Museums Of Prague (2) – Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace

As the second museum for my blog I have chosen Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace. I am not sure if I can call it museum, as it is more empty – unfurbished, with some temporary exhibitions only. It is somewhere in between ages, between being used and being abandoned and I think it is really good time to visit it right now. After paying ridiculous entrance fee in amount of 1 CZK (5 cents) you can visit former apartments and beautifully decorated baroque hall, where some scenes for Amadeus movie were taken as well as it played the role of sleeping room in the TV set Maria Theresia.

If you had visited Prague, for sure you have walked by the palace, as it stands at the most crowded touristic street at the Old Town next to the entrance to Charles Bridge (Karlova street number 2), palace like a bridge over the tram line.

For the temporary exhibition you should pay some more, but we were interested only in the apartments. And here is what we have found:

Through the doors.

Small dining room and gallery (probably).

Wooden wall cladding and windows to the courtyard.

Ceramic heater and mirror room.

The main hall.

Ceiling.

Chandelier in the mirror.

Bear in watercolor.

After the visit of the Palace I recommend a walk through the house where Johannes Kepler wrote two of his three laws of planetary motion (the next building to the right from the palace, the shortcut is closed during night) to Anenské náměstí, where you can find nice cafe Tricafe and have a nice drink and rest from the crowds on the palace side of the block. Sitting at the cafe I always feel like in the living room of one of my student fellows in 1980s. The same furniture, plastic bear for honey. Just like in my childhood :-).

In front of Tricafe.

Vilnius

Please find my photo blog about Vilnius with lots of shots and juste a few words in Czech about Vilnius.

Vilnius, gothic complex of churches so beautiful, that Napoleon wanted to take them home with him

Vilnius is a capital city of Lithuania and it is beautiful baroque city, with cozy atmosphere and nice streets.

Please follow the link here: Vilnius.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting

For Fleeting Photo Challenge I have lot of shots, that were taken by accident. Mostly when I was switching off my phone camera and it took the last shot on its own. The shots can be split in two groups, the first group and the first gallery there are shots of the bottom, mostly you will find the floor, shoes, foots etc on it.

The second group are shots taken on the move. Playing with these shots in instagram gives beautiful abstract atmosphere to them and I hope you will enjoy them :-).

Rumšiškés

Today I want to take ayou for a visit to one of the nicest Open Air museums Rumšiškés. It is located in Lithuania, on the hill above Kaunas sea (lake, in fact :-)). Museum was opened in 1966 and it has about 50 buildings mapping the village life in 4 parts of Lithuania. I love wooden buildings and wooden crosses, the place is so lovely. Enjoy my shots.

Rumšiškés.

Travel theme: Dance

I want to dedicate this week’s Travel Theme: Dance to my friend Gaga from Yemen. I met him in Yemen, where he was our guide. He took us to the small village in Haraz mountains, where he grew up and where he started his career as a dancer of traditional dances. See him on the two bottom shots with yellow/black scarf on his head.

Musicians and dancers in Haraz mountain, Hajjara village (photos by Jarda Dohnal)

Few years later he came to Prague to visit us and one evening we spent with my parents. Dancing in Yemen is a mens business, so my father joined Gaga for dancing and we had a lot of fun.

Dancing in Czech-Yemen style

But the biggest fun came later, when our Fanda couldn’t resist just watching and she entered the dance, so keen, even standing on her back legs (sorry, too quick and no chance of making a picure :-(). She enjoyed the dance a lot and we did as well, watching her.

Fanda rules!

A Word A Week Challenge – Action

A Word A Week Challenge for this week is Action. A few weeks before I wrote a post about the Czech tradition of going to the cottage for the weekend. I wrote about weekends that we spend with friends in the nature, at the Dashwood dorp on Kocába river. Today I show you how we spent the days there – playing volleyball, “nohejbal” (Czech speciality, similar to volleyball but played with your foots/legs and head).

Volleyball and “nohejbal” players

Ball players in Dashwood playground again

After the game you need to take a bath to wash away the dust or clay.

As a bonus I offer you also 2 pictures from Zakynthos and believe me, it’s me and my husband on it :-).

It really is my husband and me at Zakynthos island, Greece

Bonus number 2, me and my husband again, this time in aquapark in Nesebr in Bulgary.

Aquapark Nesebr, Bulgary

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime

When we travel, we do not go All Inclusive, as we spent most of the day travelling the country and not in the hotel complex by the pool or at the beach. Therefore, the All Inclusive would be unavailingly profligated. But for our honeymoon we found a newly opened hotel with very nice prices in Tunisia on Djerba island, so we enjoyed the All Inclusive programme there. See some shots from our lunchtime for Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime.

The offer was really huge and it was quite difficult to choose our dish.

Salat bar

Something lighter.

First courses

Our dishes through the week.

You think it is easy to go just for one style?

Moroccan theme lunch

Moroccan dishes

Something sweet.

Yes, I tasted it all … and it was delicious

And this was our most favorite drink, mint tea with pine seeds.

Tea with pine seeds – lovely

Prague Towers (10) – St. Henry’s Tower

Top of the spire on the St. Henry tower

St. Henry’s tower is the highest standalone bellfry in Prague. It is 213 ft (65.7 m) high and you don’t have to climb it, as there is a lift inside the tower. The tower was originally built as a bellfry for the church of St. Henry (Jindřich in Czech) and St. Kunhuta in gothic style in 1472-1476.  It was built from sandstone with wooden and shale roof. The tower served as a guarding tower in 1648, when Prague was attacked by Swedish army at the end of 30 years war and it was badly damaged by it, next damage was done in 1757 by Prussian army and in 1801 big storm ruined the narrow spire.

View to Jindřišská (Henry’s) street, direction Wenceslass Square

From top left: National Museum at the horizon, Main Train station, small garden hidden between buildings, Prague roofs

Therefore in 1876-1879 there was a big neogothic reconstruction done by Josef Mocker. Even bigger changes were done at the beginning of the 3rd millenium (around 2001), when challenging project was realised.

View to Prague Castle and the Old Town

Now the tower is used as a multifunctional object, there is a museum, restaurant, bar, whiskeria, small music hall. All the changes had to be done without a harm to the old building. Thus the new tower was built inside the old case, in the space of 22 ft x 28 ft (6.7 m x 8.5 m), with 12 floors (one underground), lift and stairs in the middle.

From top left: Senovážné square, old gutter, pink building, Czech National Bank in the middle, above it is a Powder Tower

The oldest bell in the tower is Maria from 1518, the biggest is Henry from 1680, the newest is Dominik from 1850. New glockenspiel was placed in the tower attic in 2003, done by master Manoušek in cooperation with dutch bell company Royal Eijbouts.

Original roof attic from 19 century, now used as a small concert hall

Next time we won’t climb the stairs again, we will take a lift to the hight TV tower at the horizon, as seen from St. Henry’s Tower:

Direction Žižkov

The whole series to be found here

1 Introduction
2 Bell Tower of St. Vitus Cathedral
3 Petřín Watchtower
4 St. Nicholas Bellfry
5 Little Quarter’s Bridge Tower
6 Old Town’s Bridge Tower
7 Astronomical Klementinum Tower
8 Tower of the Old Town Townhall
9 Powder Tower
10 St. Henry’s Tower

A Word A Week Challenge – Dance

For A Word A Week Challenge – Dance I show you a few dances.

The first one is from Yemen: men in their traditional dresses with their traditional Janbiyas (arabic daggers) dancing in the feet of the beautiful Rock Palace close to Sana’a, Yemen.

Yemen dancers

And the musicians are here:

The second dancing on the street is from Saturday market at Rue de Mouffetard in Paris, one man, two ladies, two dances.

Dancers at Rue du Mouffetard, Paris

First dance:

Second dance:

The third dance is from Prague, gypsy song under the Charles bridge, during Carnival celebrations.

I like this post on the same topic:

Tvor travels

Prague Towers (7) – Astronomical Tower Klementinum

Klementinum astronomical tower from the yard

Not far from our previous tower (Old Town Tower Bridge) you find a large complex called Klementinum. Klementinum, built on area of 2 hectares, is one of the largest building complexes in Europe. It was built like a jesuit college in 1653-1726 and now it is the seat of Natinal Library. A dominant feature of Klementinum is Astronomical Tower, earlier known as Mathematical Tower. The tower was built in 1722, but due to problems it had to be rebuilt, which lasted another 28 years.

Organs in Mirror Chapel, astronomical equipment at the tower and the tower balcony

Atlas at the top of the tower

In the courtyard of Klementinum there is standing a monument in honor of Josef Stepling (1716-1778), mathematician, physician and astronomer. He had an imperishable merit for the tower reconstruction and in particular for equipping it with astronomial instruments. In 1891-1911 so called Prague midday used to be signalled by cannonade. With help of the unique crexicular solar clock and the time-measuring instruments the man in tower found the actual time and then he walked onto the gallery at 12 o’clock and sent a signal with flag. The cannoneers, prepared on Mariánské walls, fired out.

View to the Old Town Square direction with Prague New Townhall

The tower is 68 meters high and on the top of it stands the statue of Atlas bearing the Earth, with a symbol of God’s eye.

Prague Castle and Petřín Hill views

Views to all directions

To visit the tower you have to buy the ticket for all Baroque interiors of Klementinum, but it is worth seeing. The other attractions are beautiful Mirror Chapel with an in-wrought interior with unique built in mirrors that can not be seen anywhere else and the Baroque Library hall with splendid fresco paintings on the ceiling and a few historically rare big globes.

South east view, clam-Gallas palace middle left

Klementinum courtyard and the stairs at the tower

Our next tower is in the middle of the shot – the tower of the Old Town Townhall:

Roofs of the Old Town

The whole series to be found here

1 Introduction
2 Bell Tower of St. Vitus Cathedral
3 Petřín Watchtower
4 St. Nicholas Bellfry
5 Little Quarter’s Bridge Tower
6 Old Town’s Bridge Tower
7 Astronomical Klementinum Tower
8 Tower of the Old Town Townhall
9 Powder Tower