Another day, another opportunity to show our little chick around the city. This time, we focused on the city center, walking around in the morning when the streets were still moderately empty.
Since I've forgotten that the Powder Tower (Prašná brána) opens only at 10 am, we spontaneously changed our plans and see some other things first.
Just like the last time, Maisel synagogue turned out to be our starting point, from which we proceeded to other landmarks of the Jewish quarter.
Pinkas synagogue with its walls covered by names of people who perished during the Holocaust...
... as well as a heartbreaking exhibition of drawings produced by the children of the Terezín concentration camp.
Old Jewish cemetery
Spanish synagogue (Španělská synagoga)
Back in the old town for our second - this time successful - try to climb the Powder tower and enjoy the views all over the city.
Not to be missed - the Astronomical clock on the Old town square. Even though renovations of the tower itself were in full swing, making the tower inaccessible, the clock was still on display.
Instead of the tower, however, we visited the halls of the old town, where we happened to get an unexpected close-up view of the clock's inhabitants. Proof that you'll never see something new if you always stick to the same roads ;)
Talking about roads, our next way led us to a yummy lunch again...
... followed by a vital shot of coffee that would get my sister going for the rest of the afternoon.
And after spending most of the day seeing sights I've seen already, we headed to the Botanical garden of the Charles University. Not to be confused with the Botanical garden of the City of Prague, which is located next to the Prague Zoo in Troja, this one lies in the vicinity of the city center between the Charles square and Vyšehrad.
While you'll pay a little something to enter the greenhouse, the access to the area itself is free of charge, and much to my sister's delight, we happened to run into an exhibition of exotic birds, too.
Hi there!
As we happened to be around Vyšehrad anyway, I decided to chase my sister around some more. Because what can be better in the unbearable summer heat than lying in a shady place without a single tourist in sight?
Maybe, a view of the city with a light summer breeze coming from the river...
... or a visit to the exhibition on the castle's history that is located in a perfectly cool underground hall?
Or, splashing over the river with one of the cute little ferry boats that are part of the public transport? Turns out one line brings you from Vyšehrad directly into a swan lake fairytale near Smíchovská Naplávka...
After a little rest back home, other forms of public transport, however, can bring you back to the vibrant city where you can get to know the story behind Prague's most famous bling-bling: even though it's located in Karlova street just off the Charles bridge, we could have the Bohemian Garnet Museum all to ourselves - alongside with a wonderfully informative guide who'd introduce the stone itself, the history of garnet mining, the stunning collection of jewelry and decorative elements, and, most importantly, several tips on how to tell whether a piece of jewelry contains real or fake Bohemian garnets.
Probably not an absolute must-see when in town, but still a good way to spend some extra time, escape the trouble outside, and, maybe get yourself a nice souvenir, too.
~ to be continued ~
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