Saturday, September 1, 2012

Day 12 Prague one more day

We had a pretty good day in Prague, a few sprinkles and lots of sites. We booked a 6 hour walking tour with an english speaking guide. We had a short bus ride up to the castle and a 40 minute tour on a boat under the famous King Charles bridge built in 1347-1400.

The tour was a brief stop at all the important points in Prague. They have an astronomical clock and tower that was built in 1410 and still functions today. It is the third oldest such clock and the only one still functioning. There is an hourly show with live trumpet player as the clock mechanically parades the 12 apostles through various windows.  Prague was not bombed during the second world war, so much of its history is still preserved today. It is full of small one way streets that angle in every direction. Driving in them is a challenge and you get turned around very easily. Even walking from point to point you will get lost and need to turn on the GPS to find which way to turn. Paul and I found ourselves walking in the opposite direction and way off course before turning to the phone to get us back.

We ate lunch in a medieval dungeon that was preserved to this day and then finished the tour up on the hill where Prague castle is located. Of course around the corner is yet another gothic monstrosity of a church. This one was started in 900s only the foundation and a pillar. The majority of it was done 1300's and finished in the early 1800's. The hill also houses the main government buildings including the royal castle. The view was pretty incredible looking down at the city.

Off to Nuremberg, Germany in the morning.

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