London, England - Leicester Square, so crowded. I guess a movie just let out. |
England Slovakia Czech Republic
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In August 2018 I flew to Prague, Czech Republic to spend over 3 weeks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a day trip in London, England. More coming soon...
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London, England - Leicester Square, so crowded. I guess a movie just let out. |
London, England - The National Gallery displays about 2300 works of art. Interestingly, they also have 2300 fridges on display. |
London, England - Trafalgar Square, with the historic Nelson's Column and even more historic red double-decker bus. |
London, England - Finally found New Scotland Yard. Problem was, I was looking for the old one. |
London, England - You saw this coming, didn't you? |
London, England - With Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) under renovation, a much nicer photo from Westminster Bridge over the River Thames toward The London Eye. |
London, England - So is the Queen in Buckingham Palace? I'll let you figure it out. |
London, England - The Tube. What an odd name, I don't get it. |
Trenčín, Slovakia - Cute town on the Váh River, complete with restored Gothic castle high above the old town. |
Trnava, Slovakia - On the Trnávka River, this is one of Slovakia's oldest towns, founded in 1238. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - Hlavné námestie (Main Square) is located in the Old Town, with the Stará radnica (Old Town Hall) tower in the distance. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - The Grassalkovich Palace, built in 1760, is the President's residence. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - Ignac Lamar greets you near the old town. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - Great panoramic view of Bratislava from atop the 85 metre (278 foot) Most Slovenského národného povstania (Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising) crossing the Danube. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - The bridge is also referred to as the UFO Bridge. Especially cool at night. |
Bratislava, Slovakia - The Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle) today houses the Slovenské národné múzeum (Slovak National Museum). |
Devin, Slovakia - At 212 metres (695 feet) above the Danube, the 13th century hrad Devín (Devin Castle) is one of the oldest castle ruins in Slovakia. |
Komárno, Slovakia - The town center was rebuilt to reflect pure European style from around the continent. Think Epcot World Showcase just for Europe. |
Nitra, Slovakia - Separated by Upper Town and Lower Town, but fortunately it’s all in the same time zone. |
Bojnice, Slovakia - Bojnický zámok (Bojnice Castle) built in the 12th century is one of the most visited castles in Slovakia. |
Kremnické Bane, Slovakia - Clearly marked as ‘The Centre of Europe’, so what was that other place I went to? |
Zvolen, Slovakia - The town has the 14th century Church of St. Elizabeth and the 15th century Zvolen Castle. But sometimes you have to just stop and smell the flowers. |
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia - Námestie Svätej Trojice (Holy Trinity Square) is the center of this great preserved medieval town. |
Košice, Slovakia - As the second largest city in Slovakia (population 240,000 - almost half of Bratislava), the city has a well preserved historical centre. |
Prešov, Slovakia - As the third-largest city in Slovakia (population 89,000), my time in Slovakia was winding down. A bit slower paced. |
Spišské Podhradie, Slovakia - Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle) is one of the largest castles in Europe by area, and was originally built in the 12th century. Do you think they saw me coming? |
Karlštejn, Czech Republic - Very cool hrad Karlštejn (Karlštejn Castle) high above the town is about a 30 minute walk, uphill. |
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic - This is a very colorful and pretty spa town on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. |
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic - The Tržní kolonáda (Market Colonnade), built in 1883, and castle tower are a center of activity. |
Kadaň, Czech Republic - One of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Czech Republic with many 14th and 15th century buildings, as well as a defensive wall encircling the town. |
Loket, Czech Republic - Surrounded on 3 sides by the Ohře River, this beautiful old town is scenic from both sides of the river. |
Loket, Czech Republic - View from the inside, the castle entrance and some colorful buildings. |
Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic - A spa town, this 180-metre (590 foot) colonnade built in 1889 is the longest in the Czech Republic. Who knew there was even a competition? |
Plzeň, Czech Republic - Náměstí Republiky (Square of the Republic) is the largest in the Czech Republic, so it makes sense the 14th century Katedrála svatého Bartoloměje (Cathedral of St. Bartholomew) on the right has the tallest spire in the Czech Republic (102 metres/335 feet). |
Plzeň, Czech Republic - Plzeň? You probably recognise it when I say Pilsner (as in beer). They have been brewing here since 1842. |
Písek, Czech Republic - Crossing the river Otava, the Kamenný most v Písku (Písek Stone Bridge) is older than the Charles Bridge in Prague. It’s so old, it’s named after a rock. |
Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic - Hluboká Castle, originally built in the 13th century, got its fairy tale remodel about 1850. |
České Budějovice, Czech Republic - The Přemysl Otakar II Square (named after the town’s founder) displays many buildings from the middle ages. |
České Budějovice, Czech Republic - You had to wonder how I took that last picture. From atop the 72-metre (236 foot) Černá věž (Black Tower) built in 1577. You can tell they had smaller feet back then for the 225 steps. |
Český Krumlov, Czech Republic - The town and Vltava River as seen from Krumlov Castle. |
Jindřichův Hradec, Czech Republic - Jindřichův Hradec Castle dominates the town, but the old town is back there somewhere. |
Telč, Czech Republic - Thanks to a fire in 1530, the whole town was rebuilt by Italian craftsmen in the Renaissance style and stands to this day like a time warp back in time. Very cool. |
Brno, Czech Republic - Náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square) is a hub of activity and very pretty, despite being the 2nd largest city in the Czech Republic. |
Brno, Czech Republic - The 13th century medieval Špilberk Castle is high on a hill just on the edge of the old town. |
Prace, Czech Republic - The Památník Mohyla míru (Peace Monument) is a memorial to the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. Spoiler alert - Nepoleon defeated Austria and Russia. |
Ostrava, Czech Republic - The Masarykovo náměstí (Masaryk Square) includes many historic buildings including a 17th century Stará radnice (Town Hall) in this, the 3rd largest city in the Czech Republic. |
Příbor, Czech Republic - This is the birthplace and childhood home of Sigmund Freud. Oddly enough, no couches in the house. |
Blansko, Czech Republic - Part of the cave tour in The Moravský kras (Moravian Karst) includes a boat ride. |
Hrubá Skála, Czech Republic - The Hrubá Skála Castle perched on a cliff edge overlooking the Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise) Nature Reserve. |
Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic - The pretty town hall in the old town square. |
Prague, Czech Republic - The Karlův most (Charles Bridge) is the 2nd oldest in the country, but you would have known that if you were reading all these captions. |
Prague, Czech Republic - Castle Hill, as seen from Charles Bridge crossing the Vltava River, has many sites and tourists. |
Prague, Czech Republic - A trdelnik street vendor, basically a grilled dough cone on a stick coated with sugar. Larger vendors can include all kinds of delightful fillings like ice cream and fruit. |
Prague, Czech Republic - It's called Castle Hill for a reason. Taking the Old Castle Steps up to the castle complex for great views. |
Prague, Czech Republic - The Presidential Palace on Castle Hill guarded to the hilt. |
Prague, Czech Republic - Seeing the Bohemian Crown Jewels, it went straight to my head. |
Prague, Czech Republic - Charles Bridge crossing the Vltava River, as seen from Castle Hill, across the bridge there are many sites and tourists. OK, there are tourists everywhere. |
Prague, Czech Republic - 'I will close my eyes and put my finger on the map'. I have no idea what this building is or why it says this, but what a great idea for my next trip... |
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