Putting aside the horrendous day of traveling I’d had before, I
braved the cold and rain to visit two of Prague’s most iconic
landmarks.
Charles Bridge and Old Town Square
Walking along
the Vltava River on my way into the heart of the city, I thought nearly
every bridge I passed had to be the Charles Bridge. They just kept
getting bigger and better, but the lack of people on them made me keep
walking. Turns out, the bridge is hard to miss. There are two giant
entrances and a ton of people walking across, even in the rain. Statues
of famous saints and other depictions of the crucifixion line either
side, and vendors and musicians try to earn a few extra bucks. There’s a
great view of St. Vitus Cathedral on the hill behind the bridge, and
it’s even prettier at night. All the buildings light up and there are
twinkle lights hung on the sides of the bridge. Walking across, I
thought it would be a great place for someone to propose.
The
most famous attraction at Old Town Square is the astronomical clock.
Every hour on the hour, a trap door opens and 12 sculptures representing
the 12 apostles rotate into view as a skeleton rings a bell. The
performance is a little underwhelming, but it was one of the most
intricately designed clocks in the 15th century when it was built. In
any case, it just looks really cool and awesome.
St. Vitus Cathedral
We
spent most of our second day in Prague exploring the Prague Castle and
the surrounding buildings, the most interesting of which was St. Vitus
Cathedral. Built in the same Gothic style, it reminded me of a mini
Notre Dame. The stained glass inside was gorgeous, and the intricacies
of the architecture make it obvious why it took 500 years to build.
Though construction on the cathedral began in 15th century, it’s
actually fairly new and wasn’t fully complete until the 1920s.
After
touring the cathedral, we climbed the 285 steps to the top of the
cathedral’s clock tower to see the view of the city. I again regretted
skipping the gym so many times in the past few weeks - I had to stop
several times to catch my breath on the spiral staircase - but the view
was totally worth it. From the top, I could see the red-roofed buildings
of the city and several bridges crossing the Vltava River. The lighting
was soft and perfect, and I absolutely did not want to leave.
John Lennon Wall
This
might be my favorite thing I’ve seen so far. It’s not as old or as
beautiful as some of the other sites I visited, but it’s a great piece
of modern history that has a funky vibe that I really enjoyed. And of
course, a local musician was there playing Beatles tunes that really set
the mood.
In the 1980s, many young Czechs rebelled against
communism by painting Beatles lyrics on the wall, but today, the wall
stands for a symbol of global love and peace.
Located across from
the French Embassy, many of the new additions to the wall were French
flags, Eiffel Towers and messages of peace written in French. Candles,
flowers and other trinkets were still sitting outside the embassy after
the terrorist attacks Nov. 13. I thought that was really cool, and it
shows how the wall is still relevant. The wall is continually changing,
but the message of peace remains the same. Right now, that’s something
the world desperately needs.
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Read more from Jaime at http://jaimed03.tumblr.com/
Learn more about past Model United Nations conferences at http://waltonblog.uark.edu/2015/01/26/national-model-united-nations-rome/
