Prague, the Bohemian Gem, survived both WWII and the Iron Curtain virtually unscathed. For this area of Europe that is no small feat, and that may explain why it holds a certain charm. It has a gorgeous atmosphere that both Hitler and the communists went out of their way to protect.
The Charles Bridge is the main walking bridge that connects Prague Castle with the old town across the Danube river. All along the bridge there are different symbolic statues, mainly of the religious variety.
Prague Castle has it's own stunning, gothic-style cathedral. St. Vitus Cathedral is probably the scariest looking cathedral I have ever seen.
Now let's head across the river to the old town square. Gorgeous buildings by day and by night. Period.
In the old town main square there is a clock. But this is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill, old town square clock. This one is special.
The Prague Astronomical Clock not only tells the time in modern roman numerals, but also in ancient Bohemian time. The clock also shows the sun and moon phases as well as the astrological calendar. It is easy to be unimpressed by all of this mumbo jumbo in today's world of technology, but what if I told you this clock was built by an engineering genius in 1410? Got your interest peaked? Now that you're interested, let me tell you of the demise of this genius engineer. The king of Bohemia feared that this engineer would take his clock design to other cities, thus taking away Prague's one-and-only astronomical clock status. So he lured the engineer over for dinner and had his guards remove the engineer's eyes and cut out his tongue, so as to silence him forever. The distraught engineer, unable to live a life worth living, poetically climbed to the top of the tower and threw himself into the gears of the clock, breaking the clock and killing the only person who would have been able to fix it. It remained broken for a few hundred years, awaiting the birth of an engineering genius who would be able to fix it. Luckily for us, it is all put back together again. Every hour, on the hour tourists gather to see the show the clock puts on. Knowing the back story really does make it a magnificent wonder.
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