Prague, Czech Republic Sunday, September 6-13, 2026
Entrance into our airbnb apartment.
It is in a perfect location....close to the train station, minutes to the trams.
One of the first things we noticed was the multiple stones that we walked on...
uneven and tricky to move about on especially pulling a piece of luggage.
The various patterns of the walkways were always changing.
I enjoyed feeding the pigeons that came to our window sill. They would actually coo in the morning
for us to come feed them.
Our first day in Prague, we figured out the metro.....down, down down this huge escalator.
Folks 65 years and older can ride the metro, tram, or bus for free. YIPPEEEEE!
Our first day we rode the metro to Vyschrod Fortress.
Rotunda of St. Martin 1070-1080
Basilica of St Peter and Paul, 11th century
Spires completed in 1903
The views of Prague from the top of the hill were quite spectacular
The colorful views were of the city.
The wall around Vyschrod was four bricks thick.
We enjoyed walking along the top of Vysehrad Fortress Walls.
We were able to spot Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral
The gravesites had plants growing on them.
Basilica of St. Peter and Paul
Mosaic sculpture titled "Lod" (Boat)
Municipal House 1905-1912
Classic example of Art Nouveau
Hotel King's Court, 1904
luxury hotel
NR7, classic historic palace
An organ grinder played classical music in the square.
Rudolfinum Concert Hall
That evening, Larry took me on a river dinner cruise for my birthday on the Vltava River. That was so much fun!
Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
1932
The Danube House, 2003
Missouri Park Administrative Building
Lighthouse Vitava Waterfront Towers
New Mill Water Tower
1603
Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 1688
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge was quite a sight from the water.
The Old Town Bridge Tower, 1883
Happy Birthday to me!
I have wanted to visit Prague ever since we went to Budapest. I loved Budapest, I was told then that Prague was better.
They both are pretty darn nice.
Bedrich Smetana Museum,
19th century Czech composer
The National Theatre
Stvanice Hydroelectric Power Plant
Yellow Penguins, a public art display, light up the water in front of the
Museum Kampa
Rudolfinum,
historic concert Hall and art gallery
Torchbearer on the Svatopluk Czech Bridge
We enjoyed sitting with some folks who were native Slavakins
They spoke Russian and we taught them how to use the google translator. We had a lot of laughs with them.
The Old Town
An amazing 600 year old astronomical clock still chimes every hour. The Old Town Hall
Tower was built back in the 14th century. Seeing the clock work was magical. Quite a crowd gathered during the chiming on the hour.
St. Nicholas Church
built between 1732 and 1737
Church of Ur Lady before Tyn
Gothic stone portal and wooden doors
to the Old Town Hall
1338
The Old Town Hall was established in 1338.
It was the first city hall in Bohemian history
now listed as a UNESCO heritage site.
More interesting architecture...I never get tired of seeing it.
St Nicholas Church
1836
From Old Town, we walked to the Charles Bridge
passing by the historic facade of the Klementinum
Popular Kozlovna Apopos Restaurant
Church of St. Francis of Assisi
We enjoyed dual trumpets outside the church.
Built between 1679-1685
It Houses an organ dating back to 1702
Charles IV
Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia
1346-1378
Walking through the Charles Bridge Tower
took us back a few centuries.
We spotted Prague Castle and St. Vitus.
The Charles Bridge was pedestrian only and loads of emotional statues graced both sides of the road.
This is about as close to a fairytale setting that you can get.
Several flocks of geese were beginning to migrate.
This is the western side of Charles Bridge looking into Lesser Town.
Narrowest Alley in Lesser Town
Notice the green light, signaling us to go in this direction.
Sculpture at The end of the narrowest alley.
Where the Narrowest Alley begins.
The buildings were bright and colorful
John Lennon Wall
Following the tragic assassination of John Lennon in 1980, an anonymous artist painted a portrait of the musician on this stone wall.
During the communist regime in Czechoslovakia western pop music was banned.
This wall became a canvas for young citizens to express their desires for peace, freedom and freedom of speech.
Love the peace sign
Larry put my name in a tiny spot.
Because visitors and local artists constantly add new graffiti, layers of paint and messages, it's appearance continuously shifts over time.
Imagine All the People Living Life in Peace....
AMEN!
This reminds me of Kathy's kindergarten class singing the song with their little sweet faces peeking out of the submarine.
Looks a little like Venice.
Very interesting doors in Lesser Town
Manes Bridge crossing Vltava River
The next day we took a tour of the Nuclear Bunkers that the Soviets built in the early 50's. This particular building was for the Soviet Secret Police headquarters.
This statue, Man Hanging, depicts how the Soviets handled
folks who disagreed with the government.
The sculpturer of the hanging man also produced the airplane butterflies titled Spitfire Butterflies.
Once the Berlin Wall came down, Prague students in 1989 marched peacefully to the square wanting freedom from the Soviets. They were gunned down and disposed of secretly.
When students didn't come home, parents then marched on the square the next day. The Soviets claimed they knew nothing about their children's absence. Then citizens from all over the Czech Republic marched peacefully for freedom the third day.
Finally the Soviets gave way to the citizens.
Memorial for the students who lost their lives.
Old Soviet Trams still in use
The Nuclear Bunker was behind this graffiti wall.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker built in the early '50s.
Our guide told us that there were hundreds of them.
4 ton door opens into the bunker
Ammunition
We saw 3 potties. Not sure how many are under the ground...But this Bunker was suppose to hold 5000 people.
Little children were given lessons on how to shoot weapons. Our guide was one of the children that grew up under Soviet rule.
A wall of clocks lined up with the major time zones around the world.
A medical area
Loads of gas masks were here. They were suppose to last two hours, then you would need a new filter.
Medical supplies
Plastic covering for children and babies
Luggage from folks who have tried the bunkers out.
Map of this facility
We went in only one wing.
Our guide said with 5000 people, it gave each person
1 square meter of space.
I was ready to climb the stairs to get out after a half an hour tour.
Zizkov Television Tower
Generali Palace
National Museum
1885-1891
Wiehl's House
1894-1896
Lunch time after that tour....
CHEERS!
We enjoyed a laugh with this mirror making us into
6ft giants.
We went to The Divadlo Gong, a cozy neighborhood theater and cultural center, to hear two bluegrass bands.
Both bands were excellent!
Decor in The Gong.
The reason it is called The Gong is because the audience is warned that the show is about to begin when a gong is struck....enjoyed seeing this happen at the end of the intermission.
The neo+Renaissance palace across the street from our apartment was once a financial institution, but now has become a posh luxury hotel.
We enjoyed the pianist playing one evening.
The next day we visited the Jewish Quarter.
The buildings in this area were freshly painted or cleaned.
Rudolfinum
Concert Hall and Art gallery
Church of the Holy Spirit
1868
St. George's House
Old-New Synagogue
1270
One of Europe's oldest active synagogues
The skyline of spires is quite spectacular.
Statue of Moses who is kneeling and writing the names of the Jewish people into the book of life
counterclockwise.
Star of David
Ceremonial Hall of the Prague Jewish
Burial Society
1906-1908
Beautiful art nouveau doorway
in the Jewish Quarter.
Church of the Holy Spirit
1350
An unusual statue of Franz Kafka
that depicts the author riding on the shoulders of a giant, empty, headless suit.
It was inspired by Kafka's 1912 short story
"Description of a Struggle".
What a man! 50's vintage.
What a Cadillac! 60's vintage.
Spanish Synagogue
1967-68
14th century
Starman
Czech lunch...pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings as well as schnitzel and potatoes washed down with a
Czech beer at Rolrouna Restaurant. YUM!
The tram became a way of life in this city....so much easier than driving a car.
The weeping willows were gorgeous.
We rode the vintage trams.
#42 Tram...reminds me of the San Francisco Cable Cars
Riding #42 was a thrill.
Our last evening we walked to the.....
Dancing House.
1996
Inside the Dancing House we watched the lights of the city begin to twinkle.
It was stunning.
While having a refreshing beverage, we relaxed to the sights of the city below.
The Dancing House is also called
Fred and Ginger after Fred Aster and Ginger Rogers,
famous dancers of the
'50's.
They do look like they are moving.
Catching the train to Bratislava, Slovakia in the morning made our evening come to an end. Dreaming about the new adventure, we hailed farewell to Prague wondering if we would ever visit this beautiful city again.
