Prague, Czechoslovakia

Our arrival to Prague was not as smooth as our travel has been up to this point. We reserved seats on the train as we have on all our trains, to be sure we have seats. We were in a compartment on this train and, after the first few hours, no one was in it but us. Shortly after we passed the Czech border, I noticed a lot of passengers lining up in the corridor and then getting off at a small town. One of them pulled open our door and said we had to get off, there was a problem farther up the tracks and we were being bused to another town to catch another train. The reason we had no forewarning is that the announcements were never given in English. They were given in German and Czech and since no one else was in our compartment, we were clueless. We scrambled and were the last off. They were holding the bus for us.

Our bus ride was also a little bumpy (slow to fast to slow between small towns and highways, and we almost collided with a van turning in front of the bus) but we made it to the next train station. After a 25 minute wait, the train showed up but it was packed. There were already people standing in the back of the car before our group got on. We didn't get any farther than the steps into the car. We spent the next 1 1/2 hrs standing amid the group, right by the bathroom door, with two small dogs at our feet, in the path of people who had seats going back and forth between the refreshment car and their seats, and people just looking for that elusive, non-existent open seat. We finally arrived and got off into the relatively cooler air of the train station.

We decided to walk to the hotel which was only .3 miles but I swear GPS is wrong 90% of the time. Felt much farther but we were dragging luggage and it was mostly all uphill, over cobbled sidewalks under repair, over street train tracks, you name it and we maneuvered around or over it. A hotel was never as welcome as that one. Happy to say the rest of our stay in Prague was wonderful after that less-than-auspious beginning.

There are two big "must see" items in Prague that were on our list that happen to be under repair/reconstruction. Oh, well. That's what post cards are for, right? One is the Prague Astronomical Clock which is 600 yrs old and is one of the greatest treasures of the city. It is in the Old Town Square which is another "must see" and was well worth the walk. The square was founded in the 12th century and has managed to survive all of the turmoil of the past centuries. We were there on Sat and again today. Timing is everything. It was crowded on Sat as you would expect. It was much less so today and they are setting up a tent of sorts in the middle of the square for some event coming up.

We also toured the Prague Castle which is a complex dating from the 9th century. It is still the President's official residence. It is rather rustic compared to those we saw in Austria and not much of it is really open to view. Those rooms that are open are more like a museum and there is an extensive museum, "The Story of Prague", on the grounds that holds a lot of artifacts.

Golden Lane, within the complex. Was homes of regular people, now shops.

funky door within the castle

The big item in the complex is St.
Vitus Cathedral. It was built over a span of almost 600 yrs and is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It has been the site of coronations of Czech kings and queens, and is described by Czech tourism sites as "the spiritual symbol of the Czech nation" and "the biggest, most important, most beautiful". That was the second "must see" that is under repair/reconstruction. Only one end, though, so we were properly impressed by the rest, inside and out.

what it should look like

what it currently looks like

There are lots of bridges that cross the Vltava river in Prague, 10 I believe, but one of the most famous is the Charles Bridge. It was started in 1357 and completed in the beginning of the 15th century. There are 30 Baroque statues of religious figures placed all along the bridge on both sides and big towers at each end. Vendors set up along the bridge for the many tourists.

There is an area at one end of Charles Bridge called Mala Strana which includes a few meandering narrow streets lined with hotels, restaurants, and shops in the old buildings. That is where we had our chimney cakes. It also includes some not-so-old things like the Lennon Wall. It started in the 1980's and is filled with John Lennon and Beatles graffiti and lyrics. It has been painted over many times but keeps getting recreated.

There is also the Dancing House. It is supposed in invoke thoughts of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I didn't see it, frankly, but it is a unique building.

This is the Statue of Franz Kafka. It has 42 mobile tiers that move and wiggle his head. He was a famous Czech writer and it is very entertaining to watch.

The Prague Metronome is a giant metronome in Letna Park, overlooking the river and city center, that was erected in 1991 on the base left by the destruction in 1962 of an enormous monument to Joseph Stalin. It is meant to be a symbol of the new post-Communist era.

There are such interesting buildings here and the color strikes me, as it has in all the other cities we have been in. Great place to visit.

Old Jewish Town

Original tower between Old and New Prague

Munich, Germany Part 2

We toured the Munich Residence which consists of the Residence Museum, Treasury, and Cuvillies Theater. It sounds rather innocuous but is anything but. The Residence Museum included over 90 rooms and that was with the King's Tract (apartments of Queen Therese and King Ludwig I plus the Nibelungen Halls) closed for the next few years for renovation. That also doesn't include many, many wings of the complex that aren't open at all.

The Munich Residence was the political and cultural center for centuries of the dukes, then the electors (from 1623), and finally the kings of Bavaria (1806 - 1918). It was the residence and seat of government of the Wittelsbach family who were the ruling dynasty of Bavaria. The various rulers furnished and extended the rooms to suit themselves over time, each putting their own stamp on the complex. It started in 1385 as a castle in the north-eastern corner of the city but extended further and further into the city as each monarch added to it. When the monarchy came to an end in 1918, the Residence was turned into a museum and opened it's doors in 1920 to the public. Much of the Residence was destroyed during WW II but reconstruction was begun almost immediately. Many of the artifacts had been previously moved for safe keeping so they survived the war and have gradually been returned. Other pieces have been added to represent the style and period of that part of the Residence. Some of the greatest artists of their times were used and the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicist, and Historicist styles are all represented.

The tour of the Residence is supposed to take 2 hrs. We were there almost twice that long. When you google the history of the Residence and see the pictures of what it looked like after WW II next to a picture of the same space now, you realize how much was lost to war and can treasure the resilience of people. It is amazing what humanity can create, how much it can destroy, but also appreciate the spirit of humanity that treasures art enough to recreate that same art.

The Antiquarium is the oldest room, built from 1568 to 1571 by Duke Albrecht V for his collection of antiques sculptures. His successors transformed it into a hall for festivities and banquets from 1581 to 1600.

There is a series of rooms called the Rich Rooms which were furnished in the 1730's. The state apartments were meant to impress and substantiate Karl Albrecht's claim to the throne.

Left is the Green Gallery. Right is part of the Charlotte Rooms.

This is part of the Charlotte Rooms, also.

The Rich Chapel was constructed in 1607 and was the private place of worship for Duke Maximilian I and his wife. It held his collection of precious relics (bodily remains of saints) and was the spiritual center of the Baroque Residence. Therefore, the space was lavishly decorated to reflect it's importance.














There was also a "regular" chapel for everyone else. This was the Court Chapel, built in the beginning of the 17th century by Maximilian I. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The Treasury contained part of the collection of the monarchy and covered all types of jewels, goldsmith's work, enamels, crystals and ivory.

Last was the Cuvillies Theater. It was built in 1751 - 1755 by Elector Maximilian Joseph III as a court opera house. It was destroyed in WW II and rebuilt from 1945 to 1951. The wood carvings and tier fittings had been removed to safety and are all that survived of the original theater.