Vltava River

 Vltava river is the longest river in Czech. It is crossed by 18 bridges and that includes the Charles bridge. I absolutely fell in love with the river, it looked so beautiful and the sun set was just stunning. I stood there for more than 40 minutes, watching the birds go about their business, till the cold started to get to me, then I left. I took a bunch of pictures and would like to share some with you.

The Sun over the Vltava.

Silhouette

The Sun looks so pretty. Remember never look at the sun directly ;)

A bird flying into the bright light.

fast shutter speed

slow shutter speed

*Still working on my 'shutter speed' skills

The Charles bridge crossing the Vltava river

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Thanks for reading and have a blessed week :))

The City of Prague.

The tourist in me, ready to go :))

My friends.

THE FAMOUS CHARLES BRIDGE.

    

    Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) is a 14th century stone bridge linking the two sides of Prague. This magnificent structure is one of the city's finest attractions, and is the main pedestrian route connecting the 'Old Town' with the Lesser town (Mala Strana) and Prague Castle. The bridge crosses the River Vltava.

    There are about 30 statues on the bridge, most of which are copies as the originals have been destroyed over time due to floods or other catastrophes. 

  There are 2 towers (Old Town Bridge Tower and Mala Strana Bridge Tower) for entrance and exit of the bridge, depending on what direction you are facing.

   

The 'Old Town Bridge Tower'

On the Charles Bridge.

Other views of the Charles Bridge.

Can you see the Prague castle in the distance??????

Mala strana >>> Lesser Town, where the Prague castle is located.

I'm going to post the next 2 photos in their original sizes so that you can really appreciate the view.

The view of the city of Prague from the Prague Castle Complex.

Taken from the Charles bride.

Moving on >>>>>>>>> OLD TOWN SQUARE.

It is located close to the Charles bridge. Dominant buildings here are 'Church of our Lady before Týn' and the astronomical clock. 

Church of our Lady before Týn ...........  I just think the name is very interesting.

Astronomical Clock Tower.

       The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj (Czech: Pražský orloj -cs) is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, at. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.
      I tried to do some reading about the astronomical clock but the physics behind it is kind of complex. Basically, it can show the position of the sun and the moon in the sky. At the turn of every hour, it shows figures of the apostles and other moving and other moving structures. 
     

The outer golden numbers count from 1-24, representing 'old Czech Time' or 'Italian hours' where the 1st hour starts at sun set.

 I didn't wait to see this display mainly because it was so cold that day. All I wanted to do was to find a Cafe and have some cappuccino (and Prague is famous for their numerous cafes).  It was about -12 degrees celsius that day (as you can see from my outfit) despite the heavy presence of the sun, it was icy cold.

Under the Astronomical clock is a present day calendar that was added in 1870,

Well, hope you enjoyed the post, Thanks for reading :))

The Prague Castle.

Prague castle is the biggest ancient castle in the world (according to Guinness book of records).  It has been the seat of the ancient Czech kings throughout the ages.

The Prague castle complex comprises 3 courtyards and many other buildings, including St. Vitus Cathedral (it is the most recognisable landmark in the city )of which I have a ton of photos. There are also several palaces, Museums, art galleries, cafes, and a monastery.

The view at the entrance to the Castle complex.

It is free to wander around the courtyards. It is even free to enter the St. Vitus Cathedral. However, you will only be allowed to stay at the back, you will not be allowed to go any further. To see the entire building, a ticket must be purchased.

The gate.

Taken from the second courtyard. You can see the top part of the St Vinus Cathedral.

The second courtyard.

I went to the ticket office to get a ticket to go into the St. Vinus Cathedral and I was told that I they only sold combination tickets (for 4 buildings in the complex). Since my trip was seriously budgeted, I told the sales officer that I didn't want to go into any other building, just the St. Vinus Cathedral, but he said they didn't sell single tickets. Then I became so sad, because I really wanted to go in. When all this was happening, there was a young police officer or a castle guard or someone that worked there (I really don't know, but He was in uniform). Well, he heard my entire conversation with the Sales officer and he came and told me to please come with Him. I was shocked, but I followed. While we walked towards the Cathedral, we exchanged greetings. He took me into the Cathedral, said a few words to the Ladies checking the tickets and led me right through, without paying anything O_O. I was so overjoyed, thanked him, shook his hands and he told me to enjoy the rest of tour and I said thank you. He turned and left. It took me about 10 seconds to come to terms with what just happened and then I continued with the tour. This is just an example that there is still some GOOD in this crazy world.

Anyway, back to the post.....................

The St. Vinus Cathedral.

To many people, St. Vinus is the Prague Castle. The is understandable because it is the most beautiful building there and it fills the skyline of the Castle complex. Work on the cathedral was commissioned by Charles IV and started in 1344. It was completed between 1873-1929, meaning it took nearly 6 centuries to complete. Having said that, the work speaks for itself, so I guess it was well worth all the time it took.

Now moving inside.......................

The ceiling.

From an angle.

I was able to produce so 'Bokeh'

I hope you enjoyed this post. Watch out for more photos on other parts of Prague

Stay Blessed :))