Praha

The first morning we were up early and wandering the streets, vaguely in the direction of downtown. This church was quite close to our hostel and just a hint of the architecture smorgasbord we would be seeing that weekend. Since it was saturday, they were having their local flee market in the parking lot out front. some really neat old relics, arrrmy things, puppets, shoes and jewelry.

This is the front of the national museum in prague. gorgeous building but we decided to opt for more touring and less museum this time 'round....



This undulating cross is the memorial to Jan Palach who committed suicide by self-immolation (setting himself on fire) in protest of the soviet invasion of the Czech Republic. He was part of a group of students who formed a suicide pact but after Jan deathbed request that they rethink their part since the pain was excruciating. It took Jan 3 days to die.

A crew of apprentice sweepers learning their trade. This square must have been spic and span!

Mr Chris Moore looking for his camera....

Tourists, gotta love'em.

The famous Prague clock. Rumour says that they were so pleased with this guy's work and worried that it might kept doubled they went ahead and blinded the guy to avoid any and all cometition. Nothing like ensuring your tourism industry.

The Gothic church on old town square.Týn Cathedral .

Da group.

And again. This is a statue of Jan Hus who was burned at the stake for being mildly heretical... He was a key part of the protestant movement.

More clock.


End of the old town square. When our guide talked about this i think he mentioned somethign about distinct changes in architecture seen here. My mind was wandering.

Miss Bianca.

I, unfortunately, am groping this metal man in a highly unseemly fashion. I didn't notice at the time.

Awww, arn't they cute.

Apparently one of the few examples of cubism in architecture.


Shannon.

FElix the cat, a silent and laughing presence on the door of Bohemian Bagel. On a side note, the entire western portion of the Czech Republic is a region known as Bohemia.

Franz Kafka or Kafka as our guide calls him, one of the most influential fiction writers of the 20th century. This statue is apprently a figment of one of Kafka's dreams....

Free pins and passport covers at the hostel.

In the jewish quarter.

The old new synagogue.

The jewish cemetery. When they confined the Jewish citizens to the ghetto there was only this one cemetery. Today there are approximately 12000 tombstones and as many as 100000 burials located there. You can see from this picture (we weren't allowed pictures inside) how much the level of the ground was built up over the years. Though Peter Eisenman , designer of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews or Europe, Berlin, has said they he want's each individual to interact with his memorial and come to understand it in his or her own way, he has allegedly mentioned that the Jewish graveyard in Prague was a possible point of inspiration.


I split my pants getting down to take this photo....

There happened to be an old car convention in the main square across from the castle that day.....

The Prague Castle.

MY ROOMIES!

The St. Charles BRidge. Under construction and the busiest thoroughfare i saw in prague...

The bridge band, really very good.




Snack time before we make our way up to the castle.


These three....vagabonds? I don't know. Anyway we saw them everywhere that day. It's ike we were following them around.

The Cathedral in the Prague Castle.

Can't get a good picture standing up?

Vagabond musketeers again.

Shannon joning the marching Polezei.

From the battlements.


And again.

AWw.

HA the one tourist photo from the trip.


On Sunday we took the train outside prague to Kutna Hura where the infamous bone church was located. This lovely bit of advertising we found on our way to the church.

On the church grounds. The church was actually called the Sedlec Ossuary. The original reason this location became such a hot spot for burials was because HEnry, the abbot of Cistercian Monestary in Sedlec was sent to palestine and when he returned he sprinkled over the ground some soil he had brought home with him from Golgotha. When this news spread, ladies and gents all over europe were looking to get in on the partay. Approximately 70000 were buried here and when the church was buikt, the bones were washed and then white washed before being use to make decorations ect for the chruch.


Me and a pile of skulls.



Outside the church.


On the train home.



This was a scene from the second XXX movie "state of the union". not a great movie but turns out, good location.....

Post walking tour relaxation.


This giant metronome was but up as a replacement for the giant statue of Stalin that use to reside here.


Lots of graffiti and skateboarding up by the metronome.


Prague beats Vienna.