Prague/ Praha
Trip Start
Dec 18, 2008
1
10
25
Trip End
Jan 15, 2009
Where I stayed
Wenceslas Opera Apartments , Vinohradska 22, Vinohrady
Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic
Monday, December 29, 2008
Prague/ Praha
Our last day in Praha dawned (not that we'd know) bright and sunny - and minus 5. Plenty of ice about. Downtown was still busy despite being a work day. Lots of tourists about. Hard to believe the population is only 1.2m.. there must have been that many tourists in the old town. We caught the funicular railway up Petrin Hill - and further up to Praha's version of the Eiffel Tower, a 60m high, iron observatory tower -Petrinska Rozhledna- built in 1891 as a direct copy of the Paris Exhibition for Prague's Jubilee . 299 steps for a great view -through frosty/icy windows- overlooking the city and surrounds - awesome!Would have been minus 10 up there!!
Lunched back in the city - then we split up - and Leigh, Steve, Matt & Dan went back to our old friend the Charles Bridge for a look-see up the Old Town Bridge Tower (Staromestska Mostecka Vez). Called "the most beautiful gate of Gothic Europe" the tower was finished by 1380. The statues on the tower were taken down as they were deteriorating and are housed in a museum. Their replacements were made of concrete and didn't last! This time the statues were replaced by original building materials - stone! Cranes were too big & heavy for the space, so - in around 2005- the workers built mediaeval crane wheels to replicate the methodology initially used!
Matt has been collecting medals and badges at each of the major sites - Dan has been collecting knights!All we keep saying is that Grandad would be having fun at all the war museums!
Cracker day but .... cold as.
Home to pack for our next destination - Roma!!
