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Showing posts with label Prague. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prague. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Prague.....Part 6 (Vysehrad)

Hello lovelies! 
I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since my last post! This month has been a whirlwind for sure! We (the hubby and I) have been busily preparing for Miranda's upcoming visit. I think I mentioned in a previous post that she is flying home for her cousin Shelby's wedding. She is one of the bridesmaids. And not only is Miranda flying home, but she is bringing her boyfriend Shahid with her! We are all so excited to have nearly two weeks with them. The hubby and I will be picking them up in Orlando Monday evening! So, since we are having Shahid come visit for the first time, that spurred us on to finish some little projects we have been putting off. We finished the pantry and I will share that soon. We have finished putting up some trim, done some painting, installed light switches, and completely finished the guest bathroom. We had some issues in the shower but it is all completed now. I'll share a couple of updates in there with the pantry post. I have been cleaning out closets and cabinets and purging and organizing. The hubby pressure washed the house and porch and we are getting some yard work done this weekend as well as finally getting our brand new central heat and air unit hooked up. Anywho, there's nothing like having company to light a fire under you! And I have been working full time and have been sick with a miserable cold for almost 3 weeks now!  I am so happy though because we have accomplished so much and we have only 5 more sleeps until we see our girl and her fella!

So....today I am sharing another Prague vacation post with you. I have one more to share where I will show you the things I purchased on my trip as well as a fun place we ate on our last day there. 
But, today, I am taking you to.....


Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Vysehrad...
Vyšehrad (Czech for "upper castle") is a historical fort located in the city of PragueCzech Republic. It was built, probably in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, as well as the Vyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czechhistory, among them Antonín DvořákBedřich SmetanaKarel Čapek, and Alphonse Mucha. It also contains Prague's oldest surviving building, the Rotunda of St Martin from the 11th century.
Local legend holds that Vyšehrad was the location of the first settlement which later became Prague, though thus far this claim remains unsubstantiated.

This is where the original castle stood. The grounds are beautiful and it was not crowded with tourists like the main part of the city. It offers another great overlook of the city from a different viewpoint. Other than the fact that it was cold and windy, this was such a pleasant day. I really enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking photos. 




I have never seen so much graffiti in a city. It seems to fit though.


The moss on the brick was so pretty. You can see we were pretty high up. Notice the roof lines below.


The garbage cans are even pretty in Prague. They are made of cement.


There is another gorgeous cathedral in Vysehrad. I couldn't wait to get a closer look.


I thought this home's yard was really interesting and I loved the vine growing across the house. I bet it is so pretty in the spring and summer.


Another gorgeous view...this time of the Vltava River.



This was one of the most interesting things I saw. This fence surrounded a nursery school. The panels you see covering the fence are all crocheted or knitted. It was so cool!


Here are the other two. So fun and colorful and what a great way to create some privacy.


Here's that gorgeous cathedral! The Gothic style is so enchanting!


Look at these massive doors and that beautiful mosaic.


The inside did not disappoint. Services are still held here every Sunday. I sat on a pew and it was terribly uncomfortable. No chance of anyone falling asleep during the service...lol!


I thought the muted colors were so beautiful.


Gorgeous stained glass windows.


Very festive with simply decorated trees.



This angel was suspended over a nativity.


Isn't it beautiful?


Prayer candles.


The sun streaming through the stained glass was so lovely.


There was a case full of opulent pieces that have been used for various purposes over the years.


This one was especially beautiful. 


Of course we had to have lunch while we were there. We ate at a quaint little place with colorful decor. I chose spaghetti and Miranda had a burger. I love that the Coke was served in a wine glass. We split a chocolate pancake for dessert but it was really more like a crepe. Very tasty!





When we left, we went back to Old Town Square and took a tour of what has been named the most beautiful library in the world....thKlementinum. You can read about it here or here if you care to. We were not allowed to take photos inside but here are a couple I found online. 

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 This was the most unusual tour we took. Of course this building is centuries old and the library is located a few floors up. We had to climb up spiral staircases for a few floors to see the library and then we climbed to the top where the astronomical tower is located. The steps leading to this part were narrow, wooden, and treacherous to say the least. I was actually a little nervous going up. But, I was so glad I made it to the top because when we stepped out onto the balcony, this was the view! It was absolutely breathtaking!


 I was unable to get any really good shots, but you get the idea. It was such an amazing feeling...being across the world from home on a cold New Year's Eve night, at the top of a historical old building in a beautiful city watching fireworks go off with my daughter who also happens to be my best friend. :) As long as I live,  I'll never forget this night. Here's a selfie Miranda took of us. 


After we descended down the scary steps...all 180 of them, we went to Old Town Square and listened to a bit of a concert that was going on. Such a festive city! The band played one of my favorite songs...Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams. 


We walked on for a bit, trying to decide where to eat supper. The place we wanted to eat was closed so we ate at a fun place called the Crazy Cow. The food was absolutely delicious. I had a chicken dish with veggies and a baked potato. 


And, this was too funny not to share...LOL!


OK...I made it to the end! After we ate, Miranda put Jeana and I on a tram back to the hotel. She and Ashley wanted to stay out a bit longer than us. We made it back without Miranda's guidance. LOL! We got comfy in our pj's and rang in the new year from the warmth and safety of our hotel room. Not long before midnight, the girls returned and asked us if we knew it was snowing. We decided to put some warm clothes on and went outside to see for ourselves. It was so magical....snow falling while fireworks were going off everywhere. The fireworks started long before midnight and continued until long after. Again, this was a special night and full of so many memories. I will always cherish them. 

If you made it to this point, thank you. I know I can be long-winded. I hate to leave out too much detail though. I am a detail person so that;s just how I write. I hope you are all doing well and are having a wonderful week. As always, thank you for visiting. I apologize for my lack of replies to your sweet and cherished comments on my last couple posts. I feel so bad when I can't reply right away. I do so appreciate each and every one of you though. Have a blessed rest of the week!

Until next time.....

 
 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Prague.....Part 5 (The Zoo)

Have you been to a zoo recently? I hadn't been in years but while I was in Prague, we decided to spend one of our days visiting the Prague Zoo. It is an amazing zoo and was voted #4 in the world last year. It was a dreary day and extremely cold the day we were there but we had a good time in spite of it! Here's a map of the zoo. It is a very large zoo and we were unable to see it all before they closed. 


The plant life was beautiful. They had an area set up like a rainforest and it was warm and balmy inside even though it was freezing outside. 




I thought the color of these berries was so pretty.


These two ladies are even prettier. This is Miranda and her cousin Ashley. She was so happy Ashley was able to come visit her too.


This peacock was perched up on top of a wall. I just love the colors of peacock feathers.


Not sure if there were llamas or alpacas.


Elephant hinies...LOL!


A hyena,,,his coloring was very pretty. He was sort of ombre.


I was intrigued with the vending machine. Oreo was about the only recognizable brand I saw other than Milka, which wasn't in this shot.


All bundled up...and still freezing.


There were lots of fossils! I took lots of photos to share with my kinders when we learn about them in science.



I thought this hill dotted with sheep and the cute house at the top was so pretty. I like how the camera focused on the berry branch and limbs.


Cheetahs


Cavorting donkeys...they chased each other all around their pen and kept biting each other. 


A pretty shot of the sun starting to set.


My favorite wild animal...the tiger. There was lots of tigers, both indoors and out.


A pretty lion.


This was my favorite memory from the zoo. I don;t remember what this pretty little cat was, but it was sleeping so peacefully behind this thick glass enclosure. I snapped the photo and this is what I instantly got.....


a not too happy looking stare! LOL! I guess it heard the click of the camera and it let me know.


I love gorillas too. They are such intelligent creatures. This one was steadily stripping the leaves off his limb and eating them. The enclosure was so neat, with lots of things for them to play with and climb on.


Pretty pink flamingos.


A cold looking penguin....I felt a lot like this little guy looked.


I took more, but it was just so difficult to get good shots on this dreary, cold day. The sky was quite beautiful while we were waiting on the bus outside the zoo. The colors reminded me of cotton candy.


The last photo I took was of the main building from outside the zoo. I bet it is beautiful in the spring and summer when that vine is green. I wanted to take pictures of the animal footprints in the sidewalk leading to the zoo but I didn't get a chance to go back to that area. It was so neat!


I hope you didn't freeze while touring the zoo! It was fun seeing the different kinds of animals. I have always enjoyed visiting zoos, but hadn't been since my kids were young. It was a fun day but was I ever glad to get out of the cold. I hope your week is going well. I'm happy the weekend is almost here. I am decorating for my nieces' bridal shower tomorrow evening and then hope to get some house cleaning and organizing done this weekend. We have been working on the pantry. We never started on it when we remodeled the kitchen. I am super excited to be doing it finally! But, I have everything piled and stacked on the kitchen counters and floor and it is getting to me! I'm ready to be done! Have a wonderful Friday!

Until next time.....

 
 

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