Aug 15 - Day 2 in Prague

The first full day in Prague featured an extensive and fascinating walking tour around Prague – ranging from the famous Charles Bridge to the beautiful Prague Castle. After a quick hostel breakfast, we met up with Irena, our excellent and quite amusing tour guide, for the start of our half day tour.

We began by walking upon the impressive Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava River. It began construction in 1357 under Charles IV and was completed in the 15^th century. There are many stories of its construction, including the legend that eggs were used in the mortar. Unfortunately, the statues on the bridge are replicas of the originals – disappointing, but understandable for conservation purposes. Some were particularly interesting to me. The crucifix statue on the bridge has a very fascinating history – originally a wooden crucifix, it was damaged by the Swedes in the 30 Years’ War. It then underwent several new forms, but most remarkable is the addition done in 1696 – golden text written in Hebrew to serve as a punishment for a Prague Jew. Since it was a punishment, it is most definitely anti-Semetic in nature and very offensive – recently, a plaque explaining the situation has been added to the statue in several languages.

The bridge was insanely busy and it was still during the morning – I can only imagine how crowded it gets during the day. After leaving the bridge and hearing a few other great stories about the statues on the bridge, we headed to sights in the Old Town, the Lesser Town (Mala Strana), and New Town. In Mala Strana we saw Parliament and a major Gothic Church. We also stopped by the Wallenstein Palace, which features a great grotto. Wallenstein was a major figure in the 30 Years’ War, dominating it militarily. However, he became so powerful that he was released from service by Ferdinand II in 1630 – returning again when Ferdinand II desperately needed him. Wallenstein was not pleased by his treatment and considered turning to the Protestant side, but Ferdinand had him assassinated.

One thing that is incredibly amazing about Prague is one of the things it is most famous for – not being bombed during WWII. The city has such a variety of architectures – in the main square buildings hundreds of years apart stand by each other – and much of it is still original, remaining from its original construction. The city thus maintains its other famous quality – that of magic and mystery – by being so varied and full of history.

We headed up to the Castle, taking a very fun walk through the woods to reach the top of the hill. The Castle is absolutely massive and the grounds are enormous as well. Irena showed us the window of the Defenestration of Prague – where the 30 Years’ War was initiated when a few Protestants threw a few Catholics out of a 3^rd story window – and they survived.

After the walk, we went for a delicious lunch and some great Czech beer at a brewery on the hill nearby a monastery. With that rejuvenation, a few of us headed to Petrin Hill to do some things the (terrible) guidebook recommended, like going to the Mirror Maze, which is really a rather lame hall of mirrors. I have to say, I am very anti Rough Guides after this trip. It lies about several things (such as claiming a hallway of mirrors is a must go event) and does not have a very good map. The hill wasn’t too much of a let down, however, as it provided a great view (and the walk up there was very beautiful). After a FUNicular ride down, we wandered some more through the streets of Prague and across a bridge to arrive back at the hostel for a relaxing and fun night.

We headed to Café Imperial, a Habsburg era coffeehouse, which was sadly closed. The guidebook says it provides free donuts, so for me, it is a definite site to visit. We then ate a delicious Indian dinner and hung out in beautiful Prague for the rest of the night! I’m definitely enjoying this city, but I hope I have the opportunity to see more of it beyond its touristy aspects tomorrow!