Travel: Prague, Czech Republic - The Good, the Weird, and the Shopping

This last post is a round-up of the other things we did that aren't related to food, drinks, or staring at buildings.  We did quite a bit of walking on our trip, and these photos are from the miles we put on my new sneakers (which we bought there because I didn't bring any).

THE GOOD

One of my very favorite moments was at the top of Vysehrad Fortress.  Just after you enter the walls, there is a little hill on the right side.  We walked to the top to see the view, but the shady walk down was even better.  It made us both miss living in/near the forest.

Prague was also a really dog-friendly city - there were dogs everywhere we went, and all of them were so well behaved.  We were pleasantly surprised by the large number of off-leash dogs, casually walking beside their owners throughout the city.  It made me miss Phoebe.  And Washington, for how freely she was allowed to accompany me there.

A heavily petted consolation prize

One of the fun novelties was the Paternoster (open elevator) in the YMCA building.  There are only a handful of these left in the world.

THE WEIRD

There were a couple of really bizarre things, which I loved for their strangeness.  First, I dragged Steven into the Prague City Gallery where we saw their Cronenberg Evolution exhibit.  Neither one of us are very familiar with Cronenberg, so we had no idea what to expect.  

Definitely the coolest part of the exhibit.  Photo credit: Cronenberg Evolution website

Second, on our way to BeerGeeks (good selection, but we were ~10 years older than everyone there) we stumbled upon the Biserica Preasfânta Inimă a lui Isus (ie the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord).  The church itself was unlike any I've ever seen, and the nighttime lighting added extra drama.  But the Zizkov Television Tower (ie the Baby Tower) looming in the background made it feel downright ominous.  Unfortunately, we didn't get close enough to see the creepy babies climbing the tower in the dark, but just knowing they were there was enough to feel eerie.

THE SHOPPING

We found the custom stationery shop, Papelote, shop using one of Jan and Zuzi's guides and I was pretty pleased.  I've been searching for a moleskin alternative for quite some time, and these were just what I wanted.  They're well made, attractive, and super affordable.  I bought 1/2 a dozen things here.

And this florist shop. Most quaint florist ever? Movie set? Hobbit shop?

Perhaps our favorite shop, though, was the Cihelna Concept Store.  It's practically underneath the Charles bridge, but tucked away from the heavy traffic.  The store features Czech designers - both new comers and seasoned experts - and we fell in love.  Jan and Zuzi's note said we would most certainly buy things here...and they were right.  We couldn't resist.

Tucked away

One for me, one for Sven.  Can you guess which one I picked?

And that's a wrap on Prague...for now.