Prague, Czech Republic

Post #1- Prague, Czech Republic

     The flight was certainly long. I quickly recovered my jet lag, however, because I had to get on the Frankfurt Train the same day. I wish I could see Germany, but there are certainly more interesting countries to go to. As the train pulled into Prague, I was so tired all I could think about was getting to the hotel.

     Today I spent my day exploring the old city of Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic. The buildings there were ornately decorated, and looked brand new. But after inquiring, I learned that they were centuries old! Supposedly, the Americans gave this part of Czechslovakia to the Germans without a fight in World War two, meaning that there were no battles in this part of Euope. Therefore, the old historical cities were not destroyed by artillery and gunfire, the fate of many French towns and cities.

This is the Church of our lady before the Tyn. It is the largest building in the old city and can be seen all throughout the city. It is located in town square, the heart of Prague. The cathedral was finished in the 1500s and is the largest church in the entrie Czech Republic. Notice the Buildings? They almost look brand new! Those Czechs sure know how to preserve history!

See this clock? It sure looks weird. Actually, I didn't even know how to read it! It is called the Astronomical clock, and it does all kinds of strange things. It is divided into three parts- The walk of the Apostle (top), the sphere/clock dial (center) and the calendar (The lower part). It tracks every kind of thing there is to track: date, time, month, postion of the stars, where the sun is, what phase of the moon there is, and that kind of thing. Anyway, it is located across the town square from the Church of our lady before tyn, making this center of Prague the most popular tourist destination in the city. If you want to learn more about this clock, click here

I spent the evening dining at a very European sidewalk cafe. I then watched the sunset on an old bridge, gazing at the Vltava river, the major waterway that cuts a furrow through the old city. Later, I returned to my hotel for the night to prepare for the day. tommorow I am going to check out of my hotel and spend half of the day in Brno, (good luck pronouncing that!), another city in the Czech Republic. After that, I am traveling to another country...Italy.