Prague Weekend

We went to Prague last weekend -- all spontaneous, with an overnight bag each.  Ian was camping with the Scouts...

The apartment Alistair chose for us was jaw-dropping....

....and much more elegant than the house we are living in here. :-)

I nearly fell over when I saw the kitchen and all that counter space.  I've apparently forgotten that kitchens even have worktops....

Here is what I learned about Prague more than anything else:

statue on the Charles Bridge

I should have obtained a history degree before even setting foot inside the city.  There is so much, so much, so much that has taken place in Prague over the last 1,000 years. 

On the New Town side of the Charles Bridge

I found Prague to have that  "Rome" feel, in that more-ancient is nestled next to less-ancient around every corner. 

Even the sidewalks are beautiful.

So, we just let it all wash over us as a first impression.  

Letting children take the lead with hot chocolate, wrapped in wooly blankets at cafes.....

Or, even watching road construction...

... which is so-very-different-than-what-we-know, with their large stone blocks and pea gravel.

Our children took photos --

-- and we tried to imagine in which doll-house-inspired building we'd most like to live .....

.....and Lars chose the modern one with McDonald's downstairs ;-)

We went to the National Gallery, which I personally enjoyed very much.   It had been a 16th century palace....

....which by itself was room-by-room-by-stairwell interesting:

I love to think of all the feet which have traveled over these stone steps.  It's humbling for me, as well,  in that I don't know the first thing about these families or their history.  Clearly, they were all important in Prague.     

My favorite parts, though,  were the wood sculptures, [which were out of various chapels around the city]....

....since we got a peek at all sides.  I thought this was AMAZING to be able to see inside and behind the carvings.  My kind of gallery. :-)

I also - not surprisingly - really enjoyed the textiles:  

-- that lace was unbelievably fine.  Those tiny stitches really do add credibility to the Fairy Tales where MICE are making things with thread.  It's an entirely different subject, but I think that National Galleries in every country are so telling and even personal......I'm glad we made this stop.  :-)

Outside on a bench, Eliza made a thrilling discovery in that her purse (from the Indian Princess Costume Nana made her two Birthdays ago....) had a secret pocket in the lining:  

All the better for stashing the generous amount of snacks...

...and treats to take along with on wandering through the city.  You can see she is well-stocked.

But, I think our favorite part was the river running through the middle of everything.  I think we must miss the water more than we know, because even the kids wanted stop and watch the water go by. 

So, we signed ourselves up for a dinner boat trip on one of those barges, and spent two hours going over locks and waterways.  It was nice.

Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral

In retrospect, it is such a shame that Ian was camping with the Scouts.  Normally, camping with the Scouts is his #1 priority...but, he would have enjoyed Prague very much.  Maybe we can go again. :-)