Beyond a selfie on the bridge – the whole Prague experience! – Derek Maul: Words & Photographs for the Journey

1-DSC_0555 — Old Town Square, Prague, momentarily cleared by rain

Prague!

So – in the recent history of me posting photos of picturesque scenes from our trip to Europe – today’s entry may well set a new standard. Prague. No, it is not yet my new favorite city, but if (when) we go back and spend some real time there it will likely be a strong contender.

For this trip we understood we had limited time, arriving by bus from Dresden at 1:00 in the afternoon, so we simply wandered for a few hours, drinking in the sights and sounds. It was like circling the buffet without a plate, only having time to nibble a few appetizers, then realizing there are tables in other rooms we didn’t even begin to see.

So we walked from the main station to our hotel, stowed our backpacks, picked up a pocketful of Czech Crowns, then took a circuitous route to Old Town Square, home to the Jan Hus monument and the 600-year-old, functioning, accurate, Astronomical Clock.

The place was jam-packed with people! Fortunately, a brief rain shower thinned the crowd and helped me frame a few of my photos. But by the time we stood under the clock for the famous striking of the hour the street below was overwhelmed with crowds.

We moved on, wandered our way through open markets and medieval streets, until we finally found the Charles Bridge, also medieval, and made our way across the Vltava and a quiet cafe on the river bank.

Evening began to fall and we rode its mellow undercurrent up and along the river, back across to Old Town, and into a bakery for one more cappuccino accompanied by some indulgent pastry.

By the time we found our hotel again it was night, and we slept the rest of the blessed, satisfied with our adventures but still a little bit hungry for more.

1-DSC_0688 So thanks so much to Andrew, and Alicia, and Mr. T for inviting our continued adventures to parts unknown.