Prague–2013 January 15

My first stop today was Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square).

Statue of man at Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) “Bay window” tower on building Buildings in Staroměstské Náměstí Detail of relief; gold three-towered building and lion with gold crown Detail of building with “Prague,capital of the kingdom” in gold inscribed letters Closeup of statue in Staroměstka Námestí White church in Staroměstské Náměstí Plaque of meridian line that once marked the limit of Prague Painted arch and gold sculpture atop a building Ornate front of yellow government ministry building Relief-work lion at base of a building column Railing with blue spiral and gold circular design

The square is also the location of Prague’s astronomical clock, in operation for just over 600 years. As the hour chimes, religious figures appear in windows above the clock. You can always count on a crowd gathering just before the hour.

Tower with two huge astronomical clock faces Me in front of astronomical clock

You can climb up the clock tower to get a view of the city. I am very much afraid of heights, but decided that I probably wouldn’t get the opportunity to do this again, so up I went. The nicest part is that it’s not some narrow spiral staircase until just at the top. Most of the climb up is on a ramp. As you go up the tower, you can see posters on the walls that describe the people involved in the clock’s construction. You can also see where people have inscribed their names on the tower walls.

Relief carvings and statuary above a door in clock tower building Wooden sculptures above senate door in clock tower building Concrete ramp to top of tower View out tower window about halfway up Wall poster showing person who worked on tower, and a diagram of clock face Interior tower showing elevator framework in helix shape Wall of tower interior with people's names written on them. Buildings as seen from top of tower View with castle in background View from top of tower; church in foreground View of Prague; older church in foreground View of multiple rooftops Rooftops of Prague as seen from tower

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)

I then proceeded to the castle, taking the metro to a nearby stop and walking the rest of the way.

Snow-covered domed gazebo Spires of St. Vitus Cathedral View of tower and trees from entrance to Prague Castle Weather vane in shape of lion Round white building and fountain at entrance to Prague Castle

I got a short tour ticket that admitted me to St. Vitus’s Cathedral (Katedrála svateho Vita), the old royal palace (Starý královský palác), the basilica of St. George (Bazilika svateho Jiří), and the Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička). The cathedral was the best of the lot. I did resist the tempation to shout out, "Hey, nice apse!" as I entered.

Front of St. Vitus cathedral with large circular window above door Detail, carvings aboe door of cathedral Cathedral spires with arched buttress Side view of spires of cathedral Pietá-type sculpture at St. Vitus cathedral Gold leaf painting above arches of St. Vitus Cathedral Clock tower with gold leaf arch Me in front of St. Vitus Cathedral Arches in interior of cathedral Detail of stained glass with religious figures Stained glass, religious figures Stairway inside cathedral Wood door carved w. religious figures Gold railing with star Three arches with religious figure statues, gold railing in front Floor inlay with shepherd's staff and name Mikulas, date MCCLVIII (1257). Votive holder in shape of a man (about half life size)

There are no photographs permitted in the Old Royal Palace, and I can see why. It’s pretty much a large empty hall, and I guess they don’t want it publicized much. On to the basilica of St. George.

Statue of St. George with gold star halo Figure with scepter, Basilica of St. George Interior view, basilica of St. George Faded paint on ceiling of basilica Painting of Madonna & Child seen through second floor archway Carved grave stone (1.5m tall x 1m wide) Exterior relief work under arch

Golden Lane was not much to look at; just a lot of shops. At the end of the lane, you can see the castle prison area. It’s a real downer, so no pictures of that.

View of Golden Lane; building fronts are painted yellow, blue, and red Small white statues of religious figures at end of Golden Lane

Petřín Hill

I took a tram to the base of the hill, and decided to walk up to the top rather than taking the funicular.

Downhill view of funicular tracks Funicular ascending hill

Near the base of the hill, I saw this interesting graffitti. In case you can’t read the handwriting, it says:

Hi, my name is ROIS.I love Smichov hood so much Smichov is wife of my life. Oh, I must go for some food and beer. Nice to meet you and have nice day.. BAY

Graffitti on wall at Petřin Hill Standing man statue of Jan Neruda View of city from halfway up Petřín Hill Statue of Karl Hynek Wall at top of Petřín Hill Stairs showing steepness of slope

At the top of the hill are an observatory complex, some churches, and a tower that faintly resembles the Eiffel Tower. I decided not to climb to the top of that one. I also saw a woman walking her very photogenic dog. [Note: some of these pictures are black and white; it seems to have improved them slightly.]

Three observatory domes Wire-haired fox terrier Wire-haired fox terrier Statue of two people kissing Tower resembling Eiffel Tower atop Petřín Hill Tower latticework Church atop Petřín Hill View of Vltava river and city from top of Petřín Hill View of city from Petřín Hill

Today’s Food

A ground beef, ham, red pepper, and onion pizza at Pizzeria Einstein.

Pizza with ground beef, ham, red pepper, and onion

Today’s Signage

I really like the walls of the subway stations. I really like the signs that show which platform to use for the direction you are going; instead of just giving the endpoints of the line, it shows you all the names of the stops along the way.

Subway wall with colored metal with circular indentations in several shades of red stripes Monument inscription on subway wall Sign in subway showing which stations are in which direction

This sign tells you to clean up after your dog.

Sign telling people to clean up after their dogs; shows dog defecating

The gift store at the castle has some odd signs. The first one must be permanently affixed; I doubt people were much in the market for cold drinks today.

Sign: “We are selling cold drinks” Poster of shark in an art glass bowl: “Do you need a glass of water?”

Here are some pet toys in a store window, some very strangely dressed mannequins, and some snow art.

Whimsical pet toys (turtle, pig, giraffe) in store window Department store mannequins entirely enclosed in red cloth, labeled “Sale” Eyes and nose drawn in the snow covering a car's windshield and hood.