Prague & Vienna ... December 26-27, 2006

The day after Christmas we drove to Prague to see the city in the Winter and so Heather's dad could see it. The weather was great, so it wasn't nearly as cold as it probably should have been. I would have liked to have seen the Charles Bridge covered in snow, but I guess it is better to trade that for an easy drive and relatively mild climate while strolling through the Old Town.
As soon as we arrived in the city we found a hotel located a block from the Old Town Hall Clock Tower, where a door opens on the clock every hour on the hour for the procession of Jesus followed by the twelve apostles. We walked from there through the old town to the Charles bridge, that crosses the Vltava river, disecting Prague. One of the 30 statues lining the bridge is of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech saint that was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown off the bridge into the river. The tradition is to rub the statue for good luck and to ensure your return to Prague. What was interesting, though, as Heather and Katie waited in line to comply with the tradition, I noticed that instead of rubbing the saint's head, many of the people passing by were touching the saint's dog (you can see it in the picture at the far left). Not sure what supposed benefit comes from that, although I am sure that the folklore has evolved over time.
We made our way from the bridge to Prague Castle, the largest medievel castle complex in Europe. This is the exact opposite path of the one that we took last Summer, where we started at the castle and ended at the Clock Tower. So it was more uphill this time (although not as many stairs like in the summer), making it a slightly slower trek. We passed through the gates of the castle and eventually found our way to the main square within the castle walls where the gothic Saint Vitus Cathedral resides. Last summer the lines to get in were way too long to justify entering, but this time we were able to go right in. Although spectacular and eery as most of these gothic European cathedrals are, it is the same eery/spectacular you feel visiting St. Stephens in Vienna or the Cologne Cathedral (although to digress, that one is the most spectacular of all!), so I am glad we didn't spend the time last Summer waiting in line for entrance.
At this point it was beginning to get dark, so we retraced our steps back to the Old Town Square where the Christkindlmarkt of Prague was still open. For me, this was the best market we visited in regards to the ambiance. Between the church in the background, lit up from the light of a large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and the theater set up in the middle of the market, the atmosphere was thrilling. We walked around for a while before picking up some pizzas that we took back to our hotel for dinner.
The next day we drove back home, stopping off in Vienna to visit the Christkindlmarkt at Schoenbrun Castle. We didn't realize that they actually close down before Christmas to begin preparation for the big New Year's Eve party. We didn't know this until we had driven to the castle, parked the car, and walked to the grounds, only to find the castle courtyard filled with a number of deserted booths. But I guess we can go back next year!