After having explored the Old Town Prague area the first couple days, we for whatever reason went back to that square AGAIN. This time however, we decided to tag along a free walking tour of the city! I guess this kind of tour is offered in many cities across Europe, and I would highly recommend it. Note, even though it is advertised to be free, most of the time you'd give a nice, generous tip.
We caught the trip while the tour guide was explaining that they used to execute and behead people in the square where the red Xs are marked. What is great about joining these tours is that you get the stories of the place, definitely adds to the experience.
Recall the Astronomical Clock? Now in the picture below, right by the clock you see two statues on each side? From the right, you see a guy in green, he resembles the threat of the Turks. Beside him, a skeleton, resembling death. To the left of the clock you have two more statues, the one on the outside is a guy looking into a mirror, resembling vanity. Lastly, the fellow on the inside, resembles greed. Without the guide, we probably would have never read into these statues.
She then took us into the "Ghetto" of Prague, the Old Jewish Quartre.
Apparently, the Jewish people arrived in the Czech Republic in the late 1200s, and was, under the command of the king, placed into this area of the city where they must live. If they were to leave the Jewish Ghetto to work or for whatever the reason, they must wear a yellow star to identify themselves. So the king chose this specific area, northeast of Old Town Square, because it was the lowest part of town, geographically, therefore highly exposed to floods. This remained the home of the Jewish people in Prague for 600 odd years.
The picture below is the old synagogue.
The tour took us to cross the Charles Bridge to the other side of town. The construction began in 1357 on September 7th, at 5:31am. Apparently the king was superstitious.
The bridge is lined with statues of Saints. The oldest statue standing today that is the original, not replaced by a replica, is the Statue of St. John Nepomuk. This statue was placed on the bridge in 1683, and it is said rubbing the bottom of the statue will ensure that you will at some point come back to Prague.
The tour led us to the hills under Prague Castle.
The windy cobblestone streets led us up to the castles where the kings and queens reside and also, where the current President of the Czech Republic works out of.
Along the way I found this delicious bakery stand. Its like a cinnamon roll but without the sticky syrup. Could definitely have eaten this all day long!
The castle was nice. By now, they are all sort of blending into one. Sorry.
But what was impressive on the ground was the old gothic church.
No comments:
Post a Comment