4/12/2024 Prague, Czech Republic

This morning after Breakfast we said our good-byes to the staff and loaded on a bus for a 7 hour ride from Budapest to Prague. Once we were all checked into the Prague Hilton, we had a evening tour scheduled called Prague at Night.  

The former Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia.  It was a little dishearening to see that after 40 years of communist control so many people were never exposed to religion, so approximately 80% of the population is Atheist.  Most of the churches, convents and abbeys are now used for other purposes.

The Convent of St. Agnes is now an Art Gallery.

The former St. Nicolas Church across the Charles Bridge is now part of the University and acts as a lecture hall and library. 

There are still plenty of religious statues around the city but most maintained for their historic value, as the old city is an UNESCO World Heritage Site

Houses that were built in the old city could not be taller than the buildings around it, so the ground floor would have standard sized windows, while subsequent floors would have smaller and smaller windows. That also meant that the ceilings on these floors were lower, so the upper floor was usually for the children.

Entrance to the Charles Bridge

There are quite a few Baroque buildings like this appartmnet building.

When John Lennon was murdered the city invited artists to paint this wall, as kind of a peace wall.  In subsequent years it has been used as somewhat as a protest wall and cluttered with random grafitti. 

The old mill, no longer used, but good for tourists

homes and businesses back right up to the canal

When we lookid into the canal, there were a couple of Otters swimming around.

Quaint sidewalk Cafes surrounded the square

This store displayed some beautiful wood work by local artisans

Our tour ended at a local (still active) Monestary.  The Monks here still make local traditional Pilsner beer so we were offered a glass.

The Monestary is atop a hill giving a panoramic view of the city and city lights

Not as spectacular as the lights in Budapest, but it was a beautiful view and the camera did not do it justice.