EPIC ADVENTURES

Make Sure You Add Beautiful Prague to your Bucket List!

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You must add beautiful Prague to your bucket list!

It is far beyond me to write a history of Prague, but I must mention a few things about the City of a Hundred Spires. The beauty of the city is undeniable, but let me say this: I didn’t see a tenth of what I wanted to see, there just wasn’t time. And, here is a travel tip: don’t go in summer! I will go back to this city and explore, but it will not be in the summer crowds. It was so busy there were moments I felt panicky! But, Prague, don’t worry, I shall return!

It is almost like a movie set.

The home of Franz Kafka. Did you know that former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, was raised in Prague, behind the iron curtain?
It is hard to describe how beautiful the Old Town is.
St Nicholas Basilica in Old Town.

A statue of Jan Hus is in the middle of Prague. He was a Czech theologian, Catholic priest, philosopher, a teacher at the Charles University in Prague who became a church reformer. He inspired Hussitism, an antecedent to Protestantism and a prominent figure in the Bohemian Reformation.
Suzanne of Adventures of Empty Nesters in the Old Town.

One of the most popular sights in Prague is the Charles Bridge, built in the early 1400s to honor Charles IV, or Karol Quatre. On the day we visited the bridge was so crowded, that when we crossed the street to get to it I could have lifted my feet off the ground and the press of the people would have carried me through. So, I really do not have fantastic photos of the bridge, but I did photograph some of the statues of the saints.

The crowds were unreal.
People leave padlocks on bridges all over the world, and the Charles Bridge is not an exception!
The Statue of John of Nepomuk is a favorite on the bridge. John was a favored priest during the reign of Wenceslaus IV. John was the confessor of the queen. Wenceslaus demanded to know what the queen confessed, and John of Nepomuck refused to tell the King as it would violate his oath. The King had John thrown off the bridge into the Vltava River where he drowned.
This plaque depicts John of Nepomuk being executed. For some reason, if you rub this plaque at the base of the statue of John of Nepomuk, it will bring luck, and you will be sure to come back to Prague. Yes, of course I rubbed it, but it was difficult to get through the crowds!
View of Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral from the bridge.
Guard at Prague Castle, where the President of the Czech Republic has his office. The Bohemian crown jewels are also kept in the Castle.
King Karol Quatre aka Charles IV
The Changing of the Guard.
Castle Courtyard
A guide to Bohemian rulers
The Cathedral of St Vitus is located within the Castle grounds. The building of this started in 1344, founded by Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. In 1997 they added St Wenceslaus and St Adalbert. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague.
The silver statue of the St. Adalbert was installed in the St. Vitus Cathedral on April 17, 2018. The statue is a  repatriation of Czech Cardinal Josef Beran’s remains. Beran (1888-1969) became Prague’s archbishop after he returned from the Dachau Nazi concentration camp, where he was imprisoned after the assassination of the “Butcher of Prague”, Reinhard Heydrich.
The cathedral is so beautiful…it reminds me a little of Notre Dame in Paris.
The antiquity is in the very air you breathe.

Hopefully most of us know the story of the Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, architect of “the Final Solution” and Reichsprotektor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia which were handed to Germany as part of the Munich deal of 1938. The Czech government in exile decided to assassinate Heydrich, who was known as the “Butcher of Prague”. His iron rule and cruelty won him the additional names of “the hangman” and “the blonde beast”. He went to Prague to “strengthen policy, and carry out countermeasures against resistance”. The British and the Czech government in exile developed Operation Anthropoid, a plot to assassinate Heydrich. Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik were two of the parachutists flown in to complete the operation. They were successful in that Heydrich did die at their hands, but they were hunted and killed at the Church of St Cyril and Methodius. After that, the Germans murdered their relatives, and the families of the other parachutists. The reprisals were of unbelievable violence against civilians. There are still bullet holes in the church, showing where they were killed. If you don’t know the story, you should buy or rent ANTHROPOID, the recent movie about the event. It is an intense film, and brings Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik to life.

Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcik

There is a tour in Prague about Operation Anthropoid, and I didn’t have time to take it. Next time I am in Prague, it is one of the first things I am going to do!

 

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Tam Warner

Award Winning Travel Journalist and Blogger, writing about Eclectic Travels in the Empty Nest! From scuba to luxury cruises to kayaking to expeditions, Tam is ready to go! Contact me at travelswithtam@gmail.com

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Tam Warner

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