Chtel bych vstupenka, prosim. (I would like a ticket, please)

Ok folks... this is going to be short on text, but big on pictures. It was my big full day of sightseeing (including seeing an opera at night), and I was so wiped I didn't blog last night. It's now 10am, and I want to get back out there ASAP, as it's another gorgeous day, and the PQ opens tonight.

You'll note that the numbers are all over the map... literally... and so was I. My pedometer gave up in protest after a while, and my be-blistered feet and swollen ankle would prefer I take it easier, but I doubt they are going to win today. 

I started from my hotel and walked west through Letenske Sady (Letna Gardens) (#1) which has really pretty views looking down into the Vltava Valley.

The Hanavsky Pavillion in Letna Gardens

North Entrance into the square outside of Prague Castle (#2)

initial Courtyard into the castle. The castle consists of many many buildings...

Just as you enter under a deep portico, you come out right in front of 

St. Vitus Cathedral

stained glass window by Alphonse Mucha

outside of St. Vitus

Interior hall of the Old Royal Palace... 

LOOK AT THAT CEILING!!!

civil offices in the palace

the Golden Lane... an odd little street alongside the interior of the castle walls. over the years artists and writers lived here when working. it's now a row of shops

looking down onto the city from one of the castle belvederes

after leaving the castle grounds, I wound around past the Strahaov Monastery,  and into the Petrin Forest and Gardens (#4). This is the church of St Vavrinec... don't recall hearing about him in Sunday school.

Petrin was lovely, but also very steep, so I took the funicular down into Mala Strana

From teh funicular, looking back at the castle the black spires are St. Vitus

after getting off of my ride, I curved down into Mala Strana (Lesser Town) (#5), and walking the Malostranske, along the river's edge.

after a quick meeting at the venue, I headed across town into Vinhorady (#6). This is St. Ludmilla Church in Namesti Miru (Peace Square)

My desire for heading into this part of town is the Secession Houses along Manesova and Na Shivance. In grad school I did a huge paper on Art Nouveau Architecture, and some of these houses were part of my presentation. It was wickedly awesome to get to see them in person.

Television Tower... it stuck out so much i HAD to take a pic.

Church of the Sacred Heart, I know... doesn't it look like a bank to you too? Built in the 1930's, there's a bit of the Art Deco... but it also reminds me (except for the color) of the 1980's Memphis school. 

More Secession houses on Manesova Ulice

The Baroque National Museum, which is at the base of...

....Wenceslas Square!!!

In the evening I went to the Estates Theatre to see a 

performance of Mozart's Magic Flute. While the production was... interesting... it was kinda exciting for me to be here. It was in this theatre, in 1787 that Mozart conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni. This theatre also played a substantial role in the filming the movie Amadeus.

After the opera, I swung by Staromestke Namesti (where teh Astrological Clock is. IT was around 10pm and a gorgeous night out, so I snapped a few nightime Prague photos... here's the Church of Our Lady of Tyn, with the National Gallery in the foreground.

Charles Bridge, in the nighttime

I walked partway over the bridge and turned back to get this shot of the Charles Bridge gate, with the dome of the Klementinum in the background.

Ok... sorry again for brevity of commentary. Gotta get back out there.