6/13/14
Day 1:
Jack had a four day weekend so we decided to take Keenan to Prague. I am so glad we got a chance to take him. Prague is a bit of a magical place for me and I am so glad that I got to share it with him.

Since Prague is only two hours away from where we live, we drove. It was a quick and easy drive and only cost about $35 in gas and 16 Euro for the Czech vignette. When we got to our hotel, we dropped off our luggage and started walking from Florenc to Old Town.

The Magical Prague!

I'm not sure what this building is but it had great statues on it.

Streets of Prague

The Kings Court Hotel. I love the architecture.

We found a cute little restaurant and got a bite to eat before we headed to Charles Bridge.

Jack making faces

Keenan being just like his Dad

Lot's of Czech beer for the boys!

After lunch we headed to Charles Bridge.

Christ Between Saints Cosmas and Damian

Saints Cosmas and Damian were Christian martyrs and, because they dispensed free medical care to the poor, have become patron saints of doctors. The statue of Saints Cosmas and Damian on Charles Bridge was originally commissioned by Prague's medical faculty in 1709.

The boys taking a break

St. Vitus

St. Vitus, patron saint of dancing and other theatrical callings, is depicted in Roman dress. Hungry lions climb a rock to reach the saint, signifying his demise. This statue was created by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1714.

St. Philip

St. Philip Benezi or Benitius was a 13th century Servite priest. The Servite Order in Prague was responsible for the commission of this piece. Michael Bernard Mandle sculpted the original Charles Bridge statue in 1714.

St. Cajetan

St. Cajetan was the founder of the Theatine order. The statue of St. Cajetan shows him surrounded by angels. A sacred heart is held aloft. This statue was created by Ferdinand Brokoff in 1709.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine is the patron saint of the Augustinian Order, and it was the convent of St. Augustine in Prague that is responsible for the presence of this statue on Charles Bridge. Jan Bedrich Kohl sculpted the original statue in 1708, showing the saint holding a burning heart with an angel perched at his side; the burning heart is a part of the symbol of the Augustinians.

St. Jude

St. Jude, or Judas, is best known for being one of the Twelve Apostles. The book he holds in this sculptural representation signifies his spreading of the Gospel, and the club by his side indicates the manner of his demise. Jan Oldrich Mayor completed the statue in 1708.

St. Anthony

St. Anthony of Padua, a 13th century preacher, is seen in this 1707 sculpture by Jan Oldrich Mayor holding a baby Jesus.

St. John of Nepomuk

One of the oldest statues on Charles Bridge, this statue was placed on the bridge in 1683 to commemorate the saint. St. John of Nepomuk was a religious figure in St. Wenceslas' court in the 14th century but was thrown from Charles Bridge to his death in the Vltava River.

The reliefs below the statue of St. John of Nepomuk illustrate scenes from his life. Legend says that good luck, and a promise of a return trip to Prague, comes to those who touch these reliefs.

Mike touching St. John of Nepomuk. It's said that if you do this, you will have luck and return to Prague

Keenan touching St. John of Nepomuk

Saints Norbert, Wenceslas, and Sigismund

The statue of these three patron saints of regions in Bohemia was created in 1857 by Josef Max.

St. John the Baptist

Also sculpted in 1857 by Josef Max, the statue of St. John the Baptist depicts St. John holding a cross.

Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius are important figures in East and East Central Europe. Credited with inventing the Cyrillic alphabet, they also brought Christianity to the Slavic people. The statue, created by Karel Dvorak in the 20th century, shows Cyril and Methodius as educators.

St. Anne

St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is seen here in this 1707 statue by Matej Vaclav Jackel holding baby Jesus, who in turn holds a sphere representing the globe.

Crucifixion

The original statue (made of wood) that stood in the place of the present Crucifixion statue predates even the statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Christ on the Cross stood alone until statues of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist were added in the 19th century.

Saints Dominic and Thomas

In this 1708 statue by Matej Vaclav Jackal, the Virgin Mary presents a rosary to St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas. Symbols of the Dominican Order are incorporated into this statue.

Virgin Mary

In this 1708 statue by Matej Vaclav Jackal, the Virgin Mary presents a rosary to St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas. Symbols of the Dominican Order are incorporated into this statue.

St. Wenseslas

This statue dates from the year 1858 and was sculpted by Karel Bohm. Saint Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.

Saints John of Matha, Feliz of Valois, and Ivan

This Charles Bridge Statue was created in 1714 by Ferdinand Brokoff. It depicts Christians, imprisoned by Ottoman Turks, and the saints who founded the order that was established to free Christians from enslavement.

Inside the cage of Saints John of Matha, Feliz of Valois, and Ivan

St. Adalbert

St. Adalbert was a medieval Prague bishop who is a patron saint throughout the East and East Central European region. It was designed in 1709 by Michael and Ferdinand Brokoff.

St. Lutgard

St. Lutgard is also referred to as Lutigarde and Luthgard. Most sources describe the artistic value of this statue, which depicts the blind saint, who, while receiving a divine visit, kisses Christ's wounds. the statue was sculpted by Matthias Braun in 1710.

St. Nicholas

In this statue from 1708 by Jan Bedrich Kohl, St. Nicholas of Tolentino, an Augustinian monk, distributes bread to the poor.

Saints Vincent Ferrer and Procopius would be shown helping others to overcome sin and vice. The statue is from 1712 was created by Ferdinand Brokoff. I do not have a picture of that one right now since it is down for cleaning.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order, is accompanied by two angels in this 1855 statue by Emmanual Max.

St. Ludmilla

St. Ludmilla, who spread the Christian faith throughout the Bohemian region, teaches St. Wenceslas from the Bible. The relief on this Charles Bridge statue base shows the death of St. Wenceslas.

The statue of St. Francis Borgia by Ferdinand Brokoff dates from 1710 and depicts Saint Francis Borgia with two angels, who each hold a portrait of the Virgin Mary. I do not have a picture of that one right now since it is down for cleaning.

St. Christopher

St. Christopher is often depicted with a staff carrying Jesus as a child on his shoulder, and this traditional image is reinterpreted in this statue from 1857 by Emmanual Max.

St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier is known for his work in the East, and he is shown here with four non-European princes who he is converting to Christianity.

St. Joseph

St. Joseph and Christ as a child are depicted in this statue.

Pieta/Lamentation of Christ

The statue of the Pieta, or the Lamentation of Christ, statue on Charles Bridge was a site of executions in the past. The statue dates from 1859 and was sculpted by Emmanual Max.

Saints Barbara, Margaret, and Elizabeth

Saint Barbara is the patron Saint of Miners, and a church in nearby Kutna Hora, a former mining town, is dedicated to her. St. Elizabeth is show on the left of St. Barbara, while St. Margaret is on the right.

St. Ivo

Also called St. Ives, St. Ivo is the patron saint of lawyers and is seen in this 18th century statue with a personification of Justice.

Statue of Bruncvik

Me & my guy!

After the bridge we were pretty tired so we walked back to Florenc and found dinner at a very cool beer bar place. We ordered a huge pork knuckle that had been roasted for many hours and was one of the most savory meals we have had. Just one was enough to fill all three of us up!

6/14/14
Day 2:
We woke up and had a nice little breakfast next door to the hotel then headed, once again, to Old Town. When we reached the Old Town Square we noticed a huge blue creature and found out it was part of a Tim Burton exhibit. In honor of our Kiylei, who is a huge Tim Burton fan, we went in. We are all glad we did. It was pretty impressive!

A Macy's Day Parade Float created by Tim Burton

Keenan with the blue guy

Blue Woman with Wine

Part of his stop animation characters

Weird little creature heading down into the basement

Morbid little poem display

When we were done, we went back to walking around Old Town Square. I love the buildings in Old Town and of course the Astronomical Clock! An astronomical clock is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. One of the most famous of this type of clock is the Old-Town Hall clock in Prague, Czech Republic. It is also known as the Prague orloj. The central portion was completed in 1410. The four figures are set in motion at the hour, with Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time. On the hour there is a presentation of statues of the Apostles at the doorways above the clock, with all twelve presented at noon. In 1870 a calendar display was added below the clock.

During World War II the clock was nearly destroyed by Nazi fire. The townspeople are credited with heroic efforts in saving most of the parts. It was gradually renovated until 1948. In 1979 the clock was once more cleaned and renovated. According to local legend the city will suffer if the clock is neglected and its good operation is placed in jeopardy.

Old Town Square

Prague Orloj

Keeps time

Here is a little bit of information on the parts. The Sun arm with a golden hand attached to it shows three various times on the astronomical dial: common civil time, Old Czech Time, and Babylonian time. The oldest one, which is not used today, is the time in unequal hours, calledBabylonian hours (or, for their astrological meaning, planetary hours). The Babylonian time is read approximately at the place where the golden Sun is located, or rather in the intersection of the Sun arm and the ecliptic on the fingery lines. The time between the sunrise and sunset was divided into 12 equal portions, whose duration changes in the course of the year. The contemporary common civil time divides the day into 2x12 equally long hours starting at midnight and at noon. The time of the old Czech (Italian) clock also divides the day into 24 equal hours counted from the sunset. It is indicated on the outward rotated dial – the 24‑hour ring. The golden star connected to the ecliptic ring indicates the sidereal time, which is counted from the moment of passing of the vernal point over the local meridian.

The Golden Sun indicates the current position of the Sun both in the sky and within the zodiac, the Moon sphere then shows, beside the position of the Moon in the sky and within the zodiac, also its position towards the Sun and its phase, which is the visible portion of its sunlit hemisphere.

Tells the zodiac

The calendar dial makes one turn per year. It is installed on the astronomical clock since 1490 and its contemporary form is from 1866. On the perimeter of the dial, days in the year, names of saints, dominical letter and a syllable from the Cisiojanus is indicated. J. Mánes decorated the dial with scenes from rural life, which symbolize individual months. He also depicted the Sun Signs in an unconventional way. Mánes’s work was replaced by a copy due to apprehension that it would be damaged by weather conditions.

Vanity & Greed

Death & Lust

Here are just a few of the buildings. I really am taken with all the architectural details.

House at the Two Golden Bears

The facade on the house in Old Town Square with beautiful Czech paintings

St. Nicholas Church

The house attached to the Astronomical Clock

Church of Our Lady before Tyn in the background

Going towards Powder Arch

Powder Arch

My guys in Old Town Square

We found his place!

I LOVE this iron piece above a building

Keenan amongst the throngs

Kinsky Palace

Municipal Hall

Clementinum

Clam-Gallas Palace

During our walk, we went to a couple places for drinks and snacks. They had good selections of beer but so early in the day, I preferred latte macchiatos.

Me waiting for my coffee

Latte macchiato!!!

Breakfast for the boys!

Taking a breathe before our trip to the Castle

Keenan

Me & my Keenan. He refused to look at the camera.

Here are a couple pictures of New Town. We hardly spent time there since we were really wanting to go towards the Castle.

Assicurazioni Generali Building

The Three Fates Statue above the Assicurazioni Generali

Grand Hotel Europa

The Prague National Museum

Statue of St. Wenceslas in front of the Prague National Museum

Finally we started toward the Prague Castle. Here are a few pictures of what we saw going up to the Castle, this was across the bridge and in Little Quarter.

Crazy troll

Keenan with the crazy troll

Keenan photo bombing my Bechrovka

The delicious Bechrovka

Finally we got up to the castle...it turned out to be more of a palace. We did not go in this time but just walked around and got pictures of Prague from up there.

Very cool alley going up to the castle

Prague from the Castle

Finally to the Castle

The Castle Gates

One of the statues on the gate. Pretty unfriendly!

I guess they want you to know they aren't going to be nice if you mess around at the Castle

Archbishops Palace

Cernin Palace

Guards playing music on the second level of the Castle during the changing of the guard

Royal Palace

St. Vitus Cathedral

After all that, you would think we would call it a day....NOPE! Keenan really wanted to go to the National Gallery of Modern Art Veletržní Palace so we walked another 4 miles to the opposite side of Prague and went to see some art!

National Gallery Veletržní Palace

There was about 5 levels!

Their temporary exhibit was from Alfons Mucha. A little history lesson on Mucha acording to Wikipedia, "Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewelry, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was termed initially The Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau (French for "new art"). Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful young women in flowing, vaguely Neoclassical-looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed halos behind their heads."

The exhibit though was of his Slav Epic paintings. "Mucha spent many years working on what he considered his life's fine art masterpiece,The Slav Epic (Slovanská epopej), a series of twenty huge paintings depicting the history of the Czech and the Slavic people in general, bestowed to the city of Prague in 1928. He had wanted to complete a series such as this, a celebration of Slavic history, since he was young. From 1963 until 2012 the series was on display in the chateau inMoravský Krumlov the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic. Since 2012 the series has been on display at the National Gallery's Veletržní Palace."

The Slavs in Their Original Homeland

Coronation of the Servian Tsar Stefan Uros Dusan as East Roman Emperor

Introduction of the Slavic Liturgy

The Oath of the Youth Under the Slavic Linden Tree

Apotheosis Slavs for Humanity

The rest of the art was mainly Czech artists but some were people like Gustav Klimt and Picasso.

Gustav Klimt

After walking a little over 8 miles in one day, we went back to Florenc and got some of the best pizza we've had since we got to Germany. Then we went to bed to recover from our flurry of adventure.

6/15/14
Day 3:
On our way home we decided to drive to Kunta Hora to see the Bone Church. Here is a little history of the Bone Church. "The Sedlec Ossuary (Czech: Kostnice v Sedlci) is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints (Czech: Hřbitovní kostel Všech Svatých) in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have in many cases been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors yearly.^[1]

Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormouschandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault. Other works include piers and monstrances flanking the altar, a large Schwarzenberg coat of arms, and the signature of Rint, also executed in bone, on the wall near the entrance.

In 1278, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Holy Land by King Otakar II of Bohemia. He returned with him a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe.

In the mid 14th century, during the Black Death, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, many thousands were buried in the abbey cemetery, so it had to be greatly enlarged.

Around 1400, a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaultedupper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials.

After 1511, the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was given to a half-blind monk of the order.

Between 1703 and 1710, a new entrance was constructed to support the front wall, which was leaning outward, and the upper chapel was rebuilt. This work, in the Czech Baroque style, was designed by Jan Santini Aichel.

In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order, yielding amacabre result."