Our time in Amsterdam came to a close so we headed to the station but Amsterdam had a couple more things to show, the bikes and the fast food vending machines.
Having finished with Amsterdam we boarded our first night train and headed behind the former Iron Curtain and into the Eastern Block country of The Czech Republic and its capital Prague.
Like Brugge, Prague is a very pretty city having survived both World Wars mainly intact. After czeching in we hit the streets with a similar plan to that of Amsterdam, wander and see what we could find. Our wandering would be slightly structured as we wanted to tick off the Astronomical Clock, Prague Castle and Charles Bridge.
The streets are cobbled and it is very easy to get lost, but with map in hand we found the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock with minutes to spare before the strike of noon. On the hour the clock comes alive with the saints/apostles appearing in a window while the statues of Vanity, Greed, Death and the Turk (pleasure and entertainment) move back and forth. At the end of the display a trumpeter at the top of the clock tower leans out and plays a turn finishing with applause from the crowd below.
The square was set up for viewing the Euro football tournament and was very crowded. For lunch we decided to sample some Czech traditional food. Trdelnik, a dough rolled around a stick and cooked over hot coals before being covered in sugar and almonds, tasted like damper covered in sugar. Potatoes with ham and cabbage and Old Prague smoked ham. The piece we were given was massive.
We then set off in the hope of crossing Charles Bridge before climbing the hill to Prague Castle. However we ended up on the next bridge down the Vltava so we decided to head up to the castle first.
Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle complex in Europe and is spread over 7 hectares. The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. Unlike many of the other castles we have visited over the past few weeks Prague castle differed as within the grounds of the castle most of the other building complexes are still standing.
After spending a couple of hours at Prague Castle we headed back down the hill and made our way to Charles Bridge.
Charles Bridge began construction in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. There are 30 statues and statuaries who depict various saints and patron saints that stand along the balustrade.
Upon walking from one end of the bridge to the other we decided to climb the Old Town Tower, which is said to be one of the most civil gothic style buildings in the world. With views across the city and out to Prague castle we headed back to our hotel to rest our feet before heading out for dinner and to come back and take some photo's of the sun setting over Prague castle.
Our final day in Prague was short as we were to catch a train to Vienna at 1pm, so we decided that as there was a small queue to climb to the top of the Astronomical clock we would make the climb and take some photos .
Having finished with Amsterdam we boarded our first night train and headed behind the former Iron Curtain and into the Eastern Block country of The Czech Republic and its capital Prague.
Like Brugge, Prague is a very pretty city having survived both World Wars mainly intact. After czeching in we hit the streets with a similar plan to that of Amsterdam, wander and see what we could find. Our wandering would be slightly structured as we wanted to tick off the Astronomical Clock, Prague Castle and Charles Bridge.
The streets are cobbled and it is very easy to get lost, but with map in hand we found the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock with minutes to spare before the strike of noon. On the hour the clock comes alive with the saints/apostles appearing in a window while the statues of Vanity, Greed, Death and the Turk (pleasure and entertainment) move back and forth. At the end of the display a trumpeter at the top of the clock tower leans out and plays a turn finishing with applause from the crowd below.
The square was set up for viewing the Euro football tournament and was very crowded. For lunch we decided to sample some Czech traditional food. Trdelnik, a dough rolled around a stick and cooked over hot coals before being covered in sugar and almonds, tasted like damper covered in sugar. Potatoes with ham and cabbage and Old Prague smoked ham. The piece we were given was massive.
We then set off in the hope of crossing Charles Bridge before climbing the hill to Prague Castle. However we ended up on the next bridge down the Vltava so we decided to head up to the castle first.
Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle complex in Europe and is spread over 7 hectares. The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. Unlike many of the other castles we have visited over the past few weeks Prague castle differed as within the grounds of the castle most of the other building complexes are still standing.
After spending a couple of hours at Prague Castle we headed back down the hill and made our way to Charles Bridge.
Charles Bridge began construction in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. There are 30 statues and statuaries who depict various saints and patron saints that stand along the balustrade.
Upon walking from one end of the bridge to the other we decided to climb the Old Town Tower, which is said to be one of the most civil gothic style buildings in the world. With views across the city and out to Prague castle we headed back to our hotel to rest our feet before heading out for dinner and to come back and take some photo's of the sun setting over Prague castle.
Our final day in Prague was short as we were to catch a train to Vienna at 1pm, so we decided that as there was a small queue to climb to the top of the Astronomical clock we would make the climb and take some photos .
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