Another morning, another round of pastries…anything to start the day with a sugar high. But if I’m to maneuver around the crowds that will surely be at Prague Castle on a Saturday, I will need all the artificial energy I can find.
St. Vitus Cathedral or Katedrála svatého Víta, here on the grounds of Prague Castle, is an important representation of Gothic architecture.
It is actually a compilation of several structures, the first being a church (consecrated to St. Vitus) with a Romanesque rotunda.
A century later, a Romanesque basilica was added to accommodate the growing flock. In time, an apse and a bishop’s mansion were added. By the 1300s, it morphed into the present day Gothic cathedral of significantly grander proportions more in tune with its patrons, who had by now amassed proportionally increasing political clout. The cathedral, after all, was meant to be the place where Bohemian kings were coronated then buried next to their beloved patron Saint Wenceslas.
In the early 1900s, the cathedral was repaired and completed. Over the span of some 600 years–with wars and fires getting in the way–the cathedral now also shows Renaissance and Baroque traits.
That’s a really abbreviated history of this incredible structure. And I mean incredible! I’m already in awe just walking around the grand church taking pictures of its spires and gargoyles. When I finally set foot inside, the first thing I notice is how many people are walking around with their heads in the air, mouths agape. Let me show you why.
I queue up to get this one shot of the royal mausoleum, like the rest of the crowd. I only have half a second to get the picture because the church ladies are shouting at us to not linger in front of the altar (please move, no photos they repeat to us to no use). The light streaming through the Rose Window in the facade gives the marble crypt an eery glow. We all linger, dizzy from the enormity of this place.
I’ve visited many beautiful churches around the world, large and small, elaborate and spartan, each significant in its own unique way. Each a labor of love by the faithful. But there’s something about St. Vitus that takes my breath away. Perhaps it’s the way the vaulted ceilings are magnified by the light dancing in the stained glass windows…it’s just all that light that makes us feel joyous to be in this place. If I had only one hour to spend in Prague, here is where I would be.
I still have the rest of the day at the castle but I’m back on the church’s front steps, where I sat yesterday after finding out I was too late for visiting hours. I feel just as small as yesterday…
maybe even smaller today now that I’ve seen how great St. Vitus is from inside. How does man build stuff like this?
Tags: Bohemian, gothic, Prague, Rose Window, Saint Wenceslas, St. Vitus cathedral
I feel like I’ve been dragging you through Prague forever now, but we’re not done yet. Today I’m just going to post some pics of the castle grounds as I follow the sights on the “long tour” route, which includes the Old Royal Palace with its gorgeous balcony,
the permanent collection of the Story of Prague, where I’m not allowed to take any interior photos…
St. George’s Basilica,
the National Gallery,
Golden Lane–a tiny alley of miniature houses, now tourist trap shops, that writer Franz Kafka once lived in:
and Powder Tower. Sometimes the scenery around these structures is more captivating than anything you can find indoors:
Looks like I’m coming back to see St. Vitus Cathedral the next day because by the time I reach its door at 6pm it is closed. I wonder if I can still make it to see Barbie though…Barbie?
Tags: Barbie, Golden Lane, National Gallery, Old Royal Palace, Powder Tower, Prague, St. George's Basilica
I load up on sugar during this morning’s breakfast at a nearby patisserie in anticipation of another full day of walking while dodging the throng of tourists at the famed Charles Bridge. These tourists, to be exact:
In this square before you cross over the bridge, there are beautiful churches and buildings of historical significance. What you will notice is that in front of almost all churches they are selling tickets to evening concerts of classical music. Truth be told, I’m already a bit dizzy from the heat and crowd. I have on clothes of breathable fabrics like cotton and linen but I’m definitely feeling warm…
Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a Gothic stone bridge commissioned by Charles IV in 1357 to connect the two banks of the Vltava River. There are some 30+ statues of saints along the bridge, and each end of the bridge is marked by a tower. I’m questioning my sanity for not bringing a hat, but I’ve come a long way to see this bridge, so let’s stop dilly dallying and cross the street –do you see that tower?
Now that we’ve crossed the street, let’s see what’s to our left:
As soon as I cross under the tower, all of my uneasiness dissolves. There are musicians, artists, tourists, pilgrims of all sounds and shapes basking in the sun, pushing without too much shoving:
And then I see my first saint. Followed by another, and another…
People are speaking in a million different languages around me, but this song is all I hear in my head:
- We are trav’ling in the footsteps
- Of those who’ve gone before,
- And we’ll all be reunited,
- On a new and sunlit shore,
- Oh, when the saints go marching in
- Oh, when the saints go marching in
- Lord, how I want to be in that number
- When the saints go marching in
It’s not possible to stop and get clear shots of any of the statues due to the size of the crowd. But no worries, I tell myself, by the time I cross back later this afternoon there should be less craziness. At this point, I just want to safely get to the other side for my next destination, Prague Castle, which you can see sitting high above the hill beyond the bridge:
Without traffic it would take maybe ten minutes to cross the bridge, but this morning it is closer to half an hour. But we all manage to the opposing tower:
And the crowd scatters into the city…
I’ll meet you back here tomorrow to check out what’s on this side of the bridge:
PS: I’m sorry if the pictures take a while to load at my blog. I try to include high resolution pics so that if you click on any of the photos, you can see a clearer, enlarged picture. But in doing so, it tends to take a bit longer to load the photos (depending on your connection speed, too).
Tags: Charles Bridge, Charles IV, Karlův most, Prague, saints, Vltava River
Before I got to the Dancing House in yesterday’s entry,
I had actually zipped back to my hotel to freshen up. The day had warmed up big time by mid-afternoon so I changed into a sleeveless Marni top and a pair of flip flops.
I get my second wind and walk along the main streets that border the Vltava River:
There are so many grand buildings all over Prague,
and once in a while I’d see the antique cars that you can rent to tour the city in–they come with a chauffeur:
Everywhere I look there are dramatic, ornate statues…
This sprawling one is my favorite:
I’m amused to find a painting of it hanging on the wall of a restaurant I pop inside to consider for dinner (but I ultimately choose not to eat here):
I finally cross over to the boardwalk to preview tomorrow’s tour of Charles Bridge:
It’s at this point that my camera’s battery starts flashing, telling me I’m almost out of juice.Which is just as well; I’m heading back to the city center…
for dinner with one of these…
followed by some of this:
It’s a short walk back to the hotel from dinner, which is a good thing because I’m pooped; it’s been a heady full day in Prague. One last picture at the hotel before my camera completely dies:
Tags: Charles Bridge, Dancing House, Marni, Prague, Vltava River
Prague’s Nové město or New Town was founded in 1348 by Charles IV. At its heart is Václavské náměstí, or Welceslas Square (formerly a horse market), a large area full of shops, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, clubs, and offices. When things of national importance happen in more recent history–such as the protest against the Warsaw Pact invasion or the clamor for the dissolution of communism–the people congregate here, in this Square, to demonstrate and unite in their cause. But on most given days it is full of tourists and reluctant locals, and at night the crowd is replaced by drunk tourists and exasperated locals. I was warned before coming here about the lukewarm reception of tourists by the Czechs. But having seen bad tourist behavior I have to side with the locals. Some people forget their manners at home like their toothbrushes.
That monument above is of St. Wenceslas on his horse, flanked by four patron saints. Behind him, up on the hill, is the Národní muzeum or National Museum:
From the top steps of the museum, you can catch the entire city moving about at a busy pace:
This part of town is quite large, and just as a reference, it is home to Charles Square (once a cattle market and now primarily a park),
the Baroque Church of St. Ignatius (which we saw a few blog entries ago),
the Neo-Renaissance National Theater,
and the ultra modern Dancing House (Tančící dům):
Also known as the Fred and Ginger (as in Astaire and Rogers) or Drunk House, it was designed in 1992 by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunic and my adored Canadian architect Frank Gehry:
OK, you ask, but what’s up with the sausages in the first picture? When you walk around the main strip of Welceslas Square, there are the usual fast food joints like McDo, KFC, and chinese restos. But there are also kiosks on the street with Czech fast food:
Come closer and look at the menu board:
Did you read that? Coated fried cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard. Gulp. The three main ingredients I cannot eat separately, and here they are all stacked together in a sandwich. Is this for real? I actually don’t see too many people ordering that but sausages of all sizes and flavors are flying out of these stands like there’s no tomorrow. Can’t eat that stuff either.
Right about now I really want some phở. No meat just tripe. Good luck with that here.
Tags: Charles Square, Frank Gehry, Narodni muzeum, National Theater, New Town, Nove Mesto, pho, Prague, sausages, Tančící dům, Vlado Milunic, Welceslas Square
