Today was a day for exploring some of the old town in Prague. We had no set plan other than to follow our noses through then streets and to use our electronic version of the GPS based electronic Lonely Planet guide to tell us where we were and which sites we were passing.
We made a number of observations throughout the day:
1. The streetscapes in this city are fascinating. All along the way are rows of buildings with ornate facades and different structures. In some areas, there is a a remarkably effective integration of modern architecture and the older classical style
2. This is a very cultured city. Everywhere, there are posters for recitals and concerts. They range from The New Glen Miller Band, to Chopin Classics. Every church and synagogue seems to act as a concert venue. There are people on most corners handing out pamphlets and brochures about forthcoming shows. We even found a trio playing classical music in one of the squares. I didn’t see any sign of country and western music though.
3. There are many attractive young ladies in the fashion of the day which appears to consist of tight pants and long boots (as much as I was allowed to observe).
4. There seems to be a well funded and active public art program. We passed many interesting statues.
By around lunchtime, we found Wenceslas Square which is really like a wide boulevard. Many famous shops fro the square including the main store fir Bata shoes – one of the world’s best known Czech brand names. The other two big ones are, of course, Skoda and Budweiser. Around the corner and behind a bookshop is the worlds only cubist lamppost. It seems that cubism was strong at one time here.
We stopped for lunch opposite a little street market and then found our way back to the maon town square just in time to watch the Astronomical Clock perform on the hour. It really only had a couple of little doors open and some figures revolved past them, but it sure could attract a croud.
It was really quite fun pottering around and following whichever street seemed to offer the best view.
It’s amazing. Where are all the people??
How lucky to be seeing the city without the summer tourists. This part of the city looks very clean and well preserved. Is that true for the whole city?