Insta Friday: Prague Light

I have discovered quite a lot of pictures on my Instagram, that I like and they are already rather old. I decided to make little collections from them, find some topic that joins the collection and create a post. Just photos with simple theme. And the first collection is here. Pictures of Prague (the notoriously famous places) with special light. And – of course – with Instagram effect added.

I hope you will enjoy it :-).

Cozy Cafes of Prague (2) – Kavárna pražírna Voznice

My second choice for Cozy Cafes series is family run Cafe Kavárna Pražírna Voznice , “kavárna” meaning cafe, “pražírna” is (bean-)roasting house and Voznice is a name of village, where the family comes from. To describe the cafe I can use just two words: pure friendliness; and wonderful coffee as well :-).

Entrance to YMCA, with the Cafe welcome sign (KAVÁRNA).

The cafe was opened in September 2015 when Jiřina and Petr Čermákovi (Čermák’s family) decided they want to roast their own coffee. The coffee was tested on friends and finally the idea of opening the cafe with perfect coffee was on the table. By coincidence (can you find a better way than coincidence? or is it “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”? in Czech we have very nice “Fortune favors the bold”) the place in YMCA palace (you can read more about it here) got available (being wine-bar previously) and that’s it.

The bar area.

For my post I am asking baristas couple of questions, which are:

1. why are you at this place, this cafe?

2. what would you get being a client in this cafe

3. your favorite place or recommendation what to see and where to go in Prague

4. nice story from the cafe

The answers for Kavárna Pražírna Voznice are:

Why this place:

Petr: I fell in love with the brick wall and the bar. When I first stood behind the bar I felt it immediately: here I belong. It was love at the first sight.

The Wall.

Jiřina: From the first moment I had a really good feelings about the place. I liked the floor and brass frames of windows and doors. Most of the furniture (tables, chairs) were left here from the previous wine bar and it gaves the place almost vintage atmosphere.

Marie: I like the building itself (YMCA, where the cafe is located), I love its first republic atmosphere (for Czech People the First Republic – period 1918-1938 – bares lot of nostalgic connotations, like “the good old times” when everything was nice, traditional, I love this atmosphere as well :-)), but also people from the company who takes care of the building are very friendly and helpful. Our cafe is in the city center, but not at the first sight, its a little bit hidden, that is what I like.

My perfect choice.

What would you order from the menu:

Not surprisingly – as we are at the specialized cafe (roasting beans by themselfs) – the top of the menu is coffee, namely espresso, therefore for Petr and Jiřina espresso was their choice from the menu, Marie has extended this choice :-).

Petr and Jiřina: Espresso.

Marie: Espresso and something sweet (as something sweet goes with coffee prefectly)

Katy (me): I usually get filter cafe and I love the cakes from Od Bobu that you can get here.

You have a really wide choice of coffee beans.

Your recommendation what to see or where to go in Prague:

Petr: I really like the Bank building just close to us. The building used to be a bank for legions and now it belongs to another bank. It is really beautiful.

Former Czech Legion bank in Rondocubistic style.

Unfortunately also in this building making of the photo is not allowed, but also in here I was able to steel some pictures for you.
Gallery

Jiřina: I used to work at Žofín palace in Slavic Island (Slovanský ostrov) and I really like this place. There are beautiful views to the river, National Theatre, even Prague Castle. Go there and see by yourself.

Žofín Palace from the back.

Gallery:

View to Prague Castle.

Marie: I like the area around our cafe, The Square of Republic (náměstí Republiky ). I like the brutalist (being the architectonic style) building of Kotva shopping center (from 1975 year), the Christmas and Easter Markets, and also the farmers markets. Being in the middle of the city and I can feel like in a village as well. This point is really good for starting the city adventure.

And I (Katy) add: In my opinion the area around náměstí Republiky is great for accommodation, as everything is close and in walkable distance, and what is not, is easily connected by public transport, as the square is perfect traffic hub.

Square of Republic with Kotva shopping mall at the background.

Gallery:

Nice story from the cafe:
We were not able to think about one nice story, because all of them are the small pleasures of everyday life. When the cafe was opened, all people going around in the passage looked in through the big windows, it felt like being inside of huge aquarium. And now people go to the cafe like going home, sometimes they forgot to pay (do not do this please) and then they come back, they forgot they are not in their kitchen, but at the cafe.

Jiřina a Petr.

Daughter Marie.

At the cafe you will also find little display where earrings, brooches, rings… all decorated with real coffee are for sale, made by dobrunda atelier. In fact during my very first visit I have purchased cufflinks for my husband and brooch for me :-).

Couple of picture of the cafe and photos that were not turned to watercolors yet

Gallery of my realized watercolors

Museums Of Prague (1) – DOX

There is a lot of museums in Prague, some of them I like and visit, some of them are traditional. I will visit couple of them for you and I do not follow any special key, like the most famous one, the newest one or any other. I will choose just as the idea would cross my mind. As today morning, I’ve seen a picture of DOX museum somewhere on internet, and almost immediately I decided to visit it now. The museum is on my plan quite long time, but today was THE day.

DOX, former factory building.

To read more information about DOX museum follow this link. I will share more my feelings about the museum :-). To be honest, my main goal was the visit of Gulliver Airship and the cafe and the design shop. I did all three, but then I decided to visit the exhibitions as well (mainly because you have to pay the entrance fee for the Airship which includes the exhibitions, and then there was no reason to skip them).

Gulliver from the street.

I started with the shop and then the cafe. I love Czech design and Czech designers, therefore I enjoyed the shop a lot. I have seen a lot of familiar names and pieces, but also some new ones.

Qubus DOX design shop

Jizerská collection from SKUBB.

Then came the coffee (and pink wine) time.

Museum Cafe.

Museum Cafe.

As you can see there were a lot of books at the cafe. Old books. For sale. 10 Czech crown per one, what is something less then 50 cents! How many do you think I purchased? 5! And two more at the other part of the museum!

But they all were quite nice famous books, 5 of the 7 bought books were criminal stories for my husband, Graham Greene, Mika Waltari, just 2 were for me, one my favorite childhood book (I know I have it somewhere but I can’t find it) and a first part of Skalholt books by Gudmundur Kamban (the second one I just got from similar book shelf at the train station). They also had a lot of Czech classis bookf, for example from popular writer Alois Jirásek, but these are too big and heavy to carry.

On the roof.

After the coffee (and wine) we went to see the Airship on the roof of the former factory. As it is cold, there is no special action happening there, but from April through the warmer months you can go there for lecture or performance. I have loved it :-).

Up the stairs.

Inside.

One more.

And back to the warmer part of the museum.

There were currently three exhibitions on program, and you will see some installation lower, but I really enjoyed the overall space of the museum, the technical style of it.

The coridor.

Fishes.

Fishes.

From three exhibition I am choosing one author from them for this picture. You wouldn’t believe what it is. Take a olook ant think. The name of the author is Luboš Plný and he is (wait for it) certified Academic model! As he didn’t made to the Art school, he attended the lectures as a model for students, even made a thesis and finally he got the title.

What it can be?

Hard to write: the author took everything that grew up in his “umbilical whole in the navel” (I am not able to find the translation of this one, the left picture) and put it on the scheme (the middle picture) and wrote the notes, what he wore that day and other information, what can influence “the product” (right picture). Creepy. isn’t it?

Pictures form the current installations here:

Last picture from the cafe terrace.

Found on WordPress:

https://openartdoors.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/lubos-plny-viva-lubos-plny-dox-centre-for-contemporary-art-prague/

Night Walks (3) – Yards of the Old Town (2)

Lights at the garden.

And now I go on with my walk through the yards of the Old Town, and its after dark. The previous part you can find here. We ended the previous post at Cathedral Cafe, and we are not leaving yet, as its courtyard is really nice as well.

And the next picture is really interesting, look at the white chairs and table, what they are standing at?

Is it a well?

Yes! It is an old well, older then the buildings, so when the buildings and courtyards were built, people just put halves of the well to the different yards. Let’s look at it from the other side.

Much better, what you think :-).

And a little closer look.

No water, but snow.

Courtyards of the Old Town and House by a Stone Bell.

Beautiful blue light at the yards of the Tynska street.

Brick a brack and cafe and private appartments.

House by a Golden Ring, museum that much worth visiting.

House by a Stone Bell stands on the Old Town Square and not long time age it had Renaissance facade. When I watch movies from 1970 and there are shots from this place, I wait to see it in its Renaissance version. But at late 70s they reconstructed the building and gave it the original Gothic appearance by taking down the Renaissance “dress”.

How it looks inside of the Stone Bell yard.

Look up.

And we are at the Old Town Square.

From Old Town Square I went through my favorite spot the Tyn yard to finish the evening at lovely Cafe No.3.

Ungelt (or Tyn).

Cafe no.3.

My espresso.

Cafe no.3 is fortunately (for me) empty at his time of the day and year, as it s cozy but small place with just a few seats and I am happy when I can have a chat with the owners Pierre and Zbyšek about life, taste Zbyšek’s delicious dessert (the pecan one, but others are great to). Sometimes I have just espresso, but mostly I get “štrudl” (hot apple juice with whipped cream and cinnamon), or London fog and white hot wine, that is just great as well.

Winter Walks (7) – Yards of the Old Town (1)

This post can be either in Night Walks or Winter, as I went out at the evening and it was freeezing :-). But still it was very beautiful to visit hidden yards and places just around the Old Town Square. Finally I decided to split the photos to before and after dark. And this post is about the before-sunset one :-).

I was happy to have a chance to visit the premises of the Monastery of Minor Brothers next to the Saint James Church at the Old Town. Its best years were in 14 century, when the weeding dinner of Czech King John of Luxembourg and his bride Elisabeth from Royal Czech Premyslid family (parents of Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV)) took place, next wedding celebration was the one of John and his second wife Beatrix. You can rent this place even now :-).

The refectory / ceremonial hall.

With its beautiful courtyard:

Paradise court of the monastery.

And even better pictures at the gallery:

After the visit of the monastery I have just wandered around the area, where originally meat and fish markets used to be, so the names of the streets will not surprise you – Masná (Meet st) or Rybná (Fish st) – and also the house signs reminds you of this business.

House U Podvinů

From Týnská street is also nice view to the spires of the Church Our Lady in front of the Tyn (Ungelt), or as we call it shortly Tyn or Ungelt, even thought the Tyn (or Ungelt, which is the same but in German and we historically use both names as synonyms) is in fact the courtyard behind the church.

Tyn church.

From Týnská street you can visit hidden courtyards.

Týnská 15.

Take a seat. Or not?

And as the dark is coming, you can also see the ceilings through the windows in enlightened interiors.

Look at the ceiling.

And finally some warming up in my favorite Cathedral Cafe.

Cathedral cafe.

Look through to its courtyard.

Cathedral cafe.

Night Walks (2) – Vysehrad

I hope you had a chance to read a little about my Winter Walk in Vysehrad here, and now I want to share some night photos from the same place.

Religious sign at the Vysehrad area.

Guarded entrance to the rotund of St Martin.

Back view of basilica of St Peter and Paul.

Boats on Vltava river.

Prague Castle on horizon.

Moon above the ramparts.

Entrance to the basilica (closed for night).

Gable above the entrance.

Not the best quality picture of Emauzy monastery and New Town under Vysehrad.

St Apolinar.

One more Castle view.

Down from the ramparts to the entrance gate.

Leaving Vysehrad through the Brick Gate.

Winter Walks (5) – Kampa

Not much words about this well-known part of Prague, just pictures with winter atmosphere :-).

Vltava river from Legie’s bridge, see Vysehrad on the horizon.

Lock on the river, next to Children’s island (nice to visit btw), behind the lock one of the best jazz cluba – Jazzdock.

Freezing river, but its too warm to freeze completely, this is maximum.

Finally the Kampa island direction, the building is former Sova’s mill, now Museum Kampa of modern art.

Another one, now you can see Charles Bridge and the Old Town on the other side of the river.

Former fish restaurant, not working after the floods.

Babies next to Kampa Museum, author: David Cerny.

The park is beautiful even in winter.

Certovka – the Devil’s streem.

Blue Fox house sign on the Estonian Embassy building.

Other Winter Walks you can find on these links:
1. Letná
2. Vyšehrad
3. Vršovice (1)
4. Vršovice (2)
5. Kampa

The series about Night Walks can be found here:
1. Prague Castle

Winter Walks (4) – Vrsovice (2)

Second part of our Vrsovice freezing walk, first one here.

Balcony in front of Rangherka with view to the church and nice building of saving company.

Our walk went on to the church and the area behind it, as it looks like you went directly from the city to small village with homesteads from 19 century in Botic stream valley, under protection now, but currently not available to go closer or inside.

What’s-behind-the-church gallery

One more street art on new reconstructed building.

Nice glasses :-).

Finally we crossed the border of Vrsovice back to Vinohrady area to visit Havlickovy sady (Havlicek’s Gardens). I have visited these gardens (and vineyards) many times, but always from the Vinohrady side, to visit the popular vineyard gazebo or nice grotta(east part), but never been to the western part until now. Therefore I was nicely surprised by the architecture and views from here.

Garden building with balcony, secret stairs and hidden places.

Details in the gallery:

View to Nusle and Bohdalec.

After the walking on the freeze we needed to warm and have some more hot drinks, and we visited nice Cafe Kavárna Pavilon Grébovka for tea and coffee.

Pavilon Grébovka.

Lovely and sunny, but we decided to sit inside. 🙂

With the coffee we fulfilled our daily plan for walk and drink and took tram home, with enjoying more beautiful buildings around the Gardens.

New York in Prague 🙂 (you must look closer to the sign on the light green building).

U Havlickovych sadu street, beutiful living

Other Winter Walks you can find on these links:
1. Letná
2. Vyšehrad
3. Vršovice (1)
4. Vršovice (2)
5. Kampa

The series about Night Walks can be found here:
1. Prague Castle

Winter Walks (2) – Vysehrad

Vyšehrad (“higher castle”) is so connected with Czech history and the oldest legends from father Czech coming to Bohemia and settling here to be the place of the last resting place (as we call the cemetery) of famous Czech people. Vyšehrad is located a little bit far from the main touristic attractions, that can be the reason why it is so much loved by Czech people, visiting the place in every season, during day and night and enjoying its quiet space. Visiting beer garden (in summer), jogging, walking dogs or kids.

I visit this place often and in this cold but sunny day I decided to visit it with my camera. But I haven’t made the most popular pictures, just some views from Vyšehrad, and then I oriented more at the cemetery and church.

Vyšehrad is now a fortress, surrounded by walls and couple of entrance gates. The main entrance (Tabor’s gate) is followed by Špička (Top) gate, you will find just part of it, as the original gothic gate is gone now, and what remained is occupied by information center with model of Vyšehrad area. And finally there is the baroque Leopold’s gate to enter the area.

Tennis courts under the bastions and Leopold’s gate

Just behind the gate you will find one of the oldest buildings in Prague, the rotund of St. Martin, three of the remaining rotunds in Prague area.

St Martin’s rotund

I never miss going to the view to the South of Prague, where Podolí quarter is. Silver river is beautiful and unlike the Central area of Prague (around Charles Bridge), the river is quite narrow and deep here. If you have a chance to listen the music composition My Country by Bedrich Smetana, listen (at least) to the part which is called Vltava, and when you hear the royal fanfare, it means the river enters Prague under Vyšehrad rock.

River coming to Prague from the South

The I walked around Vyšehrad on the rampart with more views and finally there is the view to the Prague Castle.

The rampart walk with the church at the back

One more river with sport island and little port

Prague Castle and the whole city center in one view

St Peter and Paul’s basilica is wonderful piece of architecture, completely rebuild in puristic Gothic style by Josef Mocker at the end of 19 century. Surprisingly the interior is very colorful and decorated in art nouveau style.

Gallery (click on the picture to enlarge it)

After visiting the church I found myself wandering through the cemetery of famous Czech people, finding the names and tombs which I skip the other times, so lot of them were “new” for me as well. I love the cemetery as there you can learn a lot about our history, about our traditions, about our clever people, inventors, musicians, and others. And it is not only about people who are buried there, but also the tombstones itself are art pieces by popular artists, showing who lies underneath.

Gallery – click on the picture to see the full size

From Vyšehrad I descended to the river to make a picture of the less photographed cubist house and the to Náplavka next to the river, which was empty today but for weekend it changes to be the favorite farmers market place.

Gallery – click on the picture to see the full size

Josef Chochol cubist house under Vyšehrad

Náplavka on Vltava river

Náplavka with sauna on the river

Stairs up to the street

Another post about Vysehrad you can find here.

Other Winter Walks you can find on these links:
1. Letná
2. Vyšehrad
3. Vršovice (1)
4. Vršovice (2)
5. Kampa

The series about Night Walks can be found here:
1. Prague Castle

Winter Walks (1) – Letna

Prague is lovely city also in winter, when the number of tourists slows down (but not that much as expected). It can be freezing but when the sun shines, its nice and almost warm for nice walk. Find some pictures from the winter walk on Letná hill and area, which rises above the river and the Old Town to combine walk in the nature with beautiful views with wandering through the residential area with hipster cafes, pubs, or design places.

Buildings built on bastions of Prague walls

I started my walk at Hradčanská tram stop and walked by the former ramparts around the Prime Minister villa for the views to the river from Hanavský Pavilion.

Hanavský Pavilion was built in 1891 for the Jubilee World Fair, it is cast-iron structure built as a representation pavilion (commercial) for Iron and Steel Company.

The view from here is really beautiful :-),

Vltava river and some of its bridges (Mánes bridge, Charles bridge, …)

… and you even see the Prague Castle behind the Prime Minister villa.

And then I walked in the edge of the hill, enjoying the weather, watching dogs plays, joggers, seniors or mothers with babies walking around, not missing the view of Prague.
One of the most favorite places is also the monument, where the biggest monument of Joseph Stalin used to be, but now metronome and meeting point of young people is.

Metronome on large marble pedestal ( walk down the stairs and find stones from the whole Czech Republic incorporated to the pedestal) and the shoes.

My steps goes to the sporty area, finally I decide not to got to the cafe here but buy a cup at a stand and sit in the beer garden at the Letna Castle with views to the Old Town. The weather is too nice and even it is freezing, there is more people enjoying the sun rays and even cyclists drive by.

Winter cafe at the beer garden at Letná.

More garden in gallery:

After the sunbath I walked around the tunnel ventilation (see picture) between the Technical and Agricultural Museum to the Letohradská street with famous functionalist buildings and finally took a seat in one very famous and photogenic cafe – Cafe Letka for warming with a cup of cappuccino.

Café Letka

Cafe Letka is always full of people.

More cafe in gallery:

And even the weather was nice I decided to slowly finish my tour with some window shopping at the design stores on Letna’s main street (CVRK, Scoro Coco) and old time cafe with delicious sweets (Erhartova Cukrárna).

I didn’t miss the beautiful details on the buildings around me …

…and then I took the tram home.

Tram traffic.

Other Winter Walks you can find on these links:
1. Letná
2. Vyšehrad
3. Vršovice (1)
4. Vršovice (2)
5. Kampa

The series about Night Walks can be found here:
1. Prague Castle