moe & fred in prague


		PRAGUE Our first stop on our Great European Winter Vacation, & it was a wonderful place to start.

	CATHEDRAL Upon castle hill is a cathedral, a bascilica, a palace, a couple of art museums, and the golden lanes.


BELOW: Check out the arches on the ceiling down the centre aisle. And the lovely stained glass.	BELOW: Isn't this a lovely statue? An angel slaying a demon; almost as lovely as a bishop slaying a demon.	ABOVE: buttresses much like at Notre Dame. And the Golden Door, formal entrance to the cathedral.	BELOW: Yeah, loads of ornate sculptors & art pieces all to the glory of a higher being. Wow!


	PALACE This is where royalty once lived. LEFT: They were rumored to have jousted in this grand hall.

SAINT GEORGE'S BASILICA Yes, another religious building behind castle walls, right across from the cathedral.			ABOVE: This picture does not do justice to the painting on the ceiling. It's one of the most beautiful heavenly works we've seen. `
		CHANGING OF THE GUARDS. Likely more for the tourists & tradition than any security measures. But since Moe & Fred were tourists, they played along. They amused themselves while they waited.


ABOVE: These are the statues that greet you as you walk through the gate into the castle. Don't mess around or you get a knifing or a clubbing.
	As a part of the cermony, a band plays from the windows, the guards from inside the building march out while the guards stationed outside march back in. They meet in the middle, swap keys & posts, & march away.


		GOLDEN LANES The medieval part of the castle; a street of old shops & displays. LEFT: torture chamber. RIGHT: the Middle Ages were too small for Fred.


	We got a kick out of the armors on display. Check out the top hat armor, bird man armor, & (Fred's fav) armor with some extra belly room. BELOW: the weapons they used in battle. Check out the tiny pistol with long the dagger attached.


	CHARLES BRIDGE The most famous bridge in the Czech Republic. It leads to the castle on the other side of the city. By night or day, the bridge is beautiful. RIGHT: can you see the castle Cathedral in the background?
	BELOW: And of course, this bridge is packed with tourists during the day. BELOW right: Most importantly, one has to enjoy the myths & superstitutions. Though always know the difference between what's taught to tourists & known by the locals.

		In this case, the Czechs believe that on this bridge is a wishing star. Your wish comes true when make it while touching the star with your left hand, & to complete the connection, a second contact on the ground with your right foot. Now, one star is shared with the tourists & the other is known by the locals. We got the inside tip.

		The bridge is lined with many religious statues. Moe's favorite is this one featured ABOVE. Check out the cool halos perched atop the heads of these angels.

			ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK It's a beautiful 24-hour clock in the square. On the hour, every hour the bell chimes as figurines come out to ring them. BELOW: many people stand out to watch (including us). But if the door is small, then the figurines will be small. Christmas Market & City Hall are also in this square.



	CITY HALL Pretty cool, huh? This is where the fairy tale castles come from. There was also rumor that Americans believed the Czechs stole the idea from Disney. Hmm.



	CHRISTMAS MARKET The only one we caught during winter vacation, but this one was super festive leading up until the big day. Stalls and stalls selling food, trinkets, toys, paintings, & loads of other gift giving goodies. This is also where we ate & ate & ate until our tummies hurt. More featured in "Yummy Foods." There was also a stage with traditional dancing.



Two things for which Prague is best known: crystals & marrionettes. We admired both from afar.

	NATIONAL MARRIONETTE THEATRE The Czech Republic is known for marrionettes shows. It's become a tourist trap, but we found the proper theatre. The puppets are on strings rather than sticks as some of the touristy shows.
	We saw Mozart's Don Giovanni. It's an opera, but no the puppet masters were not singing. They played a recording, and the puppets moved along accordingly. They made it quite comical with Mozart stealing the show (RIGHT).



STEPHAN'S TOUR	A must do if you ever stay at Sir Toby's Hostel and Stephan is around. Stephan is a history professor from Germany, who spends his days of retirement living in hostels in the Czech Republic. While there, he takes hostelers on walking tours around the city, offering them anecdotes about the history & local culture, & then of course communism indoctrination. 1. Moe concentrating hard. 2. Water line made from flood of 2000. 3. Two students who burned themselves alive for a political movement in the 60s. 4. Stephan, our guide. 5. HQ for Radio Free Europe. 6. Jewish Synagogue. 7. The Great King Wencesclas. 8. Beautiful frescoe on building. 9. National Art Gallery, also where students (3) burned themselves.




	CITY ART. Aside from the architectural beauty all around the city, Stephan also showed us the many artworks to be found & appreciated in Prague. 1. Yes, a man hanging from a building; 2. Made for Mozart's opera, "Don Giovanni" (there are two more around Europe); 3. Peace Wall, but more commonly known as the John Lennon Wall; 4. Two guys peeing; 5. Ghandi quote from Peace Wall; 6. Made by same artist as 1 & 4, though don't remember his name; 7. pre-communism Pepsi-Cola mural.




		ST NICHOLAS CHURCH. The green dome can see from across the river. This is a very ornate church, filled with loads of beautiful artwork. And then there are some quite "interesting" pieces. Check out LEFT & Moe's fav BELOW. Like angels, bishops can be quite violent also.



		SIR TOBY'S is Moe's favorite hostel. The room was HUGE & clean, though the beds are still too small for Fred. The windows are cool, huh? Helps to keep the warmth in.


	Christmas eve here was wonderful! The owners treated everyone to a dinner to make you feel like you're home with your family. Rambling Rex came out to sing to us. Rex played with BB King back in his heyday.

		We bid farewell to Prague, and journey next to Cesky Krumlov.