Tag Archives: Prague
May 7, 2012 · 6:55 pm
The Capital of Bohemia, Day Three
On our last day in Prague, we went to the castle. It was crowded and expensive, but I saw some things that мейд it worth it.
Inside St. Vitus’s Cathedral was a magnificent stained glass window designed by Mucha. I had never seen Art Nouveau stained glass in a Gothic cathedral before. Pretty cool.
Inside the Old Royal Palace was the window from which the Second Defenestration of Prague occurred.
“Defenestrate” means to “throw a person or thing out of a window.” I think it’s funny that such a word even exists, let alone that it is in the name of not one but two historical events. In 1618, a group of Protestants got really angry at some Catholic officials and threw three of them out of the palace window. Surprisingly, the men survived, but this action started the Thirty Years War. Don’t ask me anything else about the war (except how long it was).
The Royal Gardens were a tranquil refuge after the intensity of the Castle. We spent quite a bit of time relaxing in the shade.
Prague has a lot of green space, so after lunch, we visited the Wallenstein Gardens and Palace. Designed in the seventeenth-century by a wealthy nobleman, they are presently occupied by the Czech Senate. I took far too many photos of the peacock family that roamed the gardens, but they were a great source of free entertainment.
We finished our day by walking across Charles Bridge.
My advice? If you get the chance, Go. To. Prague.
St. Vitus’s Cathedral