Turning Leaves: May 2007

PRAGUE!!

April 20-22, Ted and I journeyed to Prague in the Czech Republic, smack dab in the heart of Europe.
It was probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.

One of the first things we did was take a bus tour of the city. It was the first time I had done such a thing and I highly recommend it! Taking a tour right away helped us to get our bearings and was a great overview of the city, including some of the city's history. This is the National Palace.

We saw the changing of the guard, though Ted jokingly remarked that it was "Nothing compared to England's." He's allowed to be biased.

View from the top.

On a pretty walk just below the National Palace

The first evening we were there, we attended a six-string ensamble concert at the National Museum. It was a fantastic and a little unconventional! Instead of sitting in chairs, we sat on the cushioned steps of the stairwell! The musicians performed in the stairwell where four grand staircases met. The acoustics were amazing and the music beautiful.

The Food

We ate at all sorts of yummy restaurants! Goulash and dumplings is a favourite there. The goulash is more of a thick gravy with beef chunks, mopped up with distinctive potato, bread-like dumplings. Also enjoyed cabbage soup. Desserts tended to be dry cake-like breads, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with cream.

I had an amazing culinary surprise! I had heard the Czech Republic was famous for its sausages. They had loads of little stands around selling them (like the one pictured above). Usually I'm not so keen on the sausages, but before leaving Prague I determined to try one. Oh my goodness it was SO GOOD! It didn't even taste like any sausage I had had before. They served it with this gorgeous sweet mustard...mmm...not something to forget!

The City

Wenceslas Square: a statue of St. Wenceslas and the National Museum (Yes, as in Good King Wenceslas from the Christmas carol! He was actually a prince, not a King, and was murdered by his brother before he could become so. Thus his brother earned the moniker "The Cruel.")

Pretty. I am glad we got to go in the Springtime. There were so many pretty blooming things!

Pretty little plazas like this opened unexpectedly everywhere.

Hello! There was grafitti everywhere. I almost came to like it (is that bad?)- it was so creative! To me, it became this ubiquitous art form that united the diversity of Prague! It was cool to see it written in another language, too.

Old Town Square

The famous clock-tower, boasting one of the world's most unique clocks. See below.

Famous clock. Whenever it chimes on the hour, each of the 12 apostles appear in turn in those little windows (see them?). Masses of people gather around each hour to watch that little spectacle!

Old Town Square.

Charles Bridge (Karlov Most)

This is the famous Charles Bridge- I think it's the oldest of the 12 bridges that join both sides of Prague over the Vltava River. It is lined with statues of 30 saints and is so cool!

Charles Bridge (named after King Charles IV - one of the best Czech kings ever) is a pedestrian bridge and there are loads of things to buy and little shows to see as you cross over it.

Me, Ted, and Karlov Most.

Lesser Town

This is the view of Lesser Town from the opposite side of Vltava River

Inside of St. Nicholas Cathedral - one of the most dominant buildings on the skyline. Prague is said to be a 'Gothic city with a Baroque face' and this amazing cathedral proves it!

Josefov - The Jewish Quarter

These snapshots are of various edifices in the Jewish Quarter of Prague. Long ago, Jews were ostracized into one section of the city, known as Josefov. The synagogue on the right is the oldest synagogue in Europe!! Ted and I went inside - it was one simple, small room with many little desks for reading the Torah and a very old-looking shrine. The synagogue in the center is newer. The building on the right is a Ceremonial Hall and just borders the old Jewish Cemetary (see below). There is still a vibrant Jewish life in Prague - in the last picture there are some Orthodox Jews going to worship on their Saturday Sabbath.

This is the old n' amazing Jewish cemetary! We couldn't go in, but I was able to sneak some pictures through the window on that door to the left! It was very cool and old and crowded!

Church

Church on Sunday was wonderful. We miraculously found the chapel - it truly was a miracle! There, we met 4 sets of missionaries who guided us to another building because it was District Conference that day! In this picture (the only one I have, unfortunately) we are in the underground riding up the longest escalator ever! There were a total of 14 missionaries (I believe) in Prague. They are powerful people...I was in awe of them. Several Elders were making fun of me and the British accent I apparently am obtaining. They thought I was from Britain at first! I was shocked! How funny! The District included half of the Czech Republic. It was really wonderful to be there and the meeting was excellent. Wherever you go in the world, the Church is still the same; it is still like 'home'.