You know what?
This will probably be the next to the last post in this series.
Amazing! I can imagine that you are relieved.
You will see a lot of church stuff in this post, especially
windows – both stained and painted glass —
from day 2 in Prague. Some pretty incredible whole-city views
will show up in the next one, those views from day 3.
SO glad we opted for that extension!!
If you really want to see the whole series,
here’s what you do:
Find Number 1 here,
number 2 here,
number 3 here,
number 4 here,
number 5 here,
number 6 here,
number 7 here,
and – whew!! – number 8 here.
The heat broke with a rainstorm during the night
and our 2nd day in Prague dawned bright and cool.
We asked directions to the castle complex, high on the hill,
and after a bit of a struggle to get a day pass,
we successfully rode the trolley —
and made a transfer!! —
and e v e r y t h i n g looked completely different
up there on that hill.
Nobody hanging on the guard box.
Hardly anyone in the square!
Easy line of sight to the noon guard change.
And time and space to really explore this vast cathedral
with my camera.
It costs to tour this place.
And it costs extra to take photos.
Dick opted to sit outside and wait,
and I just took my time and slowly made the large circle
around, peeking into the chapels,
marveling at the gaudiness of a local saint’s coffin and surrounding
silver angels, admiring the open architecture of the Gothic period.
Just scroll through and imagine you, too, are walking the
big circle that is the Cathedral of St. Vitus.
This was my favorite non-window piece of art in the whole place.
And that last look at Prague will also contain leaving and re-entry photos.
I’m glad you had a less crowded morning in Prague. My husband and I visited in August 2005 and we had some pretty gray skies. I love all the stained glass photos and must tell you, I am impressed – I find stained glass very difficult to photograph properly. Your shots are lovely. And the statue of Jesus is very special.
Side note: my hubby’s wallet was pickpocketed on a metro in Prague and he is one of the savviest travelers I know. I sure hope nothing like this happened to you or your traveling buddies.
I’ve enjoyed each segment very much. A trip to Dresden and points nearby is now on my “list” of places to go! thanks.
Yes, we heard stories about pickpocketing in Prague and that added to the nervousness and fatigue of that very crowded day. Glad you’ve enjoyed this series, Susan – and thanks for taking the time to tell me so!
Loved this so much! My 8yr old son was also very impressed, and sat next to me while I scrolled through the pictures, commenting on them. He thought it would have taken a very long time to build, maybe 1 or 2 yrs? I suggested it was probably more like 50 or 60!
Uh. . . try 500-600 years!! Begun in the 14th century, it wasn’t finished until the late 19th century and further work was done in the 20th century. It is something – and after looking it up on Wikipedia, I realize I didn’t see all of it. They had no brochures in English when I was there, so I walked around on my own. Apparently, there’s a spectacular chapel I missed. :>( Love what I saw, though.
Lol! That’ll teach me not to check my facts on google!
HEY, I got that info by googling!! As I said, I didn’t have an English brochure, so I went to Wikipedia to find out about it. :>)
So grateful you persevered and returned and paid the extra cost to take photos. {Is that common – to pay more to take photos?} So beautiful…and the statue of Jesus with the lilies? Made me stop scrolling and just gaze at the beauty. Don’t you think it’s only the Holy Spirit that can inspire artists to create like this?
In some places, yes, it is customary to pay for the privilege of taking photos. And this cathedral has to have money to stay in good repair, I guess. But it felt strange – this was much more business like than any other we saw. Still, I was glad to pay it and to see it. And absolutely, I think it is the Spirit that inspires all good art, sometimes in spite of the artist! I often think of the movie Amadeus when I ponder this idea. We do not see what God sees inside a person and we sometimes only see this kind of evidence of God’s work in them, period. But for me, anything beautiful starts with Beauty. And it’s a mystery that I’ve come to be at peace with, despite the lingering questions.