Czech: Prague (Wenceslas square, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle)

After the overnight train(7h) from Katowice to Prague(=Praha), we reached Praha hlavni nadrazi main train station...



...which smelled of pee almost everywhere and has many loud-speaking men loitering around in groups

Some facts abt Czech:
-This landlocked country rarely resisted as armies marched thru their borders. Thus czech cities are well-preserved
-Czech Republic known as the roof of Europe as the river sources are there
-the most tourist city in Eastern Europe



St Wenceslas statue with the inscription "Do not let us and our descendents perish". The National Museum is behind.



What is more significant is a plaque nearby which commerate Jan Palach who ignited himself to protest agst the 1968 Soviet invasion



This whole lane is the Wenceslas square(boulevard) which is the commercial district of hotels and expensive dept stores. It is also the site of many historic events: Czechoslovak proclaimed in 1918; Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the 1968 Soviet invasion; proclamation agst the communist regime in 1989



In the middle of the Old Town Square is the statue of Jan Hus who was burnt at stake for his invocation agst indulgences of catholic church. This statue subsequently became the symbol of Czech nationalism



Another highlight at the Old Town Square is the Astronomical clock



Close-up of the Astronomical Clock



where crowds gather to watch skeletal death(the skeleton at the bottom right of the pic) empties his hourglass & apostles marched by. Though it appears unimpressive to me.



Entrance to the Charles Bridge which is a must-see in Prague



The Charles bridge is decorated w baroque statues and offers a good view of the Prague Castle in the distance(top right in above pic)...



...and the wide river



This is the John Lennon Wall which is covered in graffiti and is a memorial to John Lennon. It became controversial & well-known when communist authorities attempted to suppress it by white-washing it.



An unimpressive portrait of Lennon remain



Stairs up to the Prague Castle
Note the beggar in the pic. Some beggars can be seen around Prague and they usu kneel on the floor for long hours without moving.



View from the top of the Prague Castle



Note the Petrin tower on top of the hill. It is like a small copy of the Eiffel tower.



Entrance to Prague Castle



Changing of guards ceremony









Prague caste's centrepiece: St Vitus's cathedral



Birth of Jesus



Czech Goulash



At night, the old town square was swarming with people due to the Christmas-season booths



Tyn Church at the old town square



Night View of the river from the Charles Bridge



Prague Castle at night



National Theatre



Velvet revolution memorial
This is the memorial to the Czech citizens beaten by police during communist regime in 1989 during the peaceful march to mourn the Nazi execution of 9 Czech students 50yrs earlier. The communist violent suppression of the peaceful demonstration outraged the nation and led to the Velvet revolution
Han commented it to be "pathetically small" for such a major event. We couldn't find the inscription "Our hands are empty"

We then stayed @ the absolutely fantastic Miss Sophie's hostel w stylish rooms, helpful receptionist, motion-activated lights...