My husband and I just returned from a river cruise which included Prague; a city in which I had little interest. Imagine my surprise to find a charming and colorful city with such varied history. We took over 80 pictures in two days! Prague is divided by the Vltava River into Old Town and New Town.
New Town is where the fabulous Hradcany – Castle Quarter – is located. The Castle and the surrounding town within its walls date back to the 16th Century. And that’s new town! The Castle Quarter is surrounded by what used to be a moat and the famous Charles Bridge (named for King Charles IV) leads to the Castle from the Old Town. It’s a pedestrian bridge which affords marvelous views of the Castle and the gothic Cathedral.
Old Town, dating back to the 13th century, is home to the famous Astronomical Clock and city hall in the Old Town Square, and the historic Jewish Quarter and Old Jewish Cemetery. After our tour of the Castle and the Old Town Square, we took a guided tour of the Jewish Quarter which encompasses several synagogues that are now museums and one active Sephardic (Spanish) synagogue that is still in use. The Sephardic temple looked like the Alhambra in Granada. Just gorgeous. Prague’s Favorite Son is the author Franz Kafka and their favorite local product is beer. Lots of it.
My only regret is that we couldn’t capture a photo from the Castle hill showing the 1000 spires as it was too overcast. It really was a delightful visit.
Written by Laura U
laura@atlatravelweb.com
