Prague - Paris oops Côte d'azur?

Friday, April 22, 2011

While we were flying to Paris......



The pilot advised that our flight had been re routed to the Côte D'Azur




So we are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the palm trees.






ha ha - just kidding (picture was taken in the lobby of our hotel at the Paris airport)



We actually had a very full last morning in Prague. A little bit of shopping and a tram trip to the Jewish quarter.

In the Jewish cemetery there are about 12,000 tombstones dating back to the 1400's. This was the only burial ground for Jews. Because of the limited space and the Jewish belief that the body should not be moved once buried, tombs were piled on top of each other and as things settled the tombs got crooked.



You'll notice pebbles on the tomb stones - flowers of the dessert - reminiscent of the old days when a rock was placed on the grave to keep the body covered.







Wedged under some of the pebbles are scraps of paper containing prayers.











Pictures from the synagogues








A few other pics from our day















And finally to show off our new shoe purchases.....




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Prague - la ville magique - magnifique et terrible séduisante (Esther)

Today was another beautiful warm and sunny day (so sorry for those back in Canada). Early this morning we decided quickly to try and join the Prague Avant Garde tour in French. We met up at the town hall at 10 and joined our group of 16 on a magical tour of this magnificent city.

Around every corner is another beautiful view awaiting us. There are so many stories about the city and so much to mention that I could not fit it into this blog. Everyone has to put Prague on their travel list of cities to see in the world.

Here a several pics and a few stories....

Marionettes are very popular here, the story behind them is that the Czech language was allowed to be spoken in public only in a theater performance through the marionettes. Look at the many faces of the marionettes:













Look at the interesting sculpture in their municipal library. What do you see?





Look at the tops of these towers. You'll notice that one on the right is higher than the left. The story behind this is that the one on the right is the male protecting the woman on the left, another story is that it is blocking the hot sun from the woman.









Different styles of architecture are abundant in Prague:

Cubanism





Czech Renaissance:





And so much more


























Prague's famous astronomical clock which still works on the same principle as in the 15th century is very interesting. It shows the zodiac signs, the position of the moon, sun and different hours of the day e.g. how much time has past since the sunrise or sunset amongst other things. There are also 365 names around the perimeter of the clock. Therfore, everyone not only has a birth date but a birth name.









There's an Easter market in Prague as well this week.









Other photos of the day:
















Picture's taken from the boat tour on the Vltava river under the Charles
bridge:
















Prague's Venice:



We ended the day with dinner on a terrace with views of the setting sun over the sights of Prague





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Prague - history and mystery at every corner

Our second day in Prague and we are navigating the city quite well. We started off the day at a more leisurely pace than yesterday! Shopping was on the agenda this morning with a few stops at some shoe stores where a pair of red shoes may be waiting for me to pick up tomorrow (Esther and Pascal bought shoes today!)

Then off through the cobblestone streets to the tram en route to Prague Castle. Through the Royal Gardens and we were again in front of this historical and magical castle where Czech leaders have ruled for over 1000 years. It is the biggest castle in the world. Here are a few pics to give you some idea but to really get a feel for it's size you'll have to google the castle or view something on you tube:































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Within the castle is St. Vitus cathedral, which includes the tombs and relics of the most important local saints and kings as well as the 3 Hapsburg kings (remember the Hapsburg empire from Vienna).







































Time for a little fun:






























And meditation ...





























Here is a sign advising cars to slow down for children playing:











Here is the same sign that we saw in a section of Prague referred to as The 'new world' - full of artists. Look how they embellished the same sign....











A few other pictures of the day

Beautiful doors








Artistic ceilings








Breathtaking views


















Odd sculptures along the Vltava River






























And another evening dinner beside the Vltava River






















Until tomorrow ....


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