Spring Break in Prague (Pt. 2)

Our third day in Prague was Monday, and the alarm was set for 5:00 a.m.  Anyone who knows us, knows that there must have been a really good reason for us to get up THAT early on a vacation day!!  LOL!!   :-)   And here is the reason.........

Andrew Failor (my brother Edward's second son) arrived on an overnight bus from Munich at 6:30 a.m., so we were there to meet him at the bus station to welcome him to Prague!!  :-)  

Andrew and two of his friends from the U. of Iowa are all in Spain for a study-abroad semester.  They were traveling around eastern Europe for a week, and unbelievably, they had planned to be in Prague the same time we were!  We were so excited to see Andrew!!  

The guys along the streets of Prague!  After they checked into their hostel, we took them to our hotel for a nice breakfast, since they had been on the bus all night.  

Our first destination was Prague Castle, and there were guards in the guardhouses this time!  (Where Tim posed the day before with Secoys.)

Michael, Quinn, and Andrew, with the Prague Castle guard.  

This is the front entrance to the castle.  At the fellowship time after church on Sunday, the locals had told us to be sure to go to the noon changing of the guard, and they told us exactly where to stand for the best view.  We got there early and got prime spots!  

This is the outgoing group of guards, ready to be replaced.

The new group of guards marched down the street and into the castle gates - very impressive and solemn!

A military band played several times during the ceremony, from second story windows.  It really echoed off the cobblestone courtyard and walls of the castle.

The new guards entering through the gate.  We had front-row spots!

The three U. of Iowa fraternity brothers at the Prague Castle gates.  Such nice guys!!  :-)  

The outgoing guards --- it kind of reminded me of those soldiers at the witch's castle in "The Wizard of Oz"  -   LOL!!  

We went inside the cathedral again - so magnificent!!  This is the St. Wenceslas Chapel.

We climbed the tower in the cathedral on the castle grounds and had beautiful views of Prague.  In the foreground is the Charles Bridge.  It is only for pedestrians now, and there are many artists and vendors selling their wares along the bridge.  

The walk down the hill from the castle was really steep!!  

The guys on the walk back down to the river after our castle visit.  

Andrew's friend, Quinn, from the U.S.A., found his name on the famous John Lennon Wall!

At the John Lennon Wall - I guess it's a famous graffiti wall, which is known for inspiring  John Lennon as he composed some of his song lyrics.  

:-)  

Just past the John Lennon Wall, is this bridge, which is famous because lovers attach a lock to the bridge then throw the key in the river, to symbolize their unending love!  

Locks on the bridge, framing a cute little wooden fisherman statue.   :-)   

Love, love.  Love is all you need!!   :-)  

O.K. - so now we have two "boy band album cover" shots --- LOL!!
Andrew, Tim, Michael, and Quinn

Posing on the steps up to the Charles Bridge.   

With Andrew on the Charles Bridge.  

The guys at Old Town Square, with the Astronomical Clock Tower in the background.  After lunch together and our walk back to their hostel, the guys were pretty tired, so they crashed for a while before meeting some other friends for the evening.  

On Tuesday morning, the guys met with a friend of a friend who gave them a tour of Prague.  Tim and I headed off on our own to visit the Jewish Museum, which is really a series of museums housed in old synagogues throughout the old Jewish section of Prague.  Sadly, most all of the Jews in the former Czechoslovakia were killed in the Holocaust, so now the synagogues are museums.  

This is called the Spanish Synagogue, since it was rebuilt in a Moorish style.  

This is the old Jewish cemetery.  It was very haunting to see all the tombstones crowded into this huge space.  The Jews were confined to their own ghetto, and since there was severe overcrowding, they had to put new graves on top of old ones, just moving the headstones up to the ground level.  

The Jewish ghetto was a low-lying swampy area, but the cemetery is now a high hill, simply because of all the layers of graves.  

A view of the cemetery from the adjacent synagogue.

The Ceremonial Hall at the exit of the cemetery.  

The buildings in Prague are all really beautiful, painted in many pastel colors and with much ornamentation.

Oops - I can't remember the name of this church.  :-(

Every church had beautiful chandeliers.

The Prague Opera House and one of the original town gates.  

Another street musician - he played classical music on water-filled glasses.
He was awesome!!  

Tim and I went back up to the castle Tuesday afternoon to use up the remaining parts of our ticket.  (There are admittances to 10 different buildings/areas on one ticket.)  We especially wanted to be sure to see the art gallery.  This is the entrance to the enormous castle gardens, which look like they'd be absolutely gorgeous in the summertime.  

The main gates into the castle, from the outside.  We watched the changing of the guard with the boys Monday from just inside these gates.  

One of the huge statues on the Charles Bridge.  

A city gate at one end of the Charles Bridge. 

More interesting architecture we saw while wandering around Prague!  

Love this - considering I'm such a big tea drinker!!      -   HAHAHA!   

The historic Charles Bridge in the background.  

And another one of the Old Town city gates.

Tuesday night we took the guys out for supper at a neat basement restaurant/pub, which was recommended by a friend of the guys' who lives in Prague.  Fun times!!  

We just thought it was so awesome that Andrew would want to visit his aunt and uncle while he was touring around eastern Europe!!  What a neat nephew!!  :-)  

This was the low-cost hostel where the guys stayed.  Let's just say the location was great, but other than that, it was a little sketchy!!  ;-)   But, hey, they're young!!  We were so glad to hang out with these great guys in Prague!!    :-)