Leaving Rothenburg we had a decision to make - continue on to Berlin for a few days of extra rest -
or continue on to Prague and circle back to Berlin via the Freiberg Temple.
The pull of Prague and the temple proved too great, so we headed for the Czech Republic.
We arrived in the early evening and headed out for a walk.
Prague is a beautiful city!
In every city we have visited, the boys have wanted to do a segway tour, but the Optimist is always too young. Prague was our magic ticket! We did a beautiful sunset tour.
Grandma is such a good sport!
The Tyn Church in Old Town Square is spectacular lit up at night.
This 13th century gothic church is one of many buildings surrounding a square so large,
it can hold 400,000 people. It is sometimes called Wenceslas square. There is a statue dedicated to
good King Wenceslas who was put to death here by his not so good brother.
In the morning, we headed to church and felt very welcomed by everyone there.
There were even visitors from a town nearby our home!
We got there just in time to see the changing of the guard.
Then on to St. Vitus Cathedral, which was begun in the 9th century as a small chapel, was expanded to its current size in the 14th century, but not fully completed until the 20th century!
Consequently, it is an interesting mixture of ages and building styles.
Gothic influence on the outside.
With romanesque influences added inside.
One of my favorite pictures was taken as we were waiting in line to enter the cathedral.
The boys were sitting on the side enjoying some shade and looking so handsome in their Sunday clothes, I called to have them look up to snap their picture and unplanned this is what happened.
Perhaps I'm taking a few too many pictures of them? :)
We've enjoyed many wonderful street musicians in our travels, but these men playing near the cathedral were truly remarkable. I wish I could hit "play" right now.
There were even visitors from a town nearby our home!
The church is very near to many sites, that the members suggested we leave our car parked there and walk up the hill. It was a great suggestion and a beautiful walk.
Our first view of the Prague Cathedral and Castle
We visited St. Wenceslas Chapel with its remarkable painted ceilings and walls.
Consequently, it is an interesting mixture of ages and building styles.
Gothic influence on the outside.
With romanesque influences added inside.
One of my favorite pictures was taken as we were waiting in line to enter the cathedral.
The boys were sitting on the side enjoying some shade and looking so handsome in their Sunday clothes, I called to have them look up to snap their picture and unplanned this is what happened.
Perhaps I'm taking a few too many pictures of them? :)
We've enjoyed many wonderful street musicians in our travels, but these men playing near the cathedral were truly remarkable. I wish I could hit "play" right now.
We enjoyed a few fun treats during our time in Prague.
Trdelnik is this wonderful treat where strips of bread are coiled around metal and cooked over a fire. While still warm the bread is lightly rolled in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. We had ours also filled with Nutella. Delicious!
They also roast ham over an open pit. We had a delicious Czech lunch at the market!
It was a quick trip to Prague, but we were so grateful for the visit. On the way back to Berlin we took a side trip to visit the LDS Freiberg Temple.
See our Temple Tracker page for more pics.
Wait! I almost forgot about our encounter with the Czech police!
We only had one more tunnel to pass through in order to leave the Czech Republic and enter Germany. Just before that tunnel, we were surprised to see multiple police cars parked before the tunnel and suddenly one of the police motioning for us to pull over!!
What could it be? It quantity of police made it appear serious indeed!
They informed us that we were traveling Czech freeways without the required permit in our window. I apologized for the misunderstanding and asked how we could have known of such a permit and where we should have purchased it? Did I detect a small smirk when I was informed that there was a small sign, written in Czechoslovakian, when we entered the country that provided this information.
No problem said the police, you can purchase a 10 day pass right now for 500 Czech koruna.
Since I could see Germany 1/2 mile away, I ask for an option B.
Another smirk, "or you can pay a fine equivalent of 10 US dollars for not having the permit."
Sold! I get out and pay the permit and we cross into Germany, noticing the numerous cars being pulled over for the same offense. Ah well - our visit worth every penny. :)
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