Prague and the Lobkowitvz Palace

After a lovely breakfast buffet at our hotel,  We set out early for a long city walk, and were very pleased to have gotten a wonderful guide! She spoke slowly enough for us to absorb what she was saying, her English was spot on, and she was adorable! Great personality and a great way of presenting the facts with stories, rather than a recitation of facts, as we have encountered a couple of times.

It was a great morning spent with her, with gorgeous buildings and softly falling snow that made it all quite magical!  I will need to add more info with photos  (and arrange photos )

Exterior view of the beautiful church we visited on our tour, snow gently falling. 

Forget gelato, let’s do that hot chocolate! 

 

Charles Bridge 1357 spans Vltava River 

Church of St Francis of Assisi

Lots of wonderful outdoor seating despite the cold, with heaters and blankets. They don’t let winter keep them indoors! 

Making those delicious cakes on a spit. 

Entering the main square, where the astronomical clock is on building on the left. 

Couldn’t help notice this stunningly decorated building, which is sgraffito! It soon fell out of favor to decorate like this because of the maintenance.  Such a lot of work went into the creation! 

Old Town Hall. 

The third oldest astronomical clock installed on Old Town Hall in 1410, and oldest still working. It was said after the artist completed his work, they put his eyes out so he could not create another! Gruesome story for an astounding work. 

The rooster comes out on the hour, and the figures all move as the clock strikes the hour. 

Each figure moves in turn, and here, the skeleton says yes, you’re coming, but the male figure shakes his head no, I’m not! 

And another  Christmas market nearby. 

I asked permission to shoot this adorable little boy with his potato treat, and while his parents were accommodating, he didn’t seem quite so sure. 

Church of Our Lady of Tyn, Prague Old Town 14th century. 

Church of St Nicholas 1732-37 built on 13th century gothic church site dedicated to St Nicholas 

Jewish Town Hall 1586

Gate to Prague Castle 

 

  We stood and waited so we could watch the changing of the Castle  Guard. 

Cathedral of St Vitus, in Prague Castle Complex (Wenceslaus and Adalburt)

Cathedral of St Vitis.  Obelisk is a memorial to WWI

It was a lot of time outside and though we had enough layers to stay pretty comfortable, our toes were frozen, as was my right hand from taking photos, and we were ready to go inside for a lovely lunch at the Lobkowitvz palace, which was our afternoon excursion. Our afternoon included lunch, which was waiting for us, and after some hot goulash  , we were entertained with a classical concert, and then a tour and explanation of the palace and family who owned it, and some of their extensive art collection. The   history is still a bit confusing, especially because the palace is actually in the castle grounds, but basically people were thrown out windows, nazis took control, then communists took possession, then it was returned, but the family preferred their country home and it was only used for occasions, and now it’s a museum!  Our audio guide was recorded by the family members, who our guide said had heavy Boston accents that he hoped we could understand. They sounded pretty normal to us, with no accents at all! We enjoyed the building, collections and views, and I especially enjoyed a chat with our young guide who was eager to share his knowledge and pride of his country. 

One other couple joined us for lunch, so just 6 for lunch and concert! 

View from upper terrace of palace, which was part of the tour. 

Their Eiffel Tower! 

I found this dish fascinating, and Clem suggested I try to make

one! 

View of the Castle and palace on our walk back to our hotel. 

Returning finally to our hotel around 4:30, we found complimentary mulled wine, and Clem and I sat by the fire and enjoyed that for a bit before heading for a hot shower before dinner.  I am not much of a drinker, but I am totally hooked on the hot mulled wine! 

And hot mulled wine by the fire in the  lobby of our  hotel. 

We opted for dinner in our hotels bar, and enjoyed a relaxing evening with a burger, sans what my friend Susan calls Cruise Food! The bar room was of course again lovely, with beautifully frescoed ceiling.  We had seen  a sign that said the concierge would be happy to show us around the property, so before we retired for the evening, we arranged a tour for the next day, which we look forward to.