1. Prague

Well, here I am at last.  Eleven days after leaving home we are well settled in Paris having gotten here via Abu Dhabi and then Prague, capital of the Czech Republic.

I mistakenly decided to leave my laptop at home and only bring an iPad with me. Big mistake (and a long story)!  So, until now, I have not been able to find an easy way to combine multiple photos and text and post the resulting effort on the blog.   

But I now think I can do it, so here we go on ..... Another Proper Busride!

Prague is very old and, because it was not massively destroyed by American bombing during WW2, and because the Czechs don't have a national compulsion for demolishing their own architectural heritage, the urban landscape is something of a 'hotch-potch' of buildings dating from a very long time ago (eg 13thC) up until 20thC.  Above is the 600 year old medieval Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.

1.3 million people live in Prague but you never get the feeling that it is crowded.  It did not throw off its communist mantle until 1993 so has only had 10 years of democratic government.  There are still some buildings with bullet holes in the stone, if you look. 

Prague is now the sixth most visited city in Europe. It floats on beer and pork and has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world. It lies across both banks of the river Vitava.   

On the north-west bank and on the high ground, is the Prague Castle connected to the Old Town (Stare Mesto) on the south-east bank by the Charles Bridge.  The bridge was built in 1357 and was the only means of crossing the river until 1841.

It was very easy to sit out out in the Spring sunshine on the river and gaze at the Castle towering over the city and the Charles Bridge, watching the river boats that have just now thrown off their winter coats, puttering up and down the river between the locks.

Wherever you are in the city you can see the castle.

The walk up to the castle is not for the feint-hearted.  I've always said " anything worth seeing in Europe is at the top of a flight of stairs".  And this was definitely a heart-pounder!

But once we got to the top we saw the changing of the guard and the towering cathedral of St Vitas that gives the castle its spires.

Back down to river level again, we pottered around the old Jewish quarter called Josephov.  The most beautiful buildings of the city are in this area.

We found the Hotel Pariz with its very grand flag-bedecked steel and glass porch, and had a lovely dinner in the Restaurant Sarah Bernhardt.  We had a table in that large window on the right.

During our walks one misty afternoon we found Vivienne Boutique,

as well as one of the few contemporary buildings in the city.  

We also stumbled across the Energy Advisory Centre.  Run by the biggest Czech electricity retailer, it was full of the most fascinating displays, evaluations, reviews and energy saving devices you could imagine from this beautiful electric car with a roof of photovoltaic cells ......

...to a full range of electric bicycles and scooters, as well as insulation, plumbing, light globes, window frames and wall insulation models.  Absolutely fascinating.

Our last day in Prague was cold after four previous days of bright sunshine.  Here is Paul buying a heart-warming kransky sausage from the boar and venison butcher at the market.

Then it was back home, via Wenceslas Square ... 

... to pack up our cosy apartment for the flight to Paris.

www.praguewelcome.cz/en/