1. Czech Republic
Prague: The magical city of bridges, cathedrals, clock towers and church
domes, whose architectural landscape has been mirrored in the surface of
the Vltava river for more than ten centuries. Quite impossible to forget is
an evening stroll along Charles Bridge or a late afternoon dinner at an
Italian café at the old town square, a stone’s throw from the famous
astronomical clock, and a
minitrain ride from the
royal castle through cobble
streets to Mala Strana, the
shopping district. Our tour
group stayed at Crowne
Plaza Hotel for four days
(Aug 15-18). Everyday we
took the tram because the terminal is right in front of our hotel Our
city tour took us to the Royal Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George
Basilica. the Golden Lane where Kafka once lived, the Old Town
square, the Tyn Church and the statue of Jan Hus (the religious
reformer who was burned at the stake), Karlova Street, St. Nicholas
Church, and Church of Our Lady Victorious where the venerated Sto.
Niño de Praga is enshrined. (Click for Prague photos)
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/album?.dir=11e2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http
%3a//asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/my_photos
Built in the mid-14th century with its pillars decorated with 30
baroque sculptures of saints, the famous landmark Charles
Bridge is romantic day and night. Another “must-see” is the
astronomical clock, where each hour, the twelve apostles
take turns peeking out from two small windows above the
clock. At the same time, figures symbolizing Death, Vanity,
Greed, and the Ottoman Invader placed around the clock move
with the sound of the clock
The largest castle in the world, based on the
Guinness Book of Records, is Prague castle which
is dominated by the Cathedral of St. Vitus,
Wenceslas But there’s
more to the Czech Republic
than just Prague! The
country’s smaller towns
have plenty to offer
visitors, who will be
impressed by their well-
preserved heritage sites,
such as the Nelahozeves
Castle, a late Renaissance
chateau built in
1623 and owned by the Lobkowicz family, famous
for its historical interiors and the Roudnice
Lobkowicz art collection, the biggest private
collection in Bohemia. After the tour, we had fine
dining inside the castle’s restaurant. Walking
distance from the
castle is
birthplace of
Anton Dvorak,
the famous Czech composer.
Lednice in the region of South Moravia is an architectural complex of an English
Tudor mansion (ca. 16 to 17th cent) owned by the Liechtenstein Family, surrounded
by a Baroque park that merges with the natural landscape with a number of
romantic buildings (the Minaret, the ruin of the Roman aqueduct) and a glasshouse,
the oldest construction of its kind in Europe. (Click here for photos:

2. http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/album?.dir=11e2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http
%3a//asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/my_photos
The second largest town is Brno, the traditional capital of Moravia, where
Napoleon Bonaparte once held his headquarters. Here we spent half a day
visiting the Gothic cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the Capuchin Church of
the Holy Cross and its monastery where there’s a crypt of skulls and bones.
The amber earrings were much cheaper here than in Prague.
Picturesque Tábor,
another town where we
had the best pizza and
Czech beer, boasts a
history as fascinating as
any town in Prague because its history is linked with the Hussite
movement. This is the town square, our meeting point.
Our last day in Prague was spent visiting the Church of Our Lady
Victorious and at the town square for last minute shopping, followed
by an early dinner at a sidewalk restaurant with Nap Cuenco, Ruthie and
the couple, Rona and Alex. We bid our final goodbye to Prague as we
strolled Charles Bridge for a last look at Mala Strana, the lesser town.
By 5pm, we were back in Hilton Vienna
Aug. 18 and had our usual meal at the
terrace facing the Danube River.