Ten Minutes in The Golden City of a Hundred Spires!

Charle's Bridge

Prague is one amazing city with more "Wow!" per square inch, than any city we have visited to date.  Everywhere you look, there is something amazing to see and a piece of history to discover.  

What better way to feel a part of history than to stay at a 17th Century Bed & Breakfast.  Dům u velké boty  is a small, family run hotel.  It is situated in a quiet square directly across from the German Embassy and steps from the US Embassy.  From our hotel, a ten minute walk in any direction, was history packed and full of beautiful sights.

A ten minute walk downhill and around the corner sits:  The Church of Our Lady Victorious, where the miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague welcomes pilgrims from around the world.  

Another ten minute walk brought us to Wallenstein Palace Garden.  This is a peaceful (until my kids arrived) garden hidden in the Little Quarter.  Unless you were looking for it, you would walk right past its inconspicuous entrance.  The kids were enchanted with this albino peacock.  He seemed to know the drill too!

The kids pose for a picture on the walk up to the castle.

A ten minute walk uphill brought us to one of Prague's most recognizable sites, Prague Castle.

The main castle entrance.

View from the castle grounds

A view from steps leading down from the castle to the Little Quarter

A view of St. Vitus Cathedral by day

St. Vitus Cathedral by night

We arrived at the castle late in the day to avoid the massive crowds.  This late in the day, paying the $25 for a family admission didn't seem worth the expense.  After 6pm, one can stroll through the castle grounds and enjoy few to no crowds.  Here is the cheapskates view of the impossibly cute  "Golden Lane".   Previously, these houses were the servants quarters.  Today, they are gift shops.

Here I am with a glass of hot wine called Mead.  This charming Medieval restaurant was along the walk to the castle.

Oh! And here we are with some famous Czech beer.  It is touted as some of the best beer in the world.  (I still prefer German and Belgium beer)

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge is the always crowded and festive bridge that crosses Vltava river and connects the Little Quarter to Old Town.  The bridge is crowded with tourists, vendors and musicians during the day.

These were just a few of the sites that were within a 10 minute walk from our hotel.  However, don't let the ten minutes mislead you.  We did a lot of walking.  Anyone who has ever traveled with us knows that I am not exaggerating.  Prague is best visited by foot and I am sure we put on no less than 6 miles a day!!!

Just beyond Charles' Bridge, lies Old Town Square, where one is surrounded by awesome sights and history in every direction.

Astronomical Clock

The Astromical clock was installed on the Old Town Hall in the 15th Century and is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world.

Jan Hus Memorial commemorates the Czech's long hard struggle for freedom

Tyn Church

Beyond Old Town Square, lies Wencheschlaus Square.  We treated ourselves to some traditional Czech sausage, hot wine and potato chips on a sword...I mean skewer.

The Jewish Quarter, or Josefov, provides a fascinating glimpse of Jewish history.  The cemetery, the Pinkas Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue were among the most memorable exhibits that comprise the Jewish Museum of Prague.  The Pinkas Synagogue has a particularly moving display of artwork from the children of Terezin.  Terezin was a "model" concentration camp located outside the city of Prague.  The Nazis "allowed" the prisoners some creative expression in the form of drawings, music and plays.  The artwork displayed was created from smuggled scraps from the Jewish draftsmen and artists who were forced to draw the infrastructure of their own prison camp.  Of the 15,000 children who passed through Terezin, only 132 were known to survive.  This artwork is all that remains of their memory.

Below, is a picture of the Old Jewish cemetery.  This was the only place Jews were allowed to be buried in Prague from the 15th through 18th century.  It is thought there are some 10,000 graves here, 6-7 deep.

Petrin Hill and Tower

A steep uphill walk brings you to Petrin Hill.  The funicular was out of service, but that didn't stop us from making the trek.  Once at the top of the hill, a quick walk through the mirror maze was good for a few laughs before hiking up another 400 stairs to the top of Petrin Tower.

There you have it, our three days in Prague...the condensed version.  Prague is a city full of wonder, full of beauty, full of history and full of tourists.  It is a city so uniquely Prague.  It is no wonder why it is so popular.  With so much to see and do, a trip to Prague will surely not disappoint.