Hi.
Prague is a lovely city. Our guide Milos met us at our hotel. He is incredibly knowledgeable. He has done interviews on American shows (on the Discovery Channel) about Prague, written for Travel and Leisure and National Geographic. He knows a lot about art, music and history and he is also well traveled. Having a private guide is very nice, but after walking around for 8 hours, it becomes exhausting and with a private guide you can't hide in the back or have a little snooze.
We started in the main square of the old town, where our art deco hotel is located. Milos pointed out various styles of architecture. Some houses have gothic, baroque and cubist design. All the original homes of the 14th century have emblems on them, like grapes above the doorway, or the Black Madonna on the Cubist home.
We saw the famous clock which every hour has a parade of the 12 apostles.
Prague has 3 opera houses and a ballet company. There is an exhibit of Mucha and Cerny and a Kafka exhibit. Currently there is a display of Cartier jewelry.
We walked to the Charles Bridge which he told us has flooded twice in history, most recently in 2002. The bridge is adorned with statues. (Our photo together is on the bridge.)
He took us to see Cerny's Babies: 4 large faceless crawling babies on the river outside the Cerny museum. We walked through beautiful baroque gardens of the palace to the Kafka museum where he showed us another Cerny statue of 2 men pissing on what looks like a map of the Czech Republic. You can text a message followed by the phone number engraved in a stone and the men apparently pee the message into the water. ?????
We went into St Vitus Cathedral where he pointed out some very modern stained glass windows, which looked like curtains. There were also Mucha stained glass window.
He showed us the memorial wall to John Lennon (a photo of it is above). During the 60's music was a way for Czech youth to connect with the west when they were under communism. Milos himself was interrogated by the police. The Canadian ambassador was sympathetic to him and would give him movies. He showed us how the KGB would use mirrors to spy on people.
Milos pointed out the tree on the other side of the wall where Beethoven composed. After that we went into the dripping gardens of the Senate. Rocks done in flowing forms, with hidden animal faces. He tried to find us a white peacock.
We had a salmon sandwich and a drink near the palace gardens. On our way down the steps from the castle, my foodie husband eyed a pastry in a little window. This was probably the equivalent of a Beaver Tail in Quebec, Koeksister in S.A. It made the descent a little less arduous.
Milos showed us New Town, so named for the original 14th Century houses which were rebuilt after fires. He told us that famous film directors and artists lived in this now highly sought after area, of coloured houses.
After that we entered the Jewish Ghetto. The synagogue has over 70,000 names of Jews transported to the camps. The synagogue was destroyed in the 50's by the communists and was later restored by art students who spent 4 years doing this project. The names are arranged according to the shtetl and then the last names. I found the name of Lowenstein.
Okay this beer has now gone to my head.
In summary: a city of art, music, history and architecture.
Milos reserved a table at a restaurant for my birthday where Obama was supposed to take Michelle for a quiet romantic evening. Their plane was late so they never made it there. Sorry Michelle. I will let you know how if it is any good!!!
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