Czech Please.: November 2013

The goal for today was the same as yesterdays, check off as many things as I can from my to do list but first cleaning my apartment was desperately needed. Once I had finished cleaning I set off. My first stop was the Municipal House, now when I looked at the hours it said guided tours 13:00 16:00, in my mind I thought you could do guided tours throughout that time period, not surprising, I was incorrect. The tours were at 1:00 and 4:00, it was at that point around 1:30 so I just bought my ticket and headed off to do other things. I decided I would go to the metronome, I knew it was free and I knew it would be open. I struggled up the decently sized hill and found the, about as interesting as you would expect, metronome. There was a bunch of teens up in the park skating but it did offer a great view of Prague.

"The Metronome is a giant, functional metronome in Letná Park, overlooking the Vltava River and the city center of Prague. It was erected in 1991, on the plinth left vacant by the destruction in 1962 of an enormous monument to former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The 75-foot-tall (23 m) Metronome is now mostly a scenic vista and a meeting place for young people. It was designed by international artist Vratislav Novak. The area behind the metronome is also a popular skate spot where skateboarders from Europe and around the world congregate and film throughout the year."

(Prague)

(View from the Metronome)

(Metronome)

(Park behind the Metronome)

(Metronome)

After the metronome I was going to go to the National Library. I thought I had found it but I went inside and it didn't look like all the picture I had seen looked like. So, I took a picture of the cool book thing and headed back to the Municipal House for my tour.

(Not the National Library)

I made it back to the Municipal House with ease and set off on my guided tour. Even though I would have much prefered to just walk around on my own, the guided tour wasn't all that bad and the building itself was beautiful.

"The Royal Court palace used to be located on the site of the Municipal House. From 1383 until 1485 the King of Bohemia lived on the property. After 1485, it was abandoned. It was demolished in the early 20th century. Construction of the current building started in 1905. It opened in 1912. The building was designed by Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek. The Municipal House was the location of the Czechoslovak declaration of independence. Today, the building is used as concert hall, ballroom, civic building, and as the location of cafes and restaurants. Many of the rooms in the building are closed to the public and open only for guided tours."

(Municipal House)

Czech Please.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

November 23rd, 2013