Bicycling the Danube - 6 - Prague

Wednesday, 9 September and Thursday, 10 September 2026

We've arrived for two days in Prague, and we're no longer anywhere near the Danube. Prague is on the Vltava River, better known as its German name, Moldau. 

The Prašná Brána (literally, "Powder Tower") was the main gate of the old walled city - none of the wall remains today. It also stored the city's supply of gunpowder, hence the name.

The National Museum is at the top of Václavské Náměsti (Wenceslas Square), which isn't really a plaza or square, but a wide boulevard with shops and hotels. At the moment it was entirely torn up to add tram lines.

This modern sculpture, "Wenceslas Riding an Upside-Down Horse" is found in the Lucerna Arcade, just off Wenceslas Square.

The Tesla Radio window is in the nearby Světozor Mall.

We made a few wrong turns looking for the Franciscan Garden, but eventually found the open gates to the garden. The gate panels show events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Marys of the Snows Church rises behind the Garden. Church construction started in the 1400s, but only the first half of the church was ever completed. (And this is in "New Town" Prague, which "only" dates to the 14th Century; "Old Town" has roots in the tenth century.)

More contemporary art: "Spring Nymphs and Fairies" in the Franciscan Garden.

Another addition to my manhole cover series.

High-visibility  vests were standard apparel for pre-school field trips.

Havelská Market is a small open-air market in Old Town. Most of the small shops sell either souvenirs or food.

A dazzling display of fruit in Havelská Market.

St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square (Staroméstské Náměsti). We went to an evening concert here featuring the organ and two violins.

The Astronomical Clock on Old Town Hall, The clock not only tells the time, but also the length of daylight and the Zodiac sign (thus, the season).

Charles Bridge (Karlův Most) is now pedestrian-only and crowded with tourists and artisans selling their wares.

The bridge has a number of statues of saints. Every one seems to have a seagull or a pigeon on his head.

Downstream view: The Lesser Town (Malá Strana) and Castle Quarter (Hradčany) as seen from Charles Bridge.

Upstream view: The large building at center right is the National Theatre.

The west end of Charles Bridge, leading into the Lesser Town and Castle Quarter.

We walked up to the Castle along a side street with a number of interesting shops. Left: The Mini Market has all your "sins" in one stop. Right: Puppets and marionettes are a Czech specialty.

Our first stop in Castle Quarter was the quiet cloister and sanctuary of Loreta Church.

The interior of Loreta Church.

St. Vitus Cathedral is the heart of Castle Quarter.

While the cathedral building was started in 1344, the stained glass windows weren't completed until the 20th Century, so they have a contemporary asthetic. 

This huge silver piece (reportedly more than 1 ton of silver) tops the tomb of St. John of Nepomuk.

Another memorial makes the patron more important than Christ on the cross. I guess the priorities are evident.

The view of Prague from the Castle shows the mix of old and new. The V-shaped building near the center is the "Dancing House" designed by architect Frank Gehry.

Walking back across the river on the Mánesův Most gave us a nice view of the Charles Bridge.

We finished our two days in Prague with a tour of the Jewish Quarter, which has become one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Prague.

The Pinkas Synagogue is noted for the inscription of the names of the Prague victims of the Holocaust on the walls, organized by hometown and family.

The Old Jewish Cemetery has about 12,000 headstones, but over 85,000 graves as bodies were stacked seven or eight deep over more than 300 years in the small area allowed for Jewish burials.

An Eurasian Jay in the cemetery.

We finished our time in Prague at the Spanish Synagogue.

I'll end the Prague post with this bizarre statue to Franz Kafka - near the Spanish Synagogue. It was inspired by one of his short stories in which the protagonist is carried on the shoulders of a headless giant.

Bicycling the Danube - 5 - Budapest

Sunday, 6 September and Monday, 7 September 2026

We're off the bike now - it's no longer "Bicycling the Danube". We had two conventional "tourist days" in Budapest, then a travel day, followed by two days in Prague.

Our hotel is on the Buda side of the Danube, but we spent Sunday across the river in Pest. Monday we split the day between Buda and Pest.

A view of Castle Hill from the Pest side of the Danube. The red brick church is the Reformed (Calvinist) Church. St. Matthias is the large church at the left. Fisherman's Bastion is the low wall and tower behind the Reformed Church and to the right of St. Mathias.

This recent "Memorial to the Victims of the German Occupation" is supposed to show an eagle (Nazi Germany) plucking an orb-with-cross from Hungary (angel below). But since Hungary was complicit with the Nazis early on, is it Hungary offering the orb to Germany?

As a protest to the memorial above, a makeshift counter-memorial underneath tells the story of Jews persecuted (and worse) during WWII. The sign at the far left states, "He who denies his past sins is able to repeat them at any time."

St. István (St. Stephen) Basilica. It's Sunday, so no going into the basilica until after the noon mass.

We did return to the basilica later in the afternoon, during the 4 PM English mass.

The Great Market Hall was open, but because it was Sunday, only about a third of the shops were open.

Hungarian cuisine is not particularly spicy, but this shop was all about garlic and chiles.

A bit of whimsy. This large globe of the moon hangs in an arcade near the Elizabeth Bridge.

Evening view of the Parliament Building. Classic Budapest.

We were there.

"The Flutist", is apparently not one of the bronze "Kolodko Miniatures" scattered around Budapest, but was one done in the same style by a different artist. According to maps, we passed several authentic Kolodkos, but didn't notice. You could spend an interesting day in Budapest trying to track down these mini-sculptures.

View from Castle Hill with the Chain Bridge in the foreground and the Parliament in the center.

The Turul Bird statue on Castle Hill. This mythical bird supposedly led the Magyars to their "permanent home" in today's Hungary.

The King Matthias Fountain.

I thought the hunting dogs at the center of the fountain to be particularly realistic.

The raven bearing a ring is a symbol of King Matthias Corvinus, the last Hungarian King.
Left & Center: Raven Gate on Castle Hill with construction cranes in the background. Right: Raven atop St. Matthias Church.

St. Matthias Church. The raven is on the pinnacle at the far right.

The altar in St. Matthias Church.

St. Matthias Church.

St. Matthis Church.

St. István at Fisherman's Bastion.

After Castle Hill, we crossed the Danube and visited a few sites we didn't get to on Sunday.

The Great Synagogue is the anchor of the Jewish Quarter.

The Memorial Garden on the grounds of the Great Synagogue is dedicated to those who died during WWII. The number who died in 1945 is astounding.

The Tree of Life. The leaves bear the names of Holocaust victims.

We finished our day's wanderings at Heroes' Square at the top of Andrássy Út. This vast plaza holds memorials of Hungarian history.

A bronze sculpture in Heroes' Square.

I'll conclude Budapest with my continuing collection of manhole covers.