Final Day in Prague...by Eleanor

As you may have noticed, I am woefully late on this last Prague blog post, so in the interest of getting it up as soon as possible I will not go into as much detail as I would like to. However, everything we saw had some really interesting history attached so feel free to read up on them on Wikipedia!

On Tuesday we started off bright and early at the Old New Synagogue, the oldest active synagogue in Europe. It was completed in 1270 in Gothic style, but one of the interesting tidbits I found is that it's one of the few twin-nave synagogues, which actually resemble Christian churches from the time. The reason is that the architects had really only had experience with churches, so they just stuck with what they knew and adapted some of their earlier designs!

The banner of the Jewish community of Prague

The synagogue follows orthodox custom, which separates the men and the women. The men participate in the prayer service within the main sanctuary, whereas the women watch from the Medieval women's chamber (behind this wall-- they can hear and see through the windows).

Next we walked up to the Prague Castle complex, which dates from the 9th century. Although it's seen good days and bad, it's almost always been the seat of the rulers (kings/emperors/presidents) of the region. Apparently it's also the largest ancient castle in the world! Of course, we only saw a tiny bit of it, but it was really incredible.

On our way up; you can see St. Vitus Cathedral in the background.

St. Vitus up close!

Such a cute family! 

Admiring the cathedral.

First we visited Vladislav Hall, built at the end of the 15th century to host a variety of events from banquets to jousting.

I just love the pillars!

Aren't these heaters fantastic? Some of them were warm.

This window is the site of the Second Prague Defenestration in 1618.

I just found the ceiling work fantastic.

This chamber has the coats of arms of all the officials, in order from most important to least.

James loved this staircase, which was specially built to permit riders to enter the hall on horseback.

By this time, we were all feeling a bit peckish so we decided to stop by the market outside to grab a snack.

I got traditional grilled cheese-- a chewy fried cheese slab served on a mild sourdough with a dollop of sweet cranberry jam. The textures and tastes were perfect together!! So delicious.

We also got fried potato cakes, dumplings, and soup.

Our next stop was St. George's Basilica, which dates to the 10th century, although it's undergone several reconstructions and additions since then.

The facade, for example, is Baroque.

The crypt under the altar.

The altar construction was really interesting and graceful.

Yes, this is a later addition.

Like the bones??

Golden Lane is a row of tiny houses that traditionally housed goldsmiths, servants of the royal family, and guards. It was inhabited from the 16th century until the middle of the 20th, and today hosts exhibits and shops (and is generally adorable).

Look at this armor!

Fun little torture room...

This child's armor....was a model of some sort

The houses were tiny-- only 8-12 feet deep.

Nice toilet.

Dalibor Tower, which used to be a dungeon mainly for nobles, is at the opposite end of Golden Lane.

So cheerful!

They would throw especially troublesome prisoners down here. Ashley and I found some skeletons at the bottom.

Finally, we explored St. Vitus Cathedral, a stunning Gothic cathedral that was founded in 1344.

The gorgeous mosaic was inspired by the one at Orvieto-- just a short drive from Todi!

The interior was simply breathtaking.

Isn't this design cool? We were surprised by how modern it looks... until we remembered that the church wasn't actually completed until 1929.

Of course, I admired the organ.

Although we were tired and footsore, we walked back via Mala Strana, one of the more historic districts of town.

Although we couldn't see the interior of St. Nicholas Church, we were able to admire the exterior and climb the bell tower.

There were two minuscule flats for the bellkeepers halfway up the tower. 

I'll never complain about a small kitchen again!

Charles Bridge was crowded as always.

Finally, we headed over to the Church of Our Lady Victorious to see the Infant Jesus of Prague-- you know, the one that's reproduced in churches all around the world. We also got to see his large collection of clothes.

This crown was a gift from Pope Benedict XVI

After a long but eventful day, we sat down to dinner (goulash with dumplings in my case) before heading home at 4:30 the next morning.