Our train arrived in Prague just before 7:30, which meant that we were walking to our hotel during the spectacular dawn light. I took a few photos of the National Museum and Wenceslas Square (named for a Polish king and national hero), which stands before it.
Wenceslas Square is the heart of Prague’s tourist zone, and it’s literally overrun with American fast food. Here’s a photo of a sign in front of a Burger King. The McDonalds sign omits another restaurant about 250m away that was probably deemed “too far” to walk.
Later in the morning, we explored the old town square, which was quite photogenic.
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| One of the more elaborately decorated buildings |
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| Prague’s famous astronomical clock |
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| The spires of The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn |
In the afternoon, we walked across the river and took the tram to the top of Prague’s castle hill, where we visited St. Vitus Cathedral, a spectacular example of Late Gothic architecture
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| The exterior, showing the clock/bell tower |
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| The nave |
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| Detail of the elaborate net vaulting on the ceiling |
From nearby, the high viewpoint gave excellent views of the city.
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| The panoramic view of Prague from just below the cathedral |
After dinner, we retired for the evening. The next day, we went back to the west bank of the river. It was a much prettier day for photos.
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| A view of several buildings along the river. Frank Gehry’s Dancing House is the leftmost building |
The following day, we had planned a trip to the tiny town of Kovarska near the German border. A museum there is dedicated the the air battle that was fought over the Ore Mountains on September 11, 1944. My great-uncle’s B-17 was shot down during that battle and he became a prisoner of war. The museum has gone out to recover pieces of the planes, and there was a display of several documents related to my great-uncle and many pieces of metal from his bomber.
The museum’s curator, Jan, was extremely friendly and helpful. His knowledge of WWII aviation history and the specific details of the battle is immense. He knows the stories of all the crews who participated in the battle, and has visited all the sites where their planes were shot down.
You can visit the museum’s website here. It contains some background information about the battle, a virtual tour of the museum, and some information on the museum’s ongoing aviation archaeology projects. The museum has even been successful at discovering the burial site of US fighter pilot presumed lost and returning his remains to the US decades after he was shot down.
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| A castle in the snow along the river |
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| View from the train in a particularly dramatic gorge |
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| Some of the scenery near Kovarska |
We returned the Prague late in the evening, and the next morning, we boarded a train to Salzburg. Prague’s charming architecture will remain etched in my memory, but so will the massive throngs of tourists packing the streets.
