, which is none of your business, we had to climb back on the bus and head back to town.
Next up: Communism and Harry Potter
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