Day Three In Prague (Page Twenty-Three)
We depart this afternoon from the airport at 3:00 PM but we have time so we are off and running again!
The large boulevards are magnificent
Dining is available everywhere
The City Hall Tower
Did You Know? - The New Town Hall (Czech: Novoměstská radnice) is the administrative centre of Prague's (medieval) New Town Quarter, or "Nové Město". In 1419 it was the site of the first of the three defenestrations of Prague.
Just hanging around
The Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic is the principal church in the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
Did You Know? - In 1942, during World War II, the cathedral was the scene of the last stand of a number of Czech and Slovak patriots who, in Operation Anthropoid, had assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi SS Obergruppenführer and General of Police. Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld was in command of the troops that stormed the church on 18 June 1942. After a fierce gun battle, they committed suicide to avoid capture. There is a museum in the church crypt dedicated to them as national heroes.
Remembering the heroes
Did You Know? - The Church of Sts Cyril & Methodius houses a moving memorial to the seven Czech paratroopers who were involved in the assassination of Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, with an exhibit and video about Nazi persecution of the Czechs. The church appeared in the 2016 movie based on the assassination, Anthropoid.
The crypts
Did You Know? - The paratroopers hid in the church's crypt for three weeks after the killing, until their hiding place was betrayed by the Czech traitor Karel Čurda. The Germans besieged the church, first attempting to smoke the paratroopers out and then flooding the crypt with fire hoses. Three paratroopers were killed in the ensuing fight; the other four took their own lives rather than surrender to the Germans.
In the crypt itself you can still see the bullet marks and shrapnel scars on the walls, and signs of the paratroopers’ last desperate efforts to dig an escape tunnel to the sewer under the street. On the Resslova side of the church, the narrow gap in the wall of the crypt where the Germans inserted their fire hoses is still pitted with bullet marks.
The leader of the resistance
Amazing tribute to the heroes
An amazing view from the "Dancing House"
The entire town is viewable from the bar
See the panorama
Of course the cathedrals were in view
The terrace offers a windows-free view
The top was decorated in wire mesh!
Might as well have something to drink!
Great bar
...and corks!
Loved the visit!
The dancing House from above
Prague is a wonderful city for walking
Where is the wildlife?
Mom, Dad, and the babies our for a paddle
Many of the bridges for for pedestrians only
Charles Bridge and the Holy Crucifix
Circa 1935...
Enjoying the pre-flight walk!
The artists are licensed by the city
The short-long-boats are busy with tourists
We decided to take a short tour on the water
The bridges were slightly taller than other cities
The artists always have interesting displays... They awaiting
a ship to Antarctica at the Kampa Museum
The Dancing Building was directly across the river form us
Through solid rock!
Beer or wine... Decisions decisions
Floating by City Hall
Water Power Station in Prague
Time to have a snack!
Water power at work...
No, it is NOT Venice
Water power for the city
Monument to victims of Communist Regime
Leaving Prague
Quick Stop in Paris
Hello Los Angeles