Globetrotter Postcards: November 2011

29 November 2011

Photo Tour - Prague by Night

Prague by Night!

For Prague by Day click here.

Prague is a very safe city. I was out at around 10pm at night taking the photos included in this photo tour and i didn't feel unsafe for a moment. I even to the metro home with no drama whatsoever!

I really enjoyed my walk around the city. For most of the night it was raining, but i think it gave my photos a little something extra. Plus, not many people go out when its raining so you have all the touristy spots to yourself :)

Charles Bridge/Karluv Most

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral...and a lamp on Charles Bridge. You can actually see the rain captured in this one.

Old Town Square - Astronomical Clock on the left and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

Old Town Square - Church of St Nicholas

Old Town Square - Old Town Hall. I love the effect here with the people fuzzy in the foreground.

A view of Powder Gate


Municipal House

Short and sweet - I hope you enjoyed this photo tour and my small attempt at taking more artistic photos.

Photo Tour - Prague by Day

Prague!

O an T are two of my best friends from my time as a flight attendant. Both are from the Czech Republic and I have always wanted to see this country that is their home. Finally i have - well a part of it anyway and in this photo tour you'll be able to ssee some of it with me.

I spent a few days in Prague to see the city and hopefully a bit of the country too. T was home for a little while before jetting off to explore piloting jobs which was very lucky as we managed to catch up for an afternoon. It was surreal but great. I also went on a couple of tours and did a lot of walking!

A killer on any type of shoe except sneakers, Prague is a beautiful city! Despite the rain i enjoyed my time there, learned a little about its history and sampled its yummy food -you must try the garlic soup!

Enjoy the Photo Tour!

Prague National Museum - sadly it was closed when i was there so i couldn't visit.

Looking down Wenceslas Square (aka Vaclavske namesti)

The National Museum and Wenceslas Square

Hotel Europa/Hotel Evropa - A famous Art Nouveau building on Wenceslas Square

Architecture on Wenceslas Square

Architecture on Wenceslas Square - and no I'm not talking about the H&M store!

These guys were performing some sort of folk dance. A saw a number of others through the days i was in Prague, it looked like some kind of cultural festival.

A beautiful Art Nouveau building, Municipal House (aka Obecni Dum) is now home to the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
It is here however where Czechoslovakia was declared an independent state in 1918.

Powder Gate

A marionette shop front

Such detail! This is a small marionette witch.
The marionettes are quite expensive but i would have loved to be able to buy one for a keepsake or a quirky decoration

Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) - on the left is the Old Town Hall and home to the famous astronomical clock and the white building to the right is the baroque Church of st Nicholas

Prague's famous Astronomical Clock

On one of my tours we were told a story about how on a weekend during a very busy summer holiday season in 2007 the clock broke down and stopped working. Disaster! People who had come to see the dancing statues were disappointed and missing out. There are only two people in Prague that can fix this clock and as it happened, both were away on holidays. The mayor had to call each one and ask them to come back to fix the clock. One refused, the other, thankfully, agreed, came back and fixed the clock. Naturally he was generously compensated.

Top part of Prague's Astronomical Clock

Looking down at the Old Town Square from the top of the Old Town Hall

From the top of the Old Town hall, Jan Hus Monument on the left and the Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Týn

From the top of the Old Town Hall - the baroque Church of St Nicholas and views further afield

The prominent St Vitus's Cathedral in the grounds of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

Street vendors and pedestrians on Charles Bridge

Funnily enough, before i went, all i heard was to watch out for pickpockets and the crazy prices of the vendors on Charles Bridge. I cant say i didn't see any pickpockets - because, lets face it, they would be crappy ones if they could be spotted - but i can say that i did end up buying a lot of souvenirs and little gifts from the vendors here because they were far cheaper and more unique that some of the souvenir shops elsewhere.

Charles Bridge

Grounds of Prague Castle

Prague Castle guards

T striking a pose!

My attempt at striking a pose!

Walking through the maze of alleyways and roads around Prague Castle, we kept popping up in areas with great views.

A view from Charles Bridge

I promised T that this would make it into my Blog. As we were crossing Charles Bridge, we looked over the side to see these two ducks swimming and bobbing away. T looks at them and with a totally serious look on his face says "that duck is trying to drown itself but its not having much luck!" I could not stop laughing! It was something out of a cartoon!

T - aka the comedian - on Charles Bridge

Moi on Charles Bridge

A lookout near Prague Castle - spot the Prague guide in my back pocket!

Charles Bridge (aka Karluv Most) viewed from a lookout near Prague Castle

The Golden Lane - Prague Castle

By far the teeniest, cutest "house" in the Golden Lane - Prague Castle

Next up, Photo Tour - Prague by Night.

Little Venice, Regents Park, Camden Markets

Often the best way to see London is to take a walk. And i did. I started in an area known as "Little Venice", walked along Regents Canal, detoured for lunch at the Boathouse Cafe in Regents Park and continued back along Regents Canal to end up at Camden Markets. Whew! But it was worth it!

So first up, here are some photos of houseboats along Regents Canal. Next time i visit I'd like to do a little cruise in one of the boats - you truly get a different view from the canals and it is hard to believe that you are in London!

Regents Canal - Little Venice

Regents Canal - Canal Boats

Regents Canal - This is one of a number of fancy houses i saw along the canal

Regents Canal - A little cafe forms part of the bridge

Regents Canal - More house boats!

Regents Canal

Regents Park is huge. Honestly, it deserves its own day rather than trying to fit it in with other places to visit. It is sort of segmented into different parts. There is the zoo, large open spaces for those who want to kick a ball around, quiet shady places for just lying in the sun or reading a book, open air theatre, walking paths, the lake which you can paddle out on in a hired paddle boat, alternatively you can hire out deck chairs and of course lots of gardens filled with flowers.

Regents Park

Regents Park - Paddle Boat Hire

Regents Park

Regents Park garden

Finally Camden Markets. This is another place that deserves its own trip. It is an eclectic mix of vintage, fashion, crafts, ethnic food and more. I love how the entrance to it from the canal looks like a drawbridge of an old fort. All the shops here offer something a little different, a little crazy and very unique. Some are very protective of their wares though and have signs asking that no photos be taken. You can get lost in the maze of winding alleyways lined with shops - but that's not such a bad thing...