OUT OF FRAME: Prague, Czech Republic

Last week we took a quick 2-day trip to Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic. This was our first time to the Czech Republic, and our first time to Eastern Europe. We knew very little about the city before we arrived. Mainly we knew about the beautiful architecture of the buildings, but that was about it. Prague has a unique blend of Germanic and Russian architecture, which makes for an interesting mix. Like most cities in Europe Prague has been gone through several transformations over the years, which is probably why the city's architecture is so diverse. Back in the early ages it was part of the Roman empire, then it was later passed around between Germanic, Slavic, and Czech tribes. The city thrived in the 14th century under Charles IV, where it became the third largest city in Europe. Then the city fell under the rule of the Habsburgs, and then later the Ottoman Empire. Finally, after World War I it became part of Czechoslovakia, and Prague became its capital. Then during World War II Germany invaded and claimed it as part of the Nazi Empire. Then after the war ended the country was in the territory controlled by the Soviet Union. Later, in 1989 the Velvet Revolution occurred during the fall of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia became its own country again. Then finally in 1993 the Czechs split from Slovakia and became the Czech Republic as we know it today. So...there's a lot of history in this city.

On our first day we spent the entire day walking around and exploring the city. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, but we got a good feel for the city center and all the historic sites. Our first main site was Prague Castle, which is the heart of the Czech government. Sitting on top of a hill overlooking the city, Prague castle is made up more like a mini village of government houses and buildings. There are streets and neighborhoods you walk around and get lost in. There are also 2 historic churches in the castle - St. Vitus Cathedral and St. George's Basilica. All of those things are within the "castle." We also checked out the Prague Toy Museum, which houses one of the largest "Barbie" collections in the world. Megan loved seeing that. Later on we made our way down the hill to the city center and "Charles Bridge," which is a historic bridge that is usually packed with tourists during the day. From there we continued on to the Old Town Square and the historic center of the city. That's where the "Astronomical Clock" is at. Every hour on the hour it chimes and the characters on the clock move. That was pretty much our entire day. It was a long and exhausting day but we enjoyed it.

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PRAGUE CASTLE