Vltava river and a balloon

Well, a little bluish, isn't it? :) But it was a really beautiful day.

For boats

Sunset over Petrin hill

Prague Castle

Just Prague castle when the sun goes down.

This is how winter should not look like

Usually we have freezing weather in February in Prague. Well, it's almost 20 C with a perfectly blue sky without a cloud, people are wearing shorts and short skirts with t-shirts and all parks are crowded.

Theme day: What your city is known for

No surprise here. I think Prague Castle is still the winner of what Prague's about. Now you can check what other 135 cities are known for:
Portland (OR), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Memphis (Tennessee), USA - Manila, Philippines - San Diego (CA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - New York City (NY), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - San Francisco (CA), USA - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - Mainz, Germany - Weston (FL), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Turin, Italy - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Bicheno, Australia - Durban, South Africa - Joplin (MO), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Brussels, Belgium - Chicago (IL), USA - Montpellier, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mazatlan, Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Toulouse, France - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Susanville (CA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Helsinki, Finland - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Lisbon, Portugal - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Trujillo, Peru - Dunedin (FL), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - London, UK - Baziège, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mumbai, India - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Stayton (OR), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arradon, France - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Athens, Greece - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Jackson (MS), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Budapest, Hungary - Rotterdam, Netherlands - St Malo, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cleveland (OH), USA - Nottingham, UK - Kansas City (MO), USA - The Hague, Netherlands - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Wrocław, Poland - Chateaubriant, France - Cheltenham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Monrovia (CA), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Toruń, Poland - Grenoble, France - Lisbon, Portugal - New Orleans (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Boston (MA), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Wichita (KS), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Christchurch, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Wailea (HI), USA - Aliso Viejo (CA), USA - St Francis, South Africa - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Seattle (WA), USA - Pasadena (CA), USA - Vienna, Austria - Orlando (FL), USA - Torun, Poland - Delta (CO), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Paris, France - Stavanger, Norway - Niamey, Niger - Le Guilvinec, France - Bogor, Indonesia - Saarbrücken, Germany - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Juneau (AK), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Glasgow, Scotland - Chicago (IL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Sydney, Australia - Riga, Latvia - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Terrell (TX), USA - Terrell (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA

Dancing house during sunset

Walk along Vltava river is a good choice for a weekend afternoon. Here passing by Dancing house.

Manes and Dancing house

Manes tower on the left, Dancing house on the right (the one with a ball on the roof). If I remember it right our former president Vaclav Havel lived in this street before our velvet revolution and the state police was looking into his flat from the tower to see who visits him and what they are doing. The "watching place" is still inside it although devastated. As is the whole tower. It needs restoration very badly.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Prague

I wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
... and thanks for stopping by and for your comments :)

Night walk on the river bank

Blurred Prague Castle

Back in Prague after two days in Karvina. Snow is finally here in the Czech republic. I can tell after five hours night drive to Prague. Well, we were the lucky ones. Others waited for hours at the roads jammed by a dozens and dozens of trucks unable to climb them.

Vlrava river, Strelecky island and Petrin hill

Vltava river, Slovansky island to the left, Strelecky island right in front and Petrin hill on the horizon.

PS: Slovansky island to the left is the place where we play petangue (when the weather is not so cold = in summer).

Help me find the best

It was a sunny weekend in Prague. Vltava river was full of those boats. And I decided to start preparing a Christmas gift... a calendar with photos from this blog. My only difficulty is to choose the photos. So if you have a tip on a photo on your mind, please let me know. You can comment here or at that photo post. I would really appreciate it :)

Usual at Charles bridge

Charles bridge wouldn't be Charles bridge without them - tourists and beggars.

Things to see from Charles Bridge other than Prague Castle

You can also see a boat from Charles Bridge. Or you can see Charles Bridge from a boat :)

Prague started big and a very very long reconstruction of Charles Bridge. It will be still open for tourists but it will be slowly under reconstruction. I think it will end in 2011 or so. Maybe later. They are reusing the old stones. The originals from Petr Parler from the 14th century. And when the stone is unusable, they will make a new one but in the old fashioned way. So it will look just like when the bridge was firstly finished in 1402.

More photos of Charles Bridge at Prague DP.

Canonet QL17 + Kodak Tri-X 400 (exposed at 800 ISO)
My Canonet QL17 series

Canonet QL17 Week: #6 - Prague

Just Prague. I wish you can see this in person. If you're ever in Prague for a vacation longer than a few days don't miss Letna park and this spectacular view. There's a restaurant right at this spot. Actually it's quite close to Prague castle so this would be a nice place where to spend a relaxing evening after the walk at Prague castle. Speaking of Prague castle, I would mention that it is open till 1 AM and there is a lot less people than during the day (as anybody can guess :). Thanks to that I have a night photo of St. Vitus Cathedral which I'll post sometime later.

Photo taken with Canonet QL17 and Kodak Tri-X 400 (exposed at 800 ISO)

PS: If you know where I can get Canonet QL17 light seal kit, let me know. I would appreciate it :)

Once more from Prague's riverbank

Riverbanks in Prague are getting more and more live. And these upside down trees are part of the plan to get more people here. It worked for me :)

Not a typical picture of Prague

This is a view not many in Prague know. That green building is a water power plant at Stvanice island. And it is unknown for a reason. The road along the river is under ground here (so you can't see it from car) and it is kinda isolated from the tourist center of Prague by lots of old but not that special buildings - although it is very close, about 5 mins from Florenc metro station and 10 from Prague's Old Town. Mostly locals go and sit on the bench here. And skateboarders, because there's a skate park at Stvanice island :)

Place from which the photo was taken: Bank with a Prague castle view and a skatepark nearby

Hanging around in Prague at Vltava river bank

There is a boom of new developer's projects in Prague: houses at newly built marinas. The best and maybe the most luxurious will be at Holesovice marina - former real industrial dock. The second one would be at Modrany. There is a lot of demolitions going on here, all for the new marina and new modern buildings complex.

One of the reasons for new marinas may be the fact that it is allowed to use /personal/ motor boats on Vltava river now. So after years you can see all those small boats on Vltava.

The picture above is from a vicinity of Palackeho square (Karlovo square metro station). It's a pretty place to hang out, do your morning running (probably with the iPod sport kit - can't wait till I try it myself) or to take you dogs for a walk (or your girlfriend if you wish :)

Bank with a Prague castle view and a skatepark nearby

I wouldn't tell before but Prague castle is pretty visible from a lot of places in Prague. Not a surprise at this one (of course) as it is really close to Old Town.

Actually taken from a bridge that goes over Stvanice island. They have a great skate park here and they had a Mystic skate cup competition here last weekend. Which I noticed when I was sitting on a bench (that one in the centre of the picture) and there were suspiciously big number of skaters going around. Most of them foreigners. Two of them tried to swim in Vltava - see the "V" shaped from the steps - but a local man illustrated them pantomimicly (he didn't speak English, evidently) that they better not try.

You can see the opposite view from a bench under the trees.