End of the Road

Well another trip has come to an end. Thanks for coming along and thanks for sticking with us when my computer went kaput. We hope you enjoyed the blog and that you’ll join us again next time.

Chuck & Joyce

Prague: Dancing House

One of Prague’s buildings that really fascinated us was The Dancing House. I know what you’re thinking: all of those fabulous historic sites and we’re obsessed with a weird building that was completed in 1996. But the more we learned about it, the more interesting it became.

We first noticed a nighttime Dancing House overlooking the river when we took our river cruise.

The Dancing House as seen at night from the Vltava River.

Then we just happened to drive by the House twice more while we were in Prague. We knew we needed to find out the story behind this strange structure.

The building is in an L-shape. This is the narrower front side.

This photo taken around the corner from the front shows the building’s longer side.

The Dancing House is officially the Nationale-Nederlanden building, named for the Dutch Insurance company that sponsored the building. The building was designed by a Croatian-Czech architect in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry (think Walt Disney Concert Hall among others). The style is deconstructivist (also called neo-baroque), making it stand out from the baroque, gothic and art nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. The original idea was for a building consisting of two parts, static and dynamic (“yin and yang”), which were to symbolize the transition of Czechoslovakia from a communist regime to a parliamentary democracy.

Gehry originally named the building Fred and Ginger because the house resembles a pair of dancers. The glass tower “Ginger” bends and clings to the concrete tower “Fred.” The “dancing” shape is supported by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and dimension. On the top of the building is a large twisted structure of metal. The building’s design was driven mainly by aesthetic considerations. Although it is the same height as the two adjacent 19th century buildings, aligned windows would make it evident that the building actually has two more floors than its neighbors. The windows also have protruding frames, such as those of paintings, so that they would have a three-dimensional effect. The winding mouldings on the facade also serve to confuse perspective and diminish contrast with the surrounding buildings.

The building is 9 floors tall plus two floors underground. The layout of each of the floors varies due to the asymmetrical shape of the building, causing the rooms inside to also be asymmetrical. The commercial areas of the building are in the lobby and the first floor. The six floors above that were primarily office spaces. The ninth floor housed a restaurant. Since the building takes a slim shape, and the building is split into two parts vertically, the office space is limited. To make the most of the space, the architect used design elements common in ships and incorporated small hallways into the interior of the building. The total interior of the building is 40,000 square feet.

In 2016, 2 floors of the building were renovated into a 21-room hotel. The hotel also has apartments available in each of the towers named after Fred and Ginger. The Ginger & Fred French Restaurant now operates on the 7th floor and there is now a glass bar on the 8th floor. There is also now an art gallery in the building.

The Dancing House was awarded Time Magazine’s Design of the Year award for 1996.

Prague: Some Other Stuff

Here’s another batch of odds and ends. Hope you enjoy.

When we think of Europeans, we think of small portions. But at a whopping 1.75 liters, these are the biggest cokes we’ve ever seen. They’re huge!

Great sign – how odd it’s in English. The prices are: Espresso = $1.75, Latte Macchiato = $2.40, Croissant = $1.05

This is a potato. Sliced thin and threaded onto a skewer (or maybe the other way around?), then deep fried. Neat and yummy!

Interesting sculptures. Sorry we didn’t get to check out the identification.

Beautiful clock. Sorry about the reflection.

The only street toilet we saw in Prague.

Hey, isn’t that the bear from the Steiff store window? GET HIM!

The only mime we saw, this one was in Old Town Square and, as always, people loved him.

Okay, a few words about toilets – known in Europe as Water Closets or WC’s. Public toilets are usually very well marked, even on tourist city maps. They are almost never free and sometimes have an attendant who can give you change if necessary. Even if they have an attendant, the toilets are coin operated and almost always cost .50 Euro (about $.50) or the equivalent in local currency. Without an attendant, identifying the right coin in local currency can be tricky but other patrons are very helpful. And no matter where the public toilets are, they are immaculate, never in need of repair and never without supplies. The photo above was taken at a Shell station where our shuttle stopped for a break on the way from Salzburg to Prague. I suspect not all gas stations are like this, but here the turnstyle was coin-operated and the toilets were beautiful and spotless.

Prague: Doors

As you would expect, there are lots and lots of beautiful doors in Prague. Sometimes we got so busy admiring them that we forgot to take a picture. So that having been said, here are just a few of the fabulous doors we noticed in Prague.

Hmmm…does that door seem high to you? Do giants live here?

This small old, old door was in the lobby of our hotel. Don’t you just want to know what’s in here? And what’s the phone for?

Love this door and its gorgeous statues.

A close-up of the door . . . love all that hammered copper.

Prague: St. Vitus Cathedral

In the center of the Prague Castle is St. Vitus Cathedral, the Czech national church. A church has stood on this spot since 930. The construction for this iteration began in 1344 and the front half was finally finished in 1929, which explains why some of the stained glass windows have a modern design.

The cathedral is huge, more than 400 feet long and 100 feet high. The 2 outside soaring towers are 270 feet tall. Makes it difficult to get a good photo of the whole cathedral.

This beautifully detailed Relief of Prague, which depicts the aftermath of the Battle of White Mountain, was carved in 1630.

This silver tomb honors St. John of Nepomuk. Supposedly more than a ton of silver went into this elaborately detailed tomb.

And then there are the stained glass windows. Oh my! The bright colors are so vivid and vibrant. The windows in St. Vitus are unusual in that many of them were made after the cathedral was finished in the early 20th century, which also explains why some of them are more traditional while others are more modern looking. According to our tour guide, when the cathedral was finished they had no funds left to pay for stained glass windows, so the windows were paid for by local businesses thus explaining the white sponsor identification labels in the lower panes of the windows.

This Art Nouveau stained glass window was designed in 1931 by Czech artist Alfons Mucha. The window celebrates the birth of the Czech nation and the life of St. Wencelas, patron saint of the Czech nation. Looking at the 4 center panels, you can see Wenceslas as a child kneeling at the feet of his grandmother. Above Wenceslas are the two saints who first brought Christianity to the region and their story continues around the side panels.

Unusual window. Almost looks like a puzzle.

Prague: The Castle

We took a 3-hour guided tour of the Prague Castle complex on the hill. It’s a 1,900 foot-long series of courtyards, churches, and palaces covering 750,000 square feet and by some measures it’s the largest castle on earth. The Czech President’s office is located in the Castle and at the center of the complex is St. Vitus Cathedral (which I’ll cover in a separate post).

The first thing we saw after we entered the gates was the changing of the guard which is done every hour on the hour at all three castle entrances. It’s a very big deal.

Some of the younger tourists didn’t find the changing of the guard all that exciting.

This is Vladislaw Hall in the Old Royal Palace built in the 12th century. It’s kind of a strange place, but the unique vaulted ceiling of vine-shaped tracery allowed the creation of such a vast indoor space, which according to our guide, was the largest in the world at the time.

Basilica of St. George is one of the oldest structures at Prague Castle. The church was founded around 920 and this Basilica dates from the 12th century.

The inside of the Basilica of St. George. The building is very deceptive on the outside and is actually much narrower on the inside than it looks on the outside.

Golden Lane is a picturesque street of tiny, old, colorfully painted buildings within the castle walls that originally housed castle servants and goldsmiths.

Prague: Our Hotel

The hotel we stayed in on our return trip to Prague was really interesting so I thought I would include a post on it. When we took a shuttle to the hotel the first night, he couldn’t get very close to it because of the crowds at the Christmas Market on the Old Town Square. So the driver just sort of dumped us off and pointed across the visitor-packed square and said nebulously, “it’s over there.” So we set off with our luggage in the general direction the driver was pointing. We couldn’t find street names (which are traditionally on the sides of buildings) or numbers. But we finally found a hotel that just said “hotel” on it (see below) and finally realized that must be it. (We later discovered that the name of the hotel is on the front of the building but in the winter when the patio is covered, it’s not really visible from the street. If you look carefully behind the heater on the patio, you can see it.) But then we couldn’t find an entrance.

The hotel is this building and the adjacent building on the left.

It turns out the entrance is through the White Horse Restaurant, which is in the front of the hotel and owned by the hotel. The downstairs Romanesque cellars that date back to the 12th century and have nightly life jazz and blues concerts are also owned by the hotel. If you say “hotel” to the hostess out front, she’ll let you walk straight back through the “outdoor” patio portion of the restaurant with it’s fur cushions and blankets on the chairs (covered in the wintertime and open patio the rest of the year), and then through the inside of the restaurant, way to the back where there’s a locked wrought iron gate leading to some stairs.

The locked gate is on the right in this photo. You finally know you’re in the right place because it says “Old Town Square Hotel” on the huge door mat.

When you press the buzzer (on the wall to the right), the gate opens and you can go up the stairs where you are greeted by a desk clerk standing at the top of the stairs doing a visual security check.

These 2 strange chairs, very low and very shallow, are sitting in a little lobby.

There’s no elevator in the building so fortunately we’re on the second floor which of course is also the floor the lobby is on.

Before we go into our room, let me tell you a little more we learned about the hotel. As I said earlier, the hotel is made up of this building and the adjacent one to its left. Both buildings are registered on the UNESCO list of monuments because this is the only house in Prague that contains a preserved ribbed vault. And this ribbed vault dates back to 1496 when the buildings underwent an extensive reconstruction. An architect self-portrait and the year 1496 are printed on one of the vaults.

The hotel was completely renovated in 2004 and now contains 10 rooms and suites ranging in size from 600 to 1,100 square feet. It is referred to as a “palace,” and although it doesn’t really seem like a palace, it does contain many characteristics of a palace. The ceilings are very, very high, probably 24-26 feet. The rooms contain double doors at either end making the rooms interconnecting if desired, which was typical of most palaces. Of course they didn’t originally have bathrooms, and having a UNESCO designation puts restrictions on what and how changes can be made. The added marble bathrooms are very modern and look like they were just dropped into the rooms.

With the tall ceilings, the room just feels gigantic. There are 2 desks in the room but neither one has a lamp.

This shows the outside of the inserted marble bathroom. There’s a glass ceiling in the bathroom so it’s totally enclosed, but you can see the bathroom ceiling doesn’t reach up to the room ceiling. Besides this high chandelier and the minimal lights in the bathroom, the only lights are 2 adjustable but unstable lights on the bed’s headboard.

Beautiful huge tub and adjacent walk-in shower.

There’s a sofa and a second desk as well as a little breakfast table and chairs. Behind the table and chairs is one of the double doors that allows the rooms to be interconnected; there’s a second one to the left of the sofa. There are 3 small freestanding “closets” and 3 full-length mirrors.

There was no breakfast room at this hotel like in most. Here, the night before, we indicated our choices on a form containing breakfast options and specified a desired breakfast time and the breakfast was delivered and transferred to our table.

Prague: Those Beautiful Buildings

We spent much time walking in the Old Town area, admiring the beautiful architecture and designer shop windows. Below is just a bit of what we saw.

One side of the 14th Century Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. The astronomical clock is around to the left.

Installed in the 1400’s, the Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall is a real marvel. When the clock strikes the top of the hour, it puts on a little clockenspiel show daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The clock on the top tells the time, while the bottom dial, added in the 19th century, shows the signs of the zodiac, scenes from the seasons of a rural peasant’s life, and a ring of saints’ names, one for each day of the year.

The towering Gothic Tyn church. Many of the old religious buildings no longer operate as churches in the Czech Republic and have been converted to other uses, frequently serving as wonderful venues for live music concerts.

A view from the castle. The tower in the back is the TV tower that had the baby sculptures on it. There were 10 of them crawling up the tower but they have been temporarily removed for refurbishment. There are 3 more in a little park near our first hotel but we didn’t know that at the time and we didn’t get back to that area a second time.

This exquisite building was on the edge of the Jewish Quarter next to the Old Town.

This alley in the Jewish Quarter was lined with wonderful local merchandise stalls.

We really wanted to go into the Jewish Cemetery but it was raining off and on and the line to get in was about 2 blocks long. We did manage to get a couple of photos from other vantage points along the way.

Another part of the Jewish Cemetery above the street.

Prague: The Christmas Markets.

So we’re back in Prague and this time we’re staying in a hotel on the Old Town Square. And guess what? That’s where the biggest Christmas Market is. Our hotel is really interesting so I’m going to do a separate post on it, but in this post I’ll just share a few photos from the Christmas Market there. The Markets in Prague aren’t as big as the ones in Salzburg, but there’re still very good, and of course they’re crammed with people.

This gigantic tree is the cornerstone of the Old Town Square Christmas Market. It is absolutely encrusted with tiny lights and then garlands of lights have been added on top of them. Among other songs, the popular theme from Polar Express could be heard most frequently throughout the area and the lights were synchronized to the tune.

Depending upon the time of day, the Markets varied from very busy to gridlock.

A less busy time. Beautiful buildings around the square, including the Tyn Cathedral seen here in the background.

This little girl wanted to be a princess.

And, lucky for her, the slipper just fit!

A little green train transported people around the square.

How to Make a Fabulous Crepe (I can personally vouch for how amazing – and messy – these things are!)

First check out that list of possible flavor choices on the right.

A Nutella crepe is a very popular choice. First, make a large crepe and cover it with Nutella.

When it’s done, fold it over several times.

Then transfer it to a small paper tray and enjoy. Delicious!

We loved these food stalls with the fresh sausage rolls and kabobs. And so did everybody else.

Beautiful Cesky Krumlov

Thanks to Pam’s suggestion, we maneuvered a short visit to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic on the way back from Salzburg to Prague. While we had originally planned to take a day tour out of Prague to Cesky, we discovered that instead of taking the train back to Prague, we could take a shared shuttle which included a 5 1/2 hour stop in Cesky Krumlov, thereby saving us from losing another day. And we’re so glad we did.

Cesky Krumlov, loosely translated as “crooked river” or “crooked peninsula,” seems like a big place but actually has less than 15,000 residents. It boasts one of the largest stronghold castles in Europe with a wonderfully preserved Baroque Theater and castle tower. Behind the castle are 27 acres of Baroque-Rococo gardens and below the castle the Vltava River meanders around the original town buildings. Yes, it’s the same Vltava River that runs through Prague. It’s a magical place and in 1992 it became one of the first sites in the Czech Republic to be registered as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Wandering through the streets of this hilly medieval village is a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

But let me make 2 observations: 1) Winter is not the best time to visit. Many of the city’s sites are closed, including all of the castle museums and the tours in the castle and the gardens. 2) Regardless of the time of year, a city tour would be helpful. Because we had originally planned to take a guided day tour, we had not done our homework so landed in Cesky totally unprepared. Even though it’s not a huge area, a little prior orientation would have allowed us to make better use of the time allotted.

The bubble-shaped peninsula surrounded by the river in the middle of the map is the area we explored, plus we walked through the castle and grounds across the river at the top of the map.

Of course there was a Christmas Market! We walked down the hill into the city square and there it was!

A cute carousel at the Christmas market. The ride was especially small and it looked very strange to see an adult male riding on it.

A typical stall at the Christmas Market selling Czech-made arts and crafts.

A typical baby carriage at the Christmas Market.

Another interesting Nativity scene at the Christmas Market.

We took a walk up the hill and through the castle. It’s huge! I was amazed that we never walked up, or even saw, any stairs. All of the walkways and streets were on an incline which makes sense considering they had to be used by horses and wagons in ancient times.

Hard to get a good photo of the castle because it’s so big.

The castle was built on and added to many times over the centuries which explains why various parts of it look so different.

One of the up-hill streets through adjoining sections of the castle.

Another view of the castle and a road going into it.

Chuck waves from a lookout point high in the castle.

Views from two of the many archways in the castle.

One of many beautiful courtyards in the castle complex.

When we walked on the bridge across this moat in the castle, we couldn’t figure out why there were fruit faces on the rocks. Then we saw signs saying “please don’t feed the bears.” Turns out the moat is a bear enclosure and this is one of the ways they feed them. By the way, we never did see any bears.

Powerful lights illuminate the castle with a beautiful glow at the end of the day.

But it’s the beautiful architecture in Cesky Krumlov that make it so unique and special. And one of the really great things about the central area is that with very few exceptions, no cars are allowed. Here’s a sampling of some of the buildings we saw.