March 3, 2018

Christmas in Prague

Five days wandering – Christmas in Prague

Christmas in Prague is so magical!
The city shines of thousand lights, the places are full of local markets with food and hot beverages. I love the wintertime atmosphere, especially while exploring new places.
When we decided to spend the Christmas holidays in Prague I was super excited.
Me and Gianni planned to trip there with Chiara and Matteo, a couple of dear friends.
I’ve never been there but I have always dreamed to be there between its majestic architecture.

Day 1- Old Castle and Golden Lane

We dedicated the first day of our trip in Prague to the 9th Century Old Castle, ancient home of Kings of Bohemia.
The Castle block rises up on a hill from where it dominates the city from above.
We were stunned by the majestic Cathedral of Saint Vitus and getting lost in its infinite gothic naves.

After a light lunch we moved to the Golden Lane, a little ancient street with tiny typical buildings painted in bright colors, home of local manufacturer and artisan.
The sun was shining on Prague giving us the best view of the city from above the Castle.

After a long visit to the Cathedral and the Castle we took a little break in the place in front of the Basilica of Saint George, enjoying a warm cup of tea in the Christmas market. It was our first time tasting the typical Tredelnìk and let me say that it is delicious!

Day 2 – Loreta and the ‘Prague Sun’ – Saint Nicholas Church in Malà Strana – Wenceslas Square

It was raining all day so we planned to see churches and museums.
We started from Baroque Sanctuary of Loreta that hosts a museum with a treasure made of precious liturgical ancient objects.
The most famous is called ‘the Prague Sun’ and it’s a monstrance encrusted with 6000 diamonds.

After Loreta we moved back to the city and climb the Saint Nicholas in Malà Strana dome, from where there is an amazing view of the city. It was very cold!
After a long hot lunch we took a little walk through the streets of Malà Strana looking at the typical shops and buildings.

Finally the rain stopped and we enjoyed a walk from Mustek to Wenceslas Square, the modern heart of the city.
It was full of Christmas typical market with food and local souvenirs.

Day 3 – Charles Bridge – Old Town Square – Astronomical clock

The third day in Prague was cold but not wet and we started wandering around Malà Strana looking for the John Lennon wall. The architecture is so cozy in this city streets that I would love to live there forever.
The wall is located in Grand Priory Square and it is part of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
John was never been there but since the 1980 the wall is full of quotes from Beatles songs about freedom and peace in the world against the communist regime.

Then we moved to the majestic Charles Bridge that was very crowded in that hour of the morning.
The Old Town Square welcomed us with a joyful Christmas atmosphere made of decorations and lights.
We waited for the Medieval Astronomical Clock show with its figures of Apostles and Death moving. It’s absolutely weird but also fascinating, like the most places in this city.
Personally the Clock is one of my favorite piece of art I’ve seen during those days.

On afternoon we visited the synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery, one of the most disquieting place I ever seen, with all its messy graves.

The last day of our trip in Prague I’ve shoot only film and I’m waiting for my scans back from the film lab.
I’m going to update this post very soon!

If you are going to spend some time in Prague you can’t miss this places:
– the Kulatak – We had dinner here all the nights we spent in the city, it was just 3 minutes walk from our hotel.
Frequented by the locals it serves lovely local food with great Pilsner beer.
– Jo’s in Malà Strana – Tasty customizable burgers, good beers and different soups every day.
– Hotel Cerny Slon – Black Elephant in Stare Mesto – Great food at the right price in the middle of the Old Town.
The atmosphere inside is magical!

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