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SEPTEMBER 2005 : CZECH REPUBLIC
And we kick off in the Old Town Square with your humble narrator in front of the Jan Hus Memorial.
Of course, the first thing to do is to sample the local brew, in this instance the very passable Staropramen.
Suitably fortified, we stumble out from the protection of the sunshade to have another gander at this here Jan Hus geezer.
Still on the Old Town Square, we avoid the horsey apples to gawp at the gothic masterpiece that is theTyn church.
It was at this point that I spotted this fabulously attired German tourist, who true to national stereotypes, didn't seem to be having much fun.
We then proceeded to the River Vltava along picturesque back streets like this one...
...and amazingly, my defective sense of direction didn't prevent us from reaching our goal, the statue-bedecked Charles Bridge...
...with the splendid Prague Castle rising up on the far side of the Vltava.
At this juncture Pin poses to proove that she is really in Prague, and not toiling over a cream puff in an unfashionable suburb of Hiroshima, which she does for the other 51 weeks of the year.
A bit further along the bridge, and Pin decides to rub the brass dog, for no other reason than 'everybody else is doing it'. On the other side of the statue, one is apparently required to rub the woman's arse, which modesty prevented me from trying.
Once across the river, we explore Kampa Island in the Little Quarter, and come across this rather fetching grafitti.
On the way up the the Castle we drop in on the Wallenstein Palace and shelter from the surprisingly hot sun in one of Prague's best gardens.
After the long walk up to the Castle, we are rewarded with this wondrous panorama of a newly-scrubbed Prague that wouldn't look out of place in Tuscany.
Just time for a quick Pin picture before paying the exhorbitant entrance fee for the Castle and environs.
Inside the Castle, divested of our cash, the local constabulary do a bit of ceremonial goose-stepping.
Inside the enormous and rather creepy St.Vitus Cathedral I manage to take a few shots before the fascistic overseers apprehend me for using a flash, despite having paid for an additional 'photo licence' on top of the entrance fee.
Down the other end of the church, I surrepticiously whip the apparatus out again (if you see what I mean).
Quick! One more shot before the Gestapo arrive! And to think, in the good old days of Communism you could come into this place of worship for free. Bah!
Oh, hang on, got to get a bit of stained glass in too.
Outside, the cathedral is so huge you can't fit it all in the frame, hence attempts at arty contrastive shots such as this.
Still in the Castle, we drop by Golden Lane, the former quarters of alchemists...
One of the diminutive houses here was rented by a certain Dr.Kafka for a few months.
At the back of the Castle we come across this delightful piece of Greco-Roman architecture - and so do a few other gawping tourists.
Also here is the striking St.George's Basilica.
Time for a rest: we are entertained by sparrowhawks dive-bombing the cathedral and a window cleaner erecting his tower.
We leave the Castle just as a fresh bunch of goose-steppers arrive.
Beyond the Castle we discover, in the early evening sunshine, a wealth of architectural treasures such as the Loreto along narrow lanes largely free of the ubiquitous American and German tourists.
It is here that we come across the Capuchin Monastery...
...whose striking yellow walls yield amazing close-up details.
Nearby, we almost gatecrash a wedding in the Strahov Monastery, whose gardens offer fine views over the entire city.
Back to the Vltava river, and a quick butchers over the railings gave me this inspired frame.
Somewhere in the winding lanes of the inappropriately-named New Town, which was founded in 1348, we came upon this evocative installation:
Northwards to the ancient and rambling Josefov, just in time for a grand fleecing in the Jewish Quarter, the only object of Judaic origin worth the entrance price being the ancient cemetery.
Another view of the Castle, this time with the entire span of Charles Bridge and the Vltava river in the foreground.
On the way back to the Metro we passed this fabled Art Nouveau establishment on Wenceslas Square, an area which was full of prostitutes fifteen years ago, and is now apparently occupied by British lager louts.
While on the subject of Art Nouveau, here's the Municipal House in the Old Town, a rather plain name for such a grand building. To the left is the 15th century Powder Gate.
No holiday with Pin is complete without a trip to the Zoo, and Prague's did not disappoint: here's the star attraction, young Albert, who delighted in annoying his poor mum with his antics.
The only time we left Prague was for a day trip to Terezin, site of a World War II Jewish Ghetto and concentration camp.
The entrance to the camp, replete with sardonic Nazi slogan. The entire complex is housed within an impressive 17th fort.
Pin, as usual, encounters psychic echoes of evil emanating from the crumbling block houses.
Back to the city, and crossing Charles Bridge at night is another unforgettable experience.
At the end of the span we find the pleasantly illuminated Old Town Bridge Tower.
Back to the Old Town Square, and everything's gone yellow, or so says my cheap digital camera.
Facing the Tyn church gives a better colour balance, and a fittingly splendid view to end this photo journal of what was a glorious return to one of the world's most beautiful and historic cities.
All images © 2008 Andy Lightfoot: no unauthorised reproduction without the author's prior consent. Enquires to that effect should be directed here.
07/2010 : Recent Photos
05/2010 : Tokyo, Japan
01/2010 : Ujina, Hiroshima
01/2010 : Recent Pictures
09/2009 : Spain
05/2009 : Kyoto, Otsu and Shiga, Japan
03/2009 : Hokkaido, Japan
09/2008 : Britain and France
04/2008 : Chubu, Japan
10/2007 : France
03/2007 : Kyushu, Japan
10/2006 : Norway
08/2006 : Kansai, Japan
03/2006 : Australia
09/2005 : Czech Republic
08/2005 : Tokyo, Japan
03/2005 : Australia
01/2005 : Hiroshima and Kyoto, Japan
09/2004 : Britain, Finland and Germany
03/2004 : New Zealand
09/2003 : France and Switzerland
03/2003 : New Zealand
12/2002 : Hiroshima, Japan, Denmark and Sweden