Sanders Go Sightseeing: Prague, Czech Republic (Stare Mesto)

After a fun morning in Nuremberg we hopped back into the car to head to the Czech Republic. Destination: Prague!

We stayed in a quiet little apartment near Old Town (Old Town Apartments) that had a very convenient beer garden beneath it! The apartment was nice, it had two bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room, bathroom/laundry room, and a living room and only cost 285 EUR for three days (which sounds a lot less than 7,552.50 CZK, lol!).

Driving wasn't that bad in Prague until we got closer into the city and parking was almost impossible to find. Our apartment had a locked parking garage but what we were failed to be told was that the parking garage was about a 1/2 mile from our actual apartment and was the size of a bathroom! The attendant had to help guide our huge SUV and we barely were able to get our luggage out the back. It was also an interesting feat to drag all our stuff across Prague with two small children and a horrific language barrier!

We were pooped from traveling so we didn't do much our first night there. We had to save our energy for Old Town the following day!

People watching in Prague!

Stare Mesto (Old Town) was really cool (once we were able to find it, I can't tell you how many times we got lost even with a map!). It is the "heart of Prague" and is full of 13th century buildings, medieval gargoyles, markets, churches, and countless shops and restaurants. However, the highlight was the Staromestska Radnice (the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock)!

Every hour, hundreds of tourists from all over the world with cameras at the ready gather in front of the Old Town Hall to enjoy a fascinating mechanical performance which in the Middle Ages was considered one of the wonders of the world. The Prague Astronomical Clock, which for 600 years has been one of the greatest treasures of the city, still amazes people with its procession of Apostles, moving statues and visualization of time like no other instrument in the world.

Legends about the origins of the Prague Astronomical Clock are many. The most famous one, however, is that it was built by Master Hanuš in 1410. The city councillors at that time were so delighted with the clock that they later began to fear that Master Hanuš would build one like it for another European city. Therefore one dark night they had him blinded, and thus the wondrous clock remained only in Prague. Whether or not this legend is true, what is certain is that at the top of every hour figures on the sides of the clock become animated and two windows open up to reveal 12 apostles greeting the city. On the sides of the clock you’ll see a skeleton ringing a bell, a Turk shaking his head, a miser with a purse full of money, and Vanity looking in a mirror. The whole performance ends with the crowing of a golden rooster and the ringing of the huge bell at the top of the tower.

Afterwards we "explored" the city a little more before heading back to our apartment for some much needed rest! Next on the list, Petrin Hill and the Castle District!