Prague – a magical city –
Guest post by Roy Mathias
When we told our friends we were going to Prague they assured us that it would be amazing, fantastic, wonderful… and we were not disappointed. Here are a few of the highlights from this atmospheric compact city we enjoyed exploring on foot.
The Cathedral of St. Vitus (near the Park Inn) stands on a hill across the river from the center of town. It has a range of wonderful stained glass, including the Mucha Window from the 1930’s
(detail below)
The exterior is also very ornate. Here is the golden gate
which is part of the south side, which is on a large square:
The East end looks quite different
Another day, we visited the Jewish Quarter and all the Jewish sites there. By far the best was the Spanish Synagogue — very Islamic in style, except for the 6 pointed star everywhere. Every square inch of wall space covered in red, green and gold ornamentation. Ornate columns and simple striking stained glass. Unfortunately no photos allowed. Here are some images from the web:
Imagine being surrounded by:
and looking up
is no less gorgeous
You might think that the remaining synagogues were a disappointment, and they were quite missable. The Old Jewish Cemetery however, was a beautiful, peaceful setting surrounded by high walls and shaded by trees losing their leaves. Imagine your self in a wood, surrounded by old gravestones falling over each other.
Another day we visited the Mucha Museum enjoying the work of the Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist. Most of it commercial – posters for actress Sarah Bernhardt, the lottery supporting teaching of the Czech language, and even JOB cigarettes:
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