Wanderlust: Prague, Czech Republic 2018 • The Spirited Traveler

I’m fresh off my trip to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Prague is a beautiful old city situated on the Vltava River, rife with culture and history. I felt like I was in another world, in another time, as I strolled through the streets taking in the historical sights & sounds, the hustle & bustle. Prague is a visual treat, full Old World charm, colorful old buildings, tasty foods & sweets, and excellent beer. I had the pleasure of spending 4 days exploring Prague’s Old Town and Mala Strana areas, and I could easily see myself spending another 4 days in this city. There is so much to tell and relive from this trip, and it’s nearly impossible to get it all out in one article. But I managed to whittle out my Top 5 highlights from the trip:

The Cocktail Scene

The Fairy Tale: absithne, black pepper syrup, tonic water, lemon peel, rosemary, lemon thyme

I was blown away by the Prague’s cocktail culture. It was far beyond anything I was expecting. So much so, I can’t wait to visit the city again and explore more of their excellent bars, bespoke cocktails, and blazing club scene.

My full recap of my favorite bars in Prague’s Old Town can be found here.

The Klementinum

The Klementinum is a complex of buildings founded by the Jesuits in 1556, as a school. It grew to contain a library, 2 churches, several chapels, an astronomy tower, and concert halls. It’s quite large, in fact, it’s the second largest complex in Prague behind Prague Castle. And learning that what could arguably be described as”the world’s most beauty library” was housed within its walls is all it took to guarantee it a spot on my Must Do list. Funny fact about me: I love books, book stores, and libraries. No matter where I visit, I usually end up in at least one (if not several) of these locations. 😉

There are 3 main attractions to the Klementinum:

The Mirror Chapel
The Astronomical Tower
The National Baroque Library of the Czech Republic

I didn’t see the Mirror Chapel, but I did tour the Astronomical tower, saw the Meridian Hall, and the gorgeousness that is the Baroque library. Photography is NOT allowed in the library and I completely understand why. This library contains rare, one of a kind books from the 17th century. The nerdy, book loving photog in me wishes I could have taken pictures of this spectacle. I could have easily spent HOURS roaming this place. Easily.

Nothing prepares you for the beauty and detail, it looks like something straight out of Harry Potter. The smell of the old books permeates the air as you take in the details of the scene. There are over 20,000 books housed within the shelves; the ceilings are covered with gorgeous frescoes; and there are these huge, beautiful globes down the center. While breathing on the books, let alone touching them, is a big no-no, some of them are in the process of being digitized. So soon, some of these 17th century books on religion and science will be available on Google Books. To see pictures, you have to visit the Klementinum site, or do a Google search. The image below I got from ccmailb. And you cannot tell me this is not a gorgeous library.

Klementinum National Library
Image from: ccmailb

Once we finished the tour of the library, I had no real expectations for the rest of the tour. I saw my dream library, so I was just prepared to take in the rest of the scenery. The next stop of the tour was the Meridian Hall. This place houses a TON of astronomical tools that really appealed to the nerd in me. 😉 It was fascinating to see all the old implements that were used to track the sun, determine true noon, and measure & observe the celestial beings. These things were straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. There are these huge sextants on the walls, ingenious tools everywhere, and even a string stretched across the floor that accurately depicts high noon from a stream of sunlight (through a small hole in the ceiling) hitting the it at a certain spot. Indiana Jones, right?

For the final step of the tour, we ventured up to the top of the Astronomical Tower. At 223 feet up, I got the most spectacular views of the city and the Charles Bridge. After seeing the city from 3 different vantage points, the Klementinum’s Astronomical Tower provided my favorite views.

The Charles Bridge

You can’t go to Prague and not check out the iconic Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Vltava River, connecting Prague’s Old Town to Mala Strana (the Lesser Quarter), which houses the Prague Castle. Construction of the Charles Bridge began in 1357 and has been standing since its completion. The bridge features 30 baroque statues that line both sides of the expanse, a TON of tourists, and lots of local artist selling everything from artwork, jewelry, and music. I visited the Charles Bridge several times during my visit, at different times of the day to take in the vibe and feel of it all.

Prague’s Old Town Square

The number one thing I wanted to see on my trip was the Astronomical Clock located in Prague’s Old Town Square. The Astronomical Clock, made in 1410, is something I’ve been wanting to see since I first learned of its existence when I was in the 6th grade. So when I got to Prague only to discover it was undergoing renovations, I was understandably disappointed. But there’s a lot more to see and explore in Old Town Square, and I was not disappointed in that at all. There are a ton of good restaurants and boutiques to discover, history and art to take in, and lots of local performers to check out. Plus, and one of my favorite bars, Black Angels, is located here.

I spent a lot time relaxing and taking in the sights in Old Town Square, with my favorite time of day being twilight. And even though the Astronomical Clock was covered behind a wooden wall, the tower was still open. So up I went on my first full day in Prague to take in my first views of the famed orange tiled roofs.

The Church of our Lady Before Tyn quickly became one my favorite visuals in Old Town Square. The church is an impressive example of Gothic architecture, and construction on it started around the mid 14th century. Its tall spires are reminiscent of the Disney Castle, at least to me.

Church of Our Lady before Týn Church at twilight

Jewish Quarter

I spent a few hours strolling through the Jewish Quarter and it was one of the more humbling experiences I’ve had while traveling. The synagogues are beautiful and have stood the test of time. The oldest, The Old New Synagogue was built in the 13th century, and the newest, The Spanish Synagogue, was built in 1868.

I spent the majority of my time in the Pinkas Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The Pinkas Synagogue, the second oldest synagogue in Prague, is a memorial to the Czech Holocaust victims. The names of nearly 78,000 Czech victims are written on its walls, including their birth and death dates. There is also a permanent exhibit of artwork drawn by the children in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Right behind the synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery. The reason for the overcrowding the crooked tombstone is because Jews were not allowed to be buried outside the Quarter from 1439-1787, nor was the church allowed to purchase additional land for burials. Instead, extra dirt was brought in and bodies were buried on top of one another and the tombstones resettled because Jewish custom prevents the removal of old graves. There is an estimated 100,000 bodies buried in this small space, with the bodies stacked up to 12 deep in some spots.