Prague the fairy tale City - Charles Bridge & around

Our first View of Prague from the Charles Bridge. 

To start enjoying holiday after a grueling travel schedule one requires a good night’s sleep and this we got at an apartment we had rented from ‘Old Town Square Apartments.’ Apparently they have hired a few apartments around the historic old square and rent them out to tourists. So they don’t have one fixed place. It helped that they had arranged the cab that brought us to the apartment in the evening. The apartment was small but cute with 2 rooms and a small kitchen. It was right in the middle of action and as soon as you went down the lift and came out in the open- you were swarmed by the milling tourists. Yet, the apartment itself was quiet though it did not offer any views.

The Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge

By 10 AM we were ready to explore the city and on coming out of the apartment we turned left and in 5 minutes we found ourselves near the tower from where the famous Charles Bridge started spanning. For almost 650 years this bridge has been only for pedestrians and historically it has a great significance. The first sculpture, St. John of Nepomuk, was placed upon the bridge in 1683. It was such a hit that the church commissioned another 21 statues, which were created between 1698 and 1713. Since then the number has increased to 30. Each statue has a meaning and significance and tourists with guidebooks in hand spend hours on the bridge going from statue to statue. The bridge had been built by King Charles IV and it is the most prominent landmark of Prague. Spanning 510 meters, it made sure that one round resulted in a kilometer of walk for us !

One of the 30 statues at Charles Bridge

As we got onto the Charles Bridge, the stunning view of the Red and White buildings beyond the river captivated us. It is a kind of image which instantly makes you say ‘Wow!’ The entire landscape looked fresh and it sparkled under the mid morning sun. Behind it we could see the castle. It was a fairy tale view and cameras were out in a jiffy lest the view would disappear somewhere. The view remained where it was and over the next few days we would enjoy several more views from different vantage points and at different times of day and night.

A Fairy tale image !

Perfect background for a good picture

There was a lot happening on Charles Bridge. The photographers, the tourists, the painters and Musicians lent the atmosphere a great deal of festivity. So much so that even after more than a month when I think of Charles Bridge, the music starts streaming in my ears. I think this streaming will continue whenever I will think of Charles Bridge in a long time to come.

You relate Charles Bridge with the music that is played by these talented musicians.

Newly wed couples, photographers and even acrobats found place on Charles Bridge

It is said that touching this image gives you luck !

Portraits or paintings - everything was done by artists here.

We could have gone beyond the Charles Bridge into unknown territory but it was time to feed ourselves some breakfast so we turned back to the start of the Bridge and noticed many people sitting out in the open at a restaurant. We also decided to do the same. We had thus discovered Klub Lavka.

Klub Lavka

 

Klub Lavka may be a very popular nightclub of Old Town,but it became popular with my family as we loved sitting here next to the river and the Charles Bridge for some of our breakfasts and for lunch on one of the days. On the first full day itself after a stroll on the Charles Bridge we walked to Klub Lavka and sat outside for a scrambled egg and sausage breakfast. I took a stroll inside and it was a huge place. On the other side also they had a sit out area. I am told that the place is choc a bloc at nights when the music would be loud and revelers in full action. This was also a great place to sit in the afternoon sun and enjoy one of the famous beers of Czech Republic. The day temperature was around 21deg C and there always was a mild cool breeze making it our favorite sit out place. It had terrific views  and it was relaxing sitting here. It is another matter that on one day due to language problem we were served their special lunch instead of special breakfast !

View from Klub Lavka

Family time 

Get under the Charles Bridge for a river cruise !

Now that we had a fair idea about Charles Bridge and its surrounding areas, it was time to walk to the famous Old Town Square where we were meeting my cousin Kunaal, his wife Jyoti and their friends Ashu and Shikha. The first day itself turned out to be a long day as after the Charles Bridge we not only spent time at the Old Town square but also took a city trip on hop on & hop off bus. And when you are with Kunaal, the night belongs to the nightclubs !!

More of all this to follow ...................................