Wednesday 4 July 2012

Prague, Czech Republic

I thought I'd try to distract myself by updating this blog... I've got my Aikido black belt exam this weekend and I'm getting REALLY nervous (although thankfully I haven't thrown up so far :P)
Postcard therapy?! Haha. :P I'm going to be SO relieved when that grading is over..! Fingers crossed it'll go well, too. Next Monday, the day after the exam, me and Matt will be off to Finland for a week to see my family. I'm really looking forward to seeing my parents and sister again, and everyone else, too. ..hehe, and I'm hoping to send some postcards to people from there as well. ;)

Speaking of family, my parents visited Prague last week. (My sister told them they should go on holiday somewhere else than to the caravan site where they always go :D) They really enjoyed it there and it sounded great, I can't wait to see the photos they took. They sent me a postcard from Prague as well, it's the bottom one (the clock) here. The first one is from my Belarusian postcard pal Katya who was also on holiday in Prague recently. *jealous*


Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and fourteenth largest city in the European Union. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of nearly 2.0 million. The city has a temperate oceanic climate with warm summers and chilly winters.

Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100 year existence. Founded during the Romanesque and flourishing by the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus then also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire and after World War I became the capital of Czechoslovakia. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in modern history generally as the principal conurbation in Bohemia and Moravia whose second city is Brno.

 Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of twentieth century Europe. Main attractions include the following: Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, and Petřín hill. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.


Prague Astronomical Clock  is a medieval astronomical clock, mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working. The clock mechanism itself is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures—notably a figure of Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.



My parents and Katya both used the same stamp so I'm only uploading one picture here.

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