PRAGUE! or “PRAHA” in the CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague…..there is a smile on my face as I wrote the name of this wondrous city. Prague…….1100 years old. Survivor of Emperors, and Kings. War after war after war. Communism. The Cold War and then in 1989, “The Velvet Revolution.” From a balcony overlooking Wenceslas Square where 300,000 Czechs had gathered, the Communist government resigned. Today, Prague and the Czech Republic is alive and thriving. A city of 1.24 million with an estimated 4.5 million tourists each year, Prague is a city in full bloom and what a bloom it is!

Wenceslas Square is not a square. It’s a mile long rectangle in the “new” city. It truly was and remains the heart of Prague. 25 years ago under Communist rule, there were no clothing stores, restaurants, shopping centers and more to the point… no peace. Today, a mere 25 years later, Prague’s city center is alive and thriving! Department stores. Couture shopping. Imports. Restaurants. Jewels galore! Crystal, the likes of which I have never seen and will never see again. Masses of people strolling arm in arm or hand in hand. Non stop chatter in  10 different languages. Museums and Art Galleries. Traditional meats, sausages and baked goods. Magnificent, humbling churches.

From the Magnificent. St. Vitus Cathedral

 

To the really creepy. Reliquary in St. Vitus.

To the quiet moments shared

To the jaw dropping scenery

And on to the totally unexpected but fun

And nothing but pure laughter.

And to the thoroughly modern “Dancing Building. Nick named “Fred and Ginger.

Then we have the incredible food! Fresh hams being smoked over beech wood in the Old Town Square. And we can vouch for how delicious they were.

I’ll end with the outrageously expensive Czech Crystal which is sold in a about 200 hundred little and not so little shops.

Wherever I have traveled in Europe, I always say that I want to go back there again. This time I mean it. Prague is a city that both Dan and I fell in love with during our short visit. I only hope that I have given you a sense of this wondrous city. Enough for you, and I to dream about.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and letting me share my journey. Journey on!