On Wednesday, eight of us joined Professor Dennis Darling on a bike tour around the city of Prague. To save some time, you can read about it here. We biked around Old Town and then crossed over into Lesser Town Prague. All along the way, Dennis acted as our personal guide and Czech historian. He told us the tale of the One-Armed Thief at the Church of St. James, pointed out examples of various architecture styles from cubism to baroque to art nouveau, took us around hidden corners to the Lennon Wall and the locks of love bridge, and even supplied us with a Starbucks fix. Yes...a venti chai tea latte here in Prague. It tasted just like American consumerism and simultaneously, Christmas in a cup. Delicious and just as spectacular as the surprises along the bike ride.
Here are some photos from the adventure.
Liz & Lana | Liz's 22nd Birthday / bike ride | I don't know about you, but I'm feeling twenty-two
Left: example of baroque architecture | Right: example of cubism architecture
Karluv Most | Charles Bridge
Statue of St. John of Nepomuk | "This statue is the oldest on the bridge. The original clay design was made by Austrian sculptor Matthias Rauchmüller, based upon a wood model by Jan Brokoff. The statue was then cast in bronze by Volfgang Jeroným Heroldt in Nuremberg. The saint is presented in a traditional way, as a bearded capitulary with a five-star glory, standing on a tripartite base. The base portrays scenes from the life of St. John of Nepomuk, including the confession of Queen Johanna and the saint's death. In 1393 St. John of Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge into the river where he drowned. In modern times it has become traditional to touch the bridge here; this is held to bring good fortune and to ensure that the visitor will return to the city of Prague." - Wikipedia (LOL)
Lennon Wall
"The Lennon Wall or John Lennon Wall, is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the communist regime of Gustáv Husák. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge." - Wikipedia (credible)
Locks of Love
"Love padlocks (also known as love locks and, in Taiwan, wish locks) are a custom by which padlocks are affixed to a fence, gate, bridge or similar public fixture by sweethearts at an increasing number of locations in the world to symbolize their everlasting love." -Wikipedia (yes, again)
Old Town Square
