Prague Day 2

We spent the morning doing a walking tour of the city. We have been here before, but have brought friends who are new to Prague. It was nice to have a a guide with historical background.

We started the morning with the clock.

Church of Our Lady before Týn.

This is the Old-New Synagogue, which is Europe’s oldest active synagogue, completed in 1270, and the oldest surviving medieval synagogue.

These are stolpersteine, stumbling stones, brass memorials to Holocaust victims that can be found throughout this region. These are inlaid in sidewalks outside their homes. These memorials list their names, birth year, when they were taken, and their last known location. This couple was sent to the Łódź Ghetto. Many people died in this ghetto, but many others were sent to the Chełmno extermination camp.

Old Town Bridge Tower. This is at the entrance to the Charles Bridge.

View of the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge across the Vltava River.

Statue of Charles IV

After crossing the bridge and going up the hill, we had this great view of the Old Town.

They used to mark businesses with images of what they sold. Since the city center is a UNESCO Heritage site, some of these are preserved.

This is another.

Renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe lived in Prague for the last few years of his life. This house, called the Golden Griffin, is where he lived for some of that time.

We hung out for the changing of the guards at the palace.

St Vitus Cathedral.

Parrot gargoyle

You can see how the cathedral was built over centuries, with the oldest portion on the right.

Stopped by the Lennon Wall. This is a graffiti wall tribute to John Lennon and general symbol of activism. It was started after his murder when someone painted a mural of Lennon and has developed after that.

Found this quirky sculpture.

Christmas market food for lunch

We headed to Wenceslas Square in the afternoon. We checked out the Christmas market there.

We also stopped by the marker for Jan Palach who self-immolated in protest during the Prague Spring in 1969.

We found an afternoon concert at another church. This was also very enjoyable. We also are learning that stone churches are like iceboxes in the winter.