Prague: A Fairy Tale

Last November 26, I had a day off from work so I had the whole day to stroll around the City of a Thousand Spires--Prague. The city is divided into five areas: The Old Town, New Town, Jewish Quarter, Lesser Town, and the Castle District. I first passed by the Jubilee Synagogue or also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue. 

Further down the road, I arrived at the Gothic-designed Powder Tower, which is said to be one of Prague's 13 original city gates. Later, I finally arrived at the Old Town Square. The first thing I saw was the Romanesque turned Gothic-designed Tyn Cathedral. 

  

       

Then of course, the Old Town Hall, a complex of buildings from various historical periods and a tower with the famous astronomical clock. The Astronomical Clock is very popular among tourists. It was created to show the presumed rotation of the sun and the moon around the earth. The clock also shows the movement of the sun and the moon in relation to the signs of zodiac.

Another colossal structure in the center was St. Nicholas' Church which is decorated with sculptures by Antonín Braun.

I strolled along Pařížská or Paris Avenue, one of the city's most prestigious address, which is lined up with upscale boutiques from Louis Vuitton to Prada. It is a sharp contrast to the gloommy Jewish ghetto that existed in this avenue many years ago. 

On the bank of River Vitava stood the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra or Rudolfinum. This neo-renaissance designed music auditorium in Prague is known for hosting varied programme of classical music.

It was already way past my lunch time, so I decided to grab something to eat... something traditional. I walked back towards the Old Town Center because there were more restaurant choices there. I got a little lost along the way and voila... I found this row of colorful buildings!

Finally, I was back at the Old Town Center! I passed by lots of cafes and restaurants! Which one to choose??! 

Later on, I saw a man giving out flyers for a Czech Restaurant with an accompanying 10% discount. I settled for it! The interiors were not so attractive but the waiters were very accommodating. They gave me some warm cheese bread for starters and then I ordered a schnitzel with potatoes and a glass of iced tea. Yummy goodness!

After lunch, I decided to go to the other side of town, the Lesser Town Area. I had to cross the historic Charles Bridge, one of the most touristic sights in Prague. There were numerous baroque statues of patron saints erected on the bridge. At the other end of Charles Bridge is a medieval-ish tower gate.

 

At the Lesser Town Area, I did not only see lots of souvenir shops but also several offices of foreign embassies. I had a quick stop at Starbucks and then I began my tiring uphill walk to see the entire view of the city.

Here is the majestic city of Prague from up above the hill.

Just minutes after I got down the hill, the sun began to set and then Prague became even more beautiful. This is the same tower gate at the Charles Bridge that leads back to the Old Town.

From Charles Bridge, I saw the awe-inspiring Prague Castle, said to be the most significant Czech monument and one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic.

After walking the entire day, I decided to go inside Palladium Mall, said to be Prague's largest mall. The exterior of the mall was all festive with Christmas lights and decorations.

I did some window shopping. While going around the mall, a curly-haired shop assistant from Nevo Dead Spa lured me to try out their products. He was good because I ended up buying some of his products after. I shall blog about this next time. When I went out of the mall, it started snowing! Ohhhh winter is finally here!