
We stayed at the Arcadia Residence apartments - the owner owns two buildings, one directly in the Old Market Square area, and another just below the old fortress in Vrashad - about 15 minutes from the center of town.
We stayed at the latter. I cannot say enough positive things about Arcadia Residence, which is rated #1 on TripAdvisor.com for Prague Hotels. We were met by Max, who spent nearly an hour with us giving us an orientation to the neighborhood, the city, the tram system, and even walking with us to the tram stop to make sure we were on the "right track." Our two-bedroom attic apartment was spacious and each of us looked forward to 5 nights of quiet sleep without having to endure the snoring of the other as we had for the past 3 weeks! We had a kitchen, a living room with a view, and a full size bathroom with a tub and separate shower. Our apartment had a view of the City of Prague, including the Castle - which couldn't be beat. A mini-market was 2-3 minutes walk from us, and a wonderful local restaurant just a few doors away. And, the price was unbeatable - 110 Euros a night, tax and breakfast served at the time of our choosing included! Max's hospitality and personal attention through our entire stay is something one would never find at any hotel, 5 star or otherwise. I would stay there again without hesitation.
We spent our first afternoon walking for about 3 or 4 hours through much of the main part of the City. Our first stop, Wenceslas Square, is located in the "New Town." This long street is historic in Prague history. Once a horse market, it is now lined by dozens of shops and restaurants, including McDonalds and Starbucks, preying on tourists. On this square in 1989, thousands of people gathered to hear of the fall of Communism. At one end, just in front of the National Museum and not far from the train station, is a statue of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Czechoslovakia -- he brought Christianity to the country in the 10th Century. The Xmas song "Good King Wenceslas" is about this king.

We then walked down to the other end of the square, which is about 1 mile long, found the Apple Store so Brian could buy an adapter to hook up to the internet at the apartment, and eventually made our way to the Old Market Square -- the location of the famous Astronomical Clock Tower, built in the 1400's. It is the third oldest working clock tower in the world.

As we walked around the square dodging the throngs of people, we saw beautiful old buildings, people selling their wares, including roast pig, and I realized why people love this city. It is alive, a mix of the old and new and lots of fun!
Construction of the Charles Bridge dates back to 1357 under King Charles IV. It was finished in the 1500's. It's purpose was for the King to travel through the old town, over the Moldau River and up to his Castle complex. Its construction resulted in Prague becoming a significant trade route during that time. It has suffered some damage from floods and recently underwent some reconstruction, which is controversial because of the lack of authenticity of the manner of reconstruction. One enters the bridge from the Old Town through a tower opening.

One of the statutes lining the bridge on either side represents St. John of Nepmuk, now a saint saint of Czech Republic. St. John was believed to have heard the confessions of King Wenceslas' queen, but refused to divulge those secrets at the King's demand. As a result, the King had him drowned in the river off the side of the bridge. As he touched the water, 5 angels arose, as the legend goes, and St. John became known as the protector of the city from floods and defender of the seal of confession. Today, people stop by this statue on the bridge, and rub it believing that good luck will follow -- the darkened patina of the statute was rubbed to a shiny gold color from all the people touching it. We later saw the tomb of St. John in St. Vitus cathedral within the Castle complex, which I will tell about in the next blog.

Part 2, Prague Castle, on its way!
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