Prague, Czech Republic

So, if you're counting, this is our 4th trip in 3 months! It's not like we're trying to cram everything in this summer...ok, maybe we are. We were really looking forward to our trip to Prague.  Here is Prague Castle overlooking this gorgeous post communist city.

We started our trip with a visit through the Jewish Quarter. The quarter consists of 7 sights spread out over a three block area. We saw 6 of the sights which included 4 synagogues, the cemetery, and the Ceremonial Hall (above). The cemetery was an especially moving sight, but no photos were allowed unless you paid a fee. Over 12,000 Jews were buried within this small walled area between 1439 and 1787 as this was the only place they were allowed to be buried in the city. The caskets were stacked on top of each other and when there was no more room, more dirt was added so more caskets could be stacked and buried. The cemetery is like a small plateau with crooked tombstones crammed everywhere. It was a sight to see.

We spent a lot of time walking around and through the Old Town Square. It was surprising how much of the city we were able to get on foot. I imagined we’d have to use some kind of public transportation during our trip but we were actually able to walk from one end of the “tourist trail” to the other in about 20-30 minutes since the mains sights are in a fairly compact area. Above is the Old Town Hall.

On the Old Town Hall Tower is this astronomical clock. Yes, it seems as complicated to me now as it must have to people 500 years ago. Roughly every hour death rings a bell, the 12 apostles appear, and a rooster crows. It's short but cute and very touristy. 

 Charles Bridge (above) has long been a landmark of Prague. The 500 some yard Gothic bridge is decorated with 30 Baroque style statues, one of the more popular is the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend says he was thrown into the Vltava river from this bridge after being murdered for not revealing the queens' secrets to the king. Poor John.

We headed over to the Castle Quarter via the Little Quarter and into St. Vitus Cathedral. Inside is this beautiful Art Nouveau style stained-glass window by the Czech artist Alfons Mucha. In the back of the cathedral is the silver tomb of poor St. John of Nepomuk. The whole thing was impressive.

The city's architecture is beautiful. Prague was mostly spared from the bombings that damaged so many other European cities during the World Wars. The buildings are well preserved and stand in their original form. Above is Tyn Church in the Old Town Square, under some minor construction. 

We happened to visit the city during a weekend food festival. All of the Old Town Square smelled like a barbeque. It was fantastic. The food in Prague was great. The beer was cheaper than water in some places!  More recently Prague has become a top tourist destination and we can definitely see why.

Brussels & Bruges, Belgium

The French summer holidays have begun!  Max had Thursday and Friday off work this first week in June so we took off on our trip to Belgium which we've had planned for awhile.  Belgium was very cool, especially Brussels which felt like a mix of Paris and Amsterdam.  Above is the Town Hall in the Grand Place, were we started our trip. 


Grand Place is the main square in old town Brussels.  It has been the town's market square for 1000 years.  We were lucky enough to have stayed only a couple of blocks away.  This was one of those rare instances were we stayed down town, in the middle of things.  It was worth it.  

Between our hotel on the Grand Place was this great friterie (frie place).  Fries in Belgium are a treat and a tradition.  Their fries are cooked twice, which makes them extra crispy.  We enjoyed lots of them (as you can see), along with waffels, chocolate, and beer (for Max). 

Speaking of chocolate, there were chocolate shops everywhere.  It was awesome.  We'd go and pick out six or seven pieces and make our personal little create your-own assortment.  I'm staring at the box we bought for ourselves as I'm writing this blog.  It's hard not to dive into it while Max is at work.  We're trying to take turns picking out our pieces...

Our tour through Brussels took us past the city's famous Manneken-pis Statue.  He's a tiny little guy, mischevious too.   It's hard not to crack a smile when you see it. 

We decided to take a day trip over to Bruges to see what it was all about.  The city, on the western side of the coutry is only an hour away from Brussels.  Here, they speak more Flemish than French.  It was a cute city, with a lot more toursits than Brussels.  Here is the picturesque Bell Tower (above). 

We toured the Church of Our Lady, one of the few places to house a Michelangelo sculpture outside of Italy.  The chruch and the sculpture are a testament to the wealth Bruges had accumulated during it's peak. 

While in Bruges, we took a bike ride out of the city, through the country side, to the next town over.  It as a great way to get out of the crowds and to see more if the country.  How else are you supposed to see windmills?  Beligum was a fun, laid back place to visit.  I'm glad we had the opprotunity to experience it.