Prague

Ah, beautiful Prague. This is one of the fairly few Neoclassical buildings; most are Gothic or Renaissance.	The Hussite Memorial pays tribute to followers of John Hus, a pre-Luther Catholic reformer. The 13th-15th century saw endless wars in this area among Catholics, Hussite, and Lutherans. Our guide claimed that this accounted for the fact that relatively few Czechs now profess any particular religion.
The Old Town Hall, on the main square. On one side is the town clock (which shows moon phases and zodiacs as well as time)and is a popular meeting place. Every hour clockwork figures come out while the bells chime.
The architecture in Prague is amazing and spans many architectural styles.	This building is painted in elaborate frescoes.
This house is in Renaissance style, with sgraffitto decoration.	As was true in almost all the cities we visited, the streets were brick of cobblestones and very narrow. Prague actually had some sidewalks!
The Charles Bridge across the Vltava River is the access to the castle and is a landmark in its own right.	The castle dominates the skyline.
The bridge is decorated with statues of saints and local legends, including this one of three saints ransoming Christian prisoners from the infidels.	Public areas have their share of buskers, magicians, etc, which add to the color.
The Lennon Wall--even under communism, young people wrote things about Lennon and about freedom on this wall, which continues to be constantly painted today.	This is protection against flooding for the important buildings. We rather wondered how it would help, until we were told that the metal pieces rise up to form a barrier against water.
We continued on to the the castle, currently the residence of the Czech president.	Since it is an official residence there are real guards but their uniforms were designed by a Hollywood costumer, which makes them look a little like comic opera characters. They are required to stand absolutely still, so of course everyone teases them.
The Palace Gate, with mythological characters slaying the enemies of the king.	Wonderfully preserved fresco paintings on the exterior wall of one building in the castle.
	St. Vitus Cathedral, where Good King Wenceslas is buried,is a magnificent Gothic structure.
	The main altar.
The interior of the church is lavishly decorating with carvings of saints.	The stained glass windows are particularly magnificent.
Back in town--another Hussite memorial--one cross for each of the Czech Hussite noblemen killed in 1621 by the Catholic Austrian forces. So much bloodshed over religion...	The Old-New Synagogue, possibly the longest in-use synagogue in eastern Europe.
In the synagogue at first we could not figure out what these were, and then we realized that if you light a candle in the holder the light will reflect off the upper surface and down onto the reading stalls below.	In 1357 Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III awarded the Prague Jews an official banner commemorating their assistance in defending Prague during the 30 Years War.
The Prague State Library--courtesy of Chuck.	The Tyn Church, built by the Hussites in the 1400s. It houses the tomb of the astronomer Tycho Brahe.
The "dancing building." Appropriately, there is a restaurant called Fred and Ginger at the top.	Where else could you get a giraffe of beer for only 650 crowns (about $25.00)?