We’re staying right next to the Charles Bridge and it’s a very scenic, fun neighborhood full of beautiful buildings and lots of restaurants and really nice craft and gift shops. Actually we’re on an island with the river on one side and a canal on the other but then it’s attached to the mainland by a little piece of land at either end of the island. Here’s some of what we’ve seen.
In front of our hotel is a little tree-lined plaza. At one end of the plaza is the world’s smallest Christmas market: probably no more than 10 or so booths.
At one end is this Nativity scene. Yep, kinda strange.
Next to the Nativity scene is a small group of 3 live animals. And in front, the 3 wise men wander around. (I guess the other 2 were on a break.)
Nice shops, just not very many.
Of course there was a food shop that made the whole area smell divine because they were roasting part of a pig. We shared a huge sausage sandwich and it was delicious.
There are lots of interesting cars that are part of sightseeing tours.
We later saw a whole line of cars like this one that were transporting a tour group.
I love this car with its newly bought Christmas tree on the top.
One of the canals near our hotel.
I love this part of the canal with it’s old mill.
Okay, how weird is this Santa!
I love the architecture of the old buildings here. And unlike in a lot of the old European cities, the buildings for the most part are very clean.
Great marionette shop. Check out those clever letters!
This cool artwork was next to the door outside of the marionette shop.
We went into this little streetside bakery with outside seating .. . .
. . . and had a cup of mulled wine and the world’s best chocolate croissant!
We discovered an area down by the river where the swans hang out. Actually it’s only one of many places where they hang out. And you know how much I like swans.
Swans are so photogenic. And loud.
These swans look even better out in the middle of the river where the water is more dappled.Does this look comfortable?These guys are very friendly and laid-back. And not at all shy.
I saved the best photo for last. Only as a service to Pam, I’ve made it a point to look for some of the sculptures by David Cerny, the Czech Republic’s most original contemporary artist. We’re still looking for his babies crawling up the TV tower and we’ll have to continue that search when we come back next week. And there are lots of other we would like to see but unfortunately they’re not all in one location. However we were able to find his sculpture called “Piss” ouside of the Franz Kafka Museum which turned out to be near our hotel. Just as a point of information, the men’s middle sections rotate to the left and then back to the right, etc. And they are standing in a shallow pool the shape of the Czech Republic. And I’ve read somewhere that you can send a text and one of the men will spell out your message in the water, although we didn’t see that happen and never did figure out exactly how that might work.
Thank you for including a photo of this statue Joyce! We were there and found it fascinating – if that’s something one can say about watching two men urinate!
Christmas Markets & More 
Can honestly say I have never equated “pissing” with art! What can I say! 😀
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Thank you for including a photo of this statue Joyce! We were there and found it fascinating – if that’s something one can say about watching two men urinate!
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