Scenes of ... the Most Beautiful City in the World?

Well, it's happened. After more than a year, I've had a chance to return to Prague, Czech Republic. Most of you have heard me refer to my trip there last year... at least once... and probably about 16,000 times. The truth is that even though I was only there for about five days (it sure seemed like longer) last year, this city worked itself so far into my heart that I've spent the last year incredibly missing it! It's hard to describe the way that a place and its people can steal your heart like this, or the way that even after more than a year a place can be so completely familiar that it's as though you never left.

Well, anyway... I went back. I was only in Prague for 28 hours total... terribly too short... but at least I was there! It took a five-hour set of train rides to reach Prague. I'm one to love a journey more the longer it lasts, so the ride over was pretty delightful for me. :) There are plenty of little anecdotes that I could tell from those five hours... but since I don't have photos, we'll just skip to after we'd arrived in Prague.

By the way... The reason the photos are bigger than usual is because this is my favourite city, so it deserves big pictures. :)

So, the three of us (Angela, Heidi, and I) were the original group planning to go to Prague. Then the other six students decided to go, as well, but ended up going one night earlier and booking a separate hostel. Trip planning is such a strange thing! :)



The three of us reached our hostel around 1PM Friday. We got to climb about four flights of stairs to get to our room on the top floor. :)


I knew I was back in my beloved city when I saw this view, which was totally familiar and felt just like coming home.



One of my favourite views in the world - Prague Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Charles Bridge, on the Vltava River.



I can never remember what this building is, but it's an important one quite close to the start of the Charles Bridge.

Prague is a lovely city all the time, but it's after dark that it becomes my city.

I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with my friend Assia, our hostess in Prague last year. She spent both days with us, as both a friend and tour guide. You know there's a piece of Providence in it when someone that you only knew for five days can become a cherished friend, someone to meet a year later with great joy. The very fact that I could meet her again a year later shows the Providential hand if you ask me.

By the way, we are standing at the edge of the walk up to the palace, with a view of the city stretching out behind us. This walk has many wonderful memories for me (now twice as many!).

This amazing group of (professional) street musicians were playing outside the palace. They were performing a part of Smetana's Má Vlast, "My Country." Smetana was one of Czech's greatest Nationalist composers, and his huge Má Vlast paints a picture in music of the country, the city of Prague, and the beautiful Vltava River.

We got to watch the Changing of the Palace Guard at noon on Saturday. This is one snapshot from the lengthy ceremony.

And another of part of the palace band playing for the ceremony.

One view of the St. Vitus' Cathedral, inside the palace complex. This building is gigantic.

And the inside of St. Vitus'.

Stained glass... so beautiful...

The sunlight was a perfect addition to an already perfect day.

Around the other side of St. Vitus'.

Jan Nepomuc. This Czech/Bohemian Saint has a very interesting story; unfortunately, I heard it last year and have not been able to find it again. Someday I'll find it and post it, though. :)

Leaving the palace complex (it's like its own city!).

A view of the city from one part of the palace wall. In the top left corner you can see the Vltava as it winds its way through the city...

Another view of the city (and a tree).

My friend Assia. We were highly entertaining her by our paparazzi photo techniques - randomly snapping pictures of each other (and her) without warning - which is becoming a habit with a few of us. What I tried to explain to her is that, having not seen her for more than a year, my friends back home and I would never be satisfied with fewer than twenty pictures of her! :)

The time ended all too soon, as Assia walked us back to the main Prague train station for our 5:16 train out. Saying goodbye was hard, let me tell you. Our train trip back to Amberg was safe and relatively uneventful (although like any traveling it was eventful enough to keep us occupied).

Wow... there is so incredibly much more I could say about this short trip. But maybe I will wait and say it in person sometime...