Czech Republic: Prague

Found our hotel directly opposite the Astronomical Clock (massive tourist attraction) in the Old Town square, where hundreds of people gather every hour on the hour to watch the clock do it's little dance, and the Bugler to play his tune from the tower. Somehow for our whole stay, we managed to come and go from the hotel exactly on the hour so we'd have to fight through this mob of craned-neck gawkers. Weird timing.

Anyway Prague (Praha) was gorgeous. Every building so beautiful, cobbled
streets, bridges, murals, from above it's just a golden haze of rooves and churches, statues and spires. Enjoyed the elevator ride up the clock tower (not sure if it's just meant for disabled people, we got some jealous stares, but hey our quads had hardly recovered from the Krakow tower.) We went across the famous Charles Bridge early one morning to avoid the tourist hordes... Lonely Planet suggested doing this unless you enjoy shuffling 'cheek to jowl' with other tourists.

My highlights were Petrin hill- a massive hill park we staggered up because the queue for the train was too long. It was so pretty like a botanic garden on a steep hill. With apple orchards and vineyards and a rose garden up the top where we flopped and ate chocolate. Best view over the castle (biggest medieval castle in the world) and the city. Susceptible romantics have been known to spontaneously kiss passersby here, it's so pretty.

Enjoyed the history we learnt on a walking tour; defenestration is a new favourite word. Means 'de-windowing' ie "I didn't like him so I threw him out the window." Saw a monument to the Velvet revolution made out of thousands of keys, because in that protest they all jangled their keys. And the memorial to the victims of
Communism.

The communist museum was good becuase it had a film made from handheld cameras secretly documenting all the protests and strikes during the Soviet occupation after prague spring. Just being smashed, chased, shot, bashed by police eveytime, people crying at the unfairness, students burning themselves to death in protest, calling 'cops join us!' they had to keep doing that year after year for the whole regime before anything changed.

The old Jewish cemetery was a sight.. Ridiculous amount of headstones jammed in higgldypiggldy becuase it was the only plot of land that Jews were allowed to be buried in from 1400s to 1700s! 12,000 tombstones looking like teeth in an overcrowded mouth. Another 100,000 bodies underneath in 12 layers.

Mala Strana was a cool area on the other side of the river. The old houses still have symbols on them that were used before houses were numbered. So they were known as House of the 3 Fiddles/ red lamb/ key/ bunch of grapes/ cart wheel etc.

So I liked all of that about Prague, but hated the tourist crowds, the queues, and the horrible crystal and junk shops that were everywhere. Also didn't like the food as much as Poland, but maybe that was bad luck.