Walking around today it finally hit me, I'm going to be living here for 2 months! I feel like I'm not even on summer though...this year has gone by so fast but I'm so thankful for everything that's happened. I found out my course schedule and wow am I happy it doesn't say organic chemisty or math or biology...should be a nice break from all my science classes!
Our first day in Prague was quite tiring! We started at 9:30am and walked up to the Prague Castle which is apparently the biggest castle in the world. It housed the offices of the King of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and the presidents of Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic.
The walk up to the castle was very steep and wow was it hot! There is a street in the castle called the Golden Lane which was where goldsmiths lived and is now little shops (my mom went crazy there.) We continued onto the St. Vitus Cathedral which was stunning, beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. My mom said it was like a smaller version of St. Peter's in Rome (I'm hoping to travel there on a long weekend in July.)
We then went into the actual castle which was quite a disappointment...lots of restoration so not much was open. There was a huge fire in the castle in 1541 which destroyed practically all of the castle so there wasn't much to show for before then.
After, we walked through St. George's Basilica which is the oldest surviving church in the Prague Castle. We continued out of the castle to the Loreta, a pilgrimage destination, which contained a church and clock tower. It had many small chapels inside which were beautiful. A small house was in the middle of the Loreta was constructed in the early 1600s and dedicated it's interior to the life of Virgin Mary. Additionally, the Loreta houses the Church of Lord's Birth which, again, had exquisite designs.
Although I've seen a lot of churches now, it's interesting how each one stands out for one reason or another but yet they all contain the same things. I can't imagine having regular church services in them and not be distracted by all the artwork and design!
We walked up to the Strahov Monastery which was founded in the 12th century. We walked back down to the castle and went to the Belvedere and Royal Gardens which was the summer palace made in the 1500s. Unfortunately, the Belvedere was closed for restoration so we walked around the gardens a bit and then decided to walk back down towards our hotel...which sounded easy enough since everything was so close but we ended up taking a very long route but it was beautiful nonetheless.
We then visited St. Nicholas Church in the Little Quarter which was beautiful yet again... (I realize I keep saying beautiful and having no pictures so I'll start posting them on facebook.)
Some English people we met at breakfast recommended a river cruise so we went on one for about an hour. We met some people from Chicago who asked me why the heck I go to Michigan (how many times do I have to explain this??! It's the greatest place ever!)
VERY long post, I'll have to figure out how to condense stuff for later posts but lots of walking and very tired!
I've got to say, it's so easy to spot Americans here...gosh we're so amish and obnoxious. Show me anyone's shoes and I can tell you if they're American or not.
Love and miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
Our first day in Prague was quite tiring! We started at 9:30am and walked up to the Prague Castle which is apparently the biggest castle in the world. It housed the offices of the King of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and the presidents of Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic.
The walk up to the castle was very steep and wow was it hot! There is a street in the castle called the Golden Lane which was where goldsmiths lived and is now little shops (my mom went crazy there.) We continued onto the St. Vitus Cathedral which was stunning, beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. My mom said it was like a smaller version of St. Peter's in Rome (I'm hoping to travel there on a long weekend in July.)
We then went into the actual castle which was quite a disappointment...lots of restoration so not much was open. There was a huge fire in the castle in 1541 which destroyed practically all of the castle so there wasn't much to show for before then.
After, we walked through St. George's Basilica which is the oldest surviving church in the Prague Castle. We continued out of the castle to the Loreta, a pilgrimage destination, which contained a church and clock tower. It had many small chapels inside which were beautiful. A small house was in the middle of the Loreta was constructed in the early 1600s and dedicated it's interior to the life of Virgin Mary. Additionally, the Loreta houses the Church of Lord's Birth which, again, had exquisite designs.
Although I've seen a lot of churches now, it's interesting how each one stands out for one reason or another but yet they all contain the same things. I can't imagine having regular church services in them and not be distracted by all the artwork and design!
We walked up to the Strahov Monastery which was founded in the 12th century. We walked back down to the castle and went to the Belvedere and Royal Gardens which was the summer palace made in the 1500s. Unfortunately, the Belvedere was closed for restoration so we walked around the gardens a bit and then decided to walk back down towards our hotel...which sounded easy enough since everything was so close but we ended up taking a very long route but it was beautiful nonetheless.
We then visited St. Nicholas Church in the Little Quarter which was beautiful yet again... (I realize I keep saying beautiful and having no pictures so I'll start posting them on facebook.)
Some English people we met at breakfast recommended a river cruise so we went on one for about an hour. We met some people from Chicago who asked me why the heck I go to Michigan (how many times do I have to explain this??! It's the greatest place ever!)
VERY long post, I'll have to figure out how to condense stuff for later posts but lots of walking and very tired!
I've got to say, it's so easy to spot Americans here...gosh we're so amish and obnoxious. Show me anyone's shoes and I can tell you if they're American or not.
Love and miss y'all
Sbohem,
Whit
What a densely packed day of historical hot spots!
ReplyDeleteI TOLD you not to wear your Crocs ;)