Thanks to the help from my great family I was able to get away and join my better half in her home country the Czech Republic. Nikki went home for a month due to the loss of her Grandmother, I joined her for the last week.
Praha (Prague): Nikki and her father met me at the airport with the traditional greeting of Pivo, Bread and Salt. "They are the physical manifestation of the guest-right tradition, whereby anyone who receives such in a castle, inn, or home cannot be harmed while under that roof."
Nikki arranged a full day and night in Prague. I had to fight off my jet lag but the beauty and history made that an easy task. We jumped on the subway and headed to Town Square. I got a quick lesson from Nikki about the different architecture styles through out history.
- Romanesque (10 -13th Centuries)
- Gothic (13 - 16th Centuries)
- Renaissance (16th Century)
- Baroque (Catholic influence to the 18th Century) My Favorite
- Rococo (18th Century)
- Revivalist (Late 1700 - 1800's)
- Modern / Art Nouveau (Late 1800 - 1900's) Nikki's favorite
Living in the United States we miss out on the deep history found in Europe. The age and "Heavy Feeling" of the buildings and structures have to be experienced in person to fully appreciate. I was in awe more than once during this trip.
We walked past the expensive shops on each side of the square, peeking in the occasional one that caught our interest. The snow melted last week and the weather was beautiful, there were no crowds to speak of which made it a nice stress free stroll through the sites.
I found this statue carved into the side of a building particularly interesting. Blacksmith?
OLD Town Square (Staromak)
The famous Astronomical clock, the skeleton on the right rings the bell on the hour. the 12 apostles appear moving through the two windows above the clock. Most amazing fact to me was it was built in the 1400's by Mikulas then made to function as it does today in 1490 by Master Hanus.
We Crossed Charles Bridge headed towards the imposing Prague Castle on the hill above old town square.
Hrad - Prague Castle
The largest ancient castle in the world, dates back to the 9th century. Built as a fortified settlement, over the centuries buildings have been added and renovated. This explains the many different styles found within its walls.
War Monument
Sedlec Ossuary / Kostnice (Bone Church)
This was possibly the most interesting and disturbing attraction of the trip for me. After the 13th century a man named Abbot brought back soil from Jerusalem and sprinkled it on the graveyard here. Word traveled that this had become sacred ground and the site was overwhelmed with loved ones remains being buried here. With Europe hit by Plauge the tens of thousands of graves and bones began to pile up.
All monasteries were abolished by Joseph II and the site fell into disrepair. It was purchased by the Schwarzenberg family in 1870. A Czech woodcarver named Rint arranged the bones into these formations.
Bone Chandler
Rint Family Crest made from bones
Grandma's Grave
I was not fortunate enough to meet Grandma, but the influence she had on Nikki's life is great.
On the weekend Jan and Inka took us on a whirlwind tour of all the Castles and Chateaus we could fit in. The views and beauty of the country is hard to show in photos or words. (Humprecht, Trosky,
Birth canal on our hike up to Rock Castle
Trosky Castle Ruins
Kost
Jindra (Inka) Nikki's mom joined us for another day of touring. We meandered through sleepy ski towns and winding roads towards Jested Tower where we rode the tram and had some lunch.
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