After a solid 11 hours sleep John woke up feeling quite a lot better. Thank goodness! His temperature was down a lot but it wasn't surprising that he felt exhausted. We had a quiet morning again, with just a 10min outing to the supermarket to stock up on food. After his sleep in the afternoon we thought we could venture out to the Xmas market. We were keen to see it again, and the forecast was for rain for the next two evenings so this might be our last opportunity. We walked past some interesting shops along the way.
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| Designer audio store |
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| Designer clothing store |
It seemed as though all of Prague was out and about. The streets were crowded and everywhere looked busy and bright. We made it to the main square, took some photos and then left. It was quite a bunfight and neither of us was interested in trying the large sausage-filled rolls, hunks of meat or trdelnik (chimney cake) on offer. The latter is pastry, wound into a cone shape and cooked on a rotating spit over coals, then coated in cinnamon and sugar and filled with ice-cream and fruit toppings. It actually looked really nice but a bit much, even for my sweet tooth.
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| A trdelnik booth |
It was nice to be out and about. One thing I've noticed here is that there are virtually no cyclists. It was the same in Brno. If you do spot one he or she is likely to have a food delivery box in tow. I could count the number of cyclists I've seen in Prague in the last four days on one hand. The difference with the thousands of cyclists we saw every day in Belgium couldn't be more pronounced. Like Brussels, there is a great tram system here, so locals must opt for that or walk instead of cycling. There are few cars in the large historic centre of Prague. Likewise there are virtually no traffic lights. Pedestrians, vehicles and trams negotiate the wide streets without a problem and everyone gives way at the pedestrian crossings (very few of which are signposted).
When walking on the footpaths we soon learnt to walk on the outside. Otherwise you're likely to get hit by either a tranche of snow coming off a roof above (John very nearly copped one) or runnels of water from melting snow. On two occasions when we've been in our apartment I've heard a huge commotion of noise. The first time I thought it sounded like someone falling down a few flights of stairs with all their luggage. The second time it occured we deduced that it was probably snow sliding down the roof and then crashing onto the ground a few stories below.
The snow has all but disappeared now. The weather is actually getting warmer and we now dress in fewer layers when we venture outside. I think we have seen the end of the negative temperatures, which is a little sad. We have really enjoyed it. I'm glad we managed to see the odd snowfall in Brno.
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| One of two temporary ice-skating rinks set up in a main square |
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| Xmas market |
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| A lovely restaurant built and furnished in Art Nouveau style |
On Sunday John woke up feeling pretty good. We decided to walk towards the Charles Bridge, which we have fond memories of from our previous times in Prague. We took a circuitous route and ended up crossing over on another bridge, then coming back over the Charles Bridge. It was a very pleasant walk, especially exploring new territory on the far side of the river.
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| Towards the Charles Bridge and the Castle |
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| The Charles Bridge |
John has thoroughly enjoyed seeing the cubist style of architecture that is found in Czechia and nowhere else. Admiring the architecture and buildings styles here in Czechia, but also in other countries, has been one of the highlights of our trip.
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| Two figures strung up on highwires by their umbrellas |
We've loved all the public sculpture that we keep coming across. It's one of the advantages that big cities have, but also recognises the value that the authorities put on livening up public spaces.
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3D figures
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| Sculpture of a little girl up high on a building ledge holding a paper dart |
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| Bronze babies |
And a few more quirky photos - |
| Elf in the window of a hair salon |
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| Lovely display of origami cranes |
The buildings here in Prague are remarkable. Every one appears to have been carefully designed, built well, and maintained equally well. They are not all the same, but all work nicely together. It makes walking around the streets a pleasure. There's nowhere else we've been to that comes close to the quality of Prague. This is our third visit to Prague, and we have enjoyed it once again..
