A beautiful city like the picture. The Voltava River flows through the heart of the city. Quite wide and fast flowing. There is no straw on the water. It seems that the river is well taken care of. One and a half hundred year old bridge over the Volta Tower. Name Charles Bridge. This is the story of Prague arranged with that bridge.
Prague is the capital of Czechoslovakia. I live in Stockholm, Sweden, not far from there. However, it did not go well. But this country was going around. One day while surfing the internet, I came across a colorful picture of Charles Bridge. I thought, it's not too late, now Prague, now Charles Bridge!
If you want to see a country or a city thoroughly, you have to rely on two feet. There is no fun in driving a car. So I decided that what I really needed to do was learn how to do it right. However, trams, buses, local trains can be used from one place to another.
A four-star hotel was booked on the internet just in time. The station near the hotel is called Kobilisi. Kobilisi is a famous place in Prague. Sauce and Czech started buying tickets and packing bags.
Two countries are one country. Czech and Slovakia - Czechoslovakia together. The Charter of Independence was signed in Prague on 28 October 1918, shortly after World War I. Although the financial balance of the Czech Republic and Slovakia was not parallel, it was only on the question of independence that the two countries came together and gained independence.
In World War II, Hitler's German forces occupied the country. Czechoslovakia lost its independence. Then in 1948 the communist regime began. The country was ruled by Soviet aggression in 1968. The anti-communist movement started in 1989. The two countries, Czech and Slovakia, gained independence in 1992.
As soon as the day to go to Prague approached, a message came from the booked hotel to update the account. I have already booked different hotels in different countries with Visa card. Then I paid the bill and got up at the hotel. But I have never received such a message before.
Anyway, I arrived in Prague on the appointed day. Arranged tidy airport. Only hand-luggage with us. So you don't have to collect any luggage from the belt. Airport buses will depart from Terminal 2 to Central Prague. The plane carrying us landed at Terminal 5. Terminal number two is out with number five.
One minute walk on foot. As soon as the bus came to a stop, the waiting passengers got up one by one. Air-conditioned buses - sixty corner tickets per person. Only three hundred rupees as money. Sunny day. The non-stop bus is running towards Central Prague. After leaving for about forty-five minutes, the bus came to a stop at the head of Central Station. Take the elevator down to Central Station.
I saw on the clock that I have time, so let's eat something. I looked to the left and saw Max Burger. Clean clean illuminated central station. From here trains go to different places on three Red, Green and Yellow lines.
After the meal I came to the train counter and stood. Our destination is Kobilishi Station. Only four stations on the red line from Central. The platform to go to Kobilishi is by the side of the counter. I reached Kobilishi in just eight minutes. I was thinking on the platform which way to get out of the station?
There are two exits - right and left. The hotel said the distance from Kobilishi to the hotel is only a seven-minute walk. I looked and saw a boy talking on his mobile on the platform. He may be waiting for the train. I went to him and wanted to know the way to the hotel.
The boy started talking on his mobile phone and started using the internet. Even though he didn't know English, he said in his language and hand gestures, "No problem, wait a minute". Two of his trains have left in a row. He is busy with us. Eventually he took us up the exit on the right and showed us the way to the hotel.
I went forward. Can't find the hotel. And a little further ahead I saw a restaurant. A boy standing in front of the restaurant, with bandages on his legs. I approached and asked about the location of the hotel. The boy speaks good English, said the hotel is at the corner of the street in front. But we have to turn around a bit. The straight road is closed as work is being done on the road. He said again, "You are new to the city, so you may not recognize the detour. I called a taxi to show you the way to the hospital. I can drop you off and go to the hospital."
Really the boy dropped us off in front of the hotel and went to the hospital. I got up at the hotel and spent the night fresh and uninterrupted.
The next morning I woke up fresh and went down to the first floor reception hoping for coffee or tea.
Next to the reception is a medium size hall with a chair and table. Neatly arranged breakfast. Next to the juice, tea and coffee cabin. From bananas to different types of bread, butter, honey, cheese yoghurt, salads, eggs and much more. However, the proportion of four-star hotels seems a little less, but there is no lack of sincerity. List of daily dollar, euro, pound exchange rates on each table. After breakfast, visit Prague.
Before leaving the hotel, I asked at the reception why it took us so long yesterday when the distance from Kobilishi station to the hotel was seven minutes on foot. The receptionist was a little surprised and said, "Surely you came out on the right side of the station? Near the left side."
The old city of Prague is full of historical monuments and attractive to tourists. I collected a map of the old town from the reception and stood at the tram station. The tram ran to the old town. The town has Charles Bridge, Clock Tower, Albert Einstein's residence.
Get out of the hotel and take the tram from the corner of the street to the Starmoeska station. From there walk to Old Town or Old Town. City Hall in Old Town. From 1338 onwards, the city hall was used to control the governance of Prague. The king, the royal council all sat in the city hall and conducted the administration. City Hall was sometimes used as a prison for rebels.
Adjacent to City Hall is the famous Astronomical Clock or Astrology Clock. The clock was made in 1410. However it has been repaired at special times. The clock displays both the Zodiac calendar and the clock. This astronomical clock in Prague is the only clock in the world that still displays time, day, week and year.
When we got to the clock, it was a few minutes to twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Thousands of curious travelers stood in front of the clock. We also stood up. At exactly twelve o'clock the watch part opened. Birds, skeletons, various animals and statues of men and women sang in a circle while making tung tung sound. She is a memorable moment.
As I walked down the street in Old Town, my eyes got stuck to the wall of a large door. Engraving the face and some quotes of scientist Einstein on the wall. Nobel laureate Albert Einstein was met here by the famous writers Mac Brad and Franois Kafka.
Einstein was professor of theoretical physics at the University of Prague in 1911-1912. It was at this time that he wrote his famous dissertation, The Theory of Relativity. A few old houses across the door, Einstein lived in this old town. Although his residence was not preserved.
After finishing the jute in Prague, Einstein went to the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The beautiful Einstein Museum has been set up in Bern, the capital of the country. Einstein was invited as the first president when the state of Israel was formed after World War II, but he did not accept the invitation.
I was so taken aback by the historic sites of the old town that I didn't even think about lunch. I had lunch with pizza at a hotel and went out again. This time the destination is Charles Bridge, near the Einstein residence. The clouds in the sky began to call.
Immediately after the thunder of the clouds, lightning and rain came down. We had to wait for the rain. Last afternoon the rain subsided and darkness fell. By then the charm of Charles Bridge had diminished. The short-lived Manihari shops have been closed down. Yet the crowds of tourists.
Charles Bridge is one of the seventeen bridges over the Voltava River in Prague. The bridge was built in 1357 after Czech King Charles IV. Built on 15 pillars, the 621 m long and 10 m wide bridge is 13 m high from the water's edge.
Efforts to build a bridge over the Voltava River have been under way since the mid-eleventh century. Although the structure was originally made of wood, it was destroyed in 1158. After much experimentation, the bridge was finally built.
Sandbags are used to build bridges as hard as stone. Some other ingredients, including eggs, were added to harden. Once it was seen that eggs are no longer available in the city. Then eggs were brought from remote areas of the village. It has been seen many times that the eggs come from far and wide and break on the way. Then arrangements were made to bring boiled eggs.
It is not known whether historians have found the truth about the egg, but in ancient times the egg was used in the construction of installations in the East and the West. Eggs have also been used in the construction of the Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad, built in the 19th century.
In the old days, Charles Bridge was used to suppress criminals. Anti-monarchists, social criminals, thieves, robbers and swindlers were thrown into the river from the bridge. John of Nepomukh, a famous figure in disagreement with the Queen, was thrown into the Voltava River from the bridge in 1393.
The statue of John of Nepomuk on the bridge still exists. Statue of a bearded old man with his head bowed at the end of Charles Bridge. The old man looked at the water day and night and measured the height of the water. We crossed the bridge and came to this side. It's afternoon. Need to rest back at the hotel.
I found out by asking, the nearest metro station, Central after three stations, then Kobilishi from Central. On my way to the metro station, I stopped at the Kafka Museum in France. Famous author Franois Kafka was born in the old town. Kafka lived his life in two streams, an office assistant of humble insurance during the day and a strict writer at night.
On the way I saw a girl selling boat tickets on the Voltava River. Exactly the next day we will be back here on a trip to Prague Under the Bridge. The girl said the boat went for an hour in a row under the Charles Bridge over the Volta Tower and under sixteen other bridges.
It's just that the next morning after breakfast I will leave at nine o'clock. Breakfast at eight o'clock in the morning in a crowd of tourists. Mostly European. A family seems to have come from a country in the Middle East. The girls of the family are all wearing colorful clothes.
Out of the hotel is a large park at the corner of the street. The green ceremony. There are not many people in the park, two or three old women are spending time with dogs. Dog pets are a Czech tradition. It is said that "Russians love children and Czechs their dogs".
However, it is not that the Czechs do not love their children. However, the love for a pet dog is no less than that of a child. The Czechs occupy the first place in pet dogs in Europe. Almost every family has a dog courier equipped with large beds, dishes, towels, etc., like a servant courier. The checkers would go to the hotel-restaurant to eat with the dog. There was also a separate cup-plate for the dog and a separate attendant.
Then I got on the train and stopped at Central. Train tickets for minors and senior citizens cost half as much. Our destination is Malostranska station on the Green Line. Walking distance from the station is Charles Bridge. Arriving at Central Station, I could not find the green line in any direction.
A lady waiting for the train on the platform. After questioning him, he took us upstairs in an elevator, put us on the train, waved goodbye. Wherever I asked in Prague, everyone left their work and extended a helping hand. That is not usually the case.
I got off at Malostranska station, bought a ticket for the girl yesterday and got on the boat. Small boat. Many more like us sit down. We left the boat as soon as we sat down. Sunny day. The daytime temperature is rising. Clouds like white combed cotton in the sky. There is no rain in these clouds. Gentle breeze.
Our boat sailed on the clear water of the Voltavar. A girl came and asked if we wanted any soft or hard drinks. I would like coffee. Descriptions of the installations and bridges on both sides of the river floated on the boat's microphone.
Returning to Central Station after a two-hour river journey, it seemed almost like seeing Prague. A few palaces and churches attract travelers. But I didn't want to see them anymore. I have seen so many churches in Turkey and Cyprus that I have lost sight of the church.
One more full day at hand. What can be done? I thought of Vienna. The whole day can be spent in Vienna. Just four hours train from Prague. Vienna will also be visited, train travel can also be enjoyed. Without hesitation, I bought a ticket to Vienna. The train to Vienna at eight the next morning.
There are direct trains from Prague to Vienna, Berlin, Budapest, Hamburg. Not that far away. You can go back day by day. There is no checking from one country to another, no hassle.
The train to Vienna left at eight o'clock the next day. High-speed train - only three stops. Time is quarter to four hours. On the way the train stops at Breaklove station a little longer. The lines are changing.
The train is moving at the speed of the storm. There is no sound, except for the non-stop stations rushing out. There are no peddlers and drinkers. Passengers are busy with laptops and smartphones. The magazine was seen in the hands of some people.
At half past twelve we landed in Vienna, the capital of Austria. As a vibrant city, Vienna ranks first in the world. But among the cities I have visited are Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Zurich, Geneva, Istanbul, Antalya, Athens, Casablanca, Marrakesh.
The Vienna station is like any other European station. Tidy clean. It's lunch time. Food court inside the station. Various local food restaurants. We sat at a table in an Indian restaurant. Polao, chicken-curry, tandoori, bhaji etc.
The train back to Prague is at five in the afternoon. It was one o'clock in the afternoon when I finished my lunch. We have only four hours of time. Four hours after leaving the station, I returned to the station with a dissatisfied mind to see Vienna as much as possible. The roads in Vienna are the same as in other European countries, but some of the most famous installations are nowhere but Vienna.
Will have to come back to Vienna as time and opportunity. Four hours is nothing to visit Vienna. I returned to Prague at half past nine in the night, and another thirty minutes later at the hotel. The flight to Stockholm at eleven thirty the next morning. What else can I say about returning. I will talk about any next trip. But some other time.
thanks
It's amazing. Hope I could pay a visit to that place too in the future.