Happy Steps travel blog

European cities top world’s best places to live

We all agree that there’s no place like home, it’s where our heart is, and everytime we go somewhere, there’s always that longing to be home. Even travel bugs and those who are passionate about travel tend to appreciate more the little things about their hometown or neighborhood after coming from a trip someplace.

But what if you are given the option to move to another place or to relocate? Let’s say you visited an Arlington Property Management firm and given some various residential properties to decide upon, which place would you prefer to start over and settle with your family? If you have the whole world to choose from, which country or city would you move to? Continue reading… »

Scenic views from the Vyšehrad Castle in Prague

Continued from Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at Vysehrad Castle, Prague

View of the Vltava River as seen from Vysehrad Castle.

Walking along the grounds of an ancient castle such as Vyšehrad in Prague, one can’t help but imagine its glorious past when royal families used to make this as their residence. The castle complex is situated on a hill, thus it is aptly named as “castle on the heights.”

Since it is highly elevated, another treat for its visitors, aside from the historical buildings and artifacts within, are the scenic views as seen from its outer walls. While visitors can take delight in a relaxed atmosphere of nature as they tour around, lounging in one of the benches, reading a book or having picnic on a quiet spot, they can also enjoy breathtaking views of the Vltava River or Prague’s buildings below.

Picturesque Prague cityscape.

The castle walls where visitors can view what’s down below.

Tired or just want to sit down and enjoy the view? Benches are strewn everywhere in the castle grounds.

Tinkering with the phone while having a beer… what a way to unwind!

Reading a book by the castle wall… cool, huh.

I love looking at the buildings below!

Another scenic view of the Vltava River

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Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at Vysehrad Castle, Prague

Continued from The Vyšehrad Castle in Prague

You just can’t get enough of the beautiful and imposing Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at the Vysehrad Castle in Prague.

Right side view of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

This 19th century church is Neo-Gothic in style. You can’t miss gazing up at the church’s twin spires which identify the Vysehrad Castle when viewed from afar.

Inside the Basilica

The main altar

The hallway at the right side of the church

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The Vyšehrad Castle in Prague

One of Prague’s remarkable and beautiful buildings, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at Vysehrad Castle, Prague.

Overlooking the Vltava River on a hill is Vyšehrad, an ancient castle in Prague built in the 10th century also known as “castle on the heights”.

Map of Vysehrad castle grounds posted at the information board (click for larger image, refer to Map Legend at the end of this post)

We started our tour at the Brick (Prague) Gate and hiked our way to the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Entrance to the Vysehrad Castle via the Brick (Prague) Gate which can be accessed from Vratislavova street.

The Brick (Prague) Gate as seen from inside the castle grounds

Hidden within the Vysehrad castle fortress are vaulted chambers also known as casemates which can be accessed via the Brick Gate. The largest area in the Vysehrad casemates is the Gorlice – Subterranean Hall, which used to be a storage room for food and weapons. Presently, it is where the original statues of St. Augustine, St. Nicholas, St. Bernard and others from the Charles Bridge are kept.
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Wordless Wednesday: Sunset at Praha 4, Prague

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Prague artist David Cerny: pink tank, hanging statue, crawling babies and more

Would you paint a war tank pink? Maybe not, but controversial Czech artist and sculptor David Cerny did it to a Soviet tank when he was still an art student in 1991. While that tank is now kept in Lešany Military museum, a pink torso of a tank by Cerny was just recently planted on the grounds beside the Justicní Palác in Prague. The white stripe at the center is reminiscent of the invasion of the Soviet tanks in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Call him weird, creative or what, incidentally he’s also the sculptor of the Viselec or the ‘Hanging Man’ at Jilska Street which I featured in my previous Wordless Wednesday post. The ‘Hanging Man’ is a life-size statue of famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud who was born in Moravia, Czech Republic. In 2007, the sculpture was part of art exhibitions held at the Open Concept Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the Columbia College in Chicago where it was installed high on top and caused alarm among the motorists who thought it was a real man about to take his own life. It has also made its appearance in other art exhibitions in Europe such as Berlin and Stockholm. Now that it’s back home, nobody seems to mind this hanging artwork when we were at the Old Town in Prague.

Another interesting work of Cerny is the crawling babies at the Prague Television Tower.

Photo credits: Prague TV Tower by rainydazeee.com

Wordless Wednesday: A building at the Old Town, Prague

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Weekend at Lipence

A district in the southwest of Prague, Lipence is great for weekend getaways. Thanks to a friend who invited us for a Saturday barbeque at their cottage in this picturesque place. Though the weather was a bit cold (she sent an SMS to bring sweaters), it was just fine for us with the sun peeking out of the clouds oftentimes during the day.

The wooden cottage is situated on a hilly terrain overlooking vast fields of wheat. It’s small yet charming, with a kitchen, dining room, guest bedroom and a T&B downstairs and bigger bedroom up in the attic. It was like stepping into a little Czech museum seeing some old paintings and antique household items being displayed – from tableware to cooking stove and some really old clothes irons on the shelf.

Later in the afternoon, we hiked to the River Berounka which is about 15 minutes walk from the cottage.

It was such a relaxing Saturday; we went home at almost midnight. Having a cottage in the outskirts is a good idea for those who need a place to unwind after a stressful work week in the city. In my friend’s case though, it’s more of a summer cottage – it’s not advisable to stay there during winter since the walls are not that thick enough to withstand the cold.

A world of benches: Prague

Waiting for us by the roadside or under the trees, benches provide not just a breathing space for passersby to rest but a chance to initiate a conversation and meet new friends.

At a neighborhood in Praha 4, Prague

Whenever I see an empty bench, I would often wonder how many people have stopped by and rested on it, and how many brilliant ideas, endless arguments or crazy jokes have been exchanged among friends and strangers with the bench as their silent witness.

Thus I have acquired an interest in taking photos of benches recently. I have my virtual collection of benches captured by the lens and I’d like to share some of them in a series of posts.

A lady leisurely reading by the wall, Vyšehrad Castle, Prague

Inside the Vyšehrad Castle grounds, Prague

By the fountain at Justicní Palác, Prague

Bench around a tree, at Kutná Hora, another town few hours travel from Prague

Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary at Kutná Hora

Yesterday, we headed off to Kutná Hora, a town about few hours travel from Prague and with its historical town center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec.

We stopped first at the famous Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary (a place to keep the bones of the dead) which was built during the late 14th century. The unique interior of the cemetery chapel contrasts its simple exterior design. Inside the chapel, you can see bones intricately made into a massive chandelier, as wall moldings and other decorations. These bones were estimated to come from the 40,000 people who died during the epidemic in the 14th century and during the Hussite wars early in the 15th century.

Inside the Ossuary, tourists inspecting the details of the bone decorations

One of the Baroque candelabras (candle holders) at the middle of the chapel, decorated with skulls and with an angel sitting on top

The intricate arrangement of skulls and bones as ceiling decorations

The main altar

The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms with the pyramid of bones behind

The simple chapel exterior

Stepping inside gave me a bit of a creepy feeling especially seeing the piles of bones, though I can’t help but admire the creativity of the artist, Czech wood carver František Rint, with the skeletal art work and arrangement particularly the elaborate Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms.

Prague is calling!

Yesterday my cutie sis in Prague showed me some pics of my parents posing by the trees at the park nearby their flat. It’s spring time there and the photos look so refreshing especially this:

Spring flowers in Prague

It left me green with envy (kidding!) – they’re finally in Prague and I’m still here – but I just tried to cheer myself up with the fact that next month I will be going there too. I can just imagine those hotels in Prague filled up with tourists for the summer.

One of the must-visits in Prague for tourists especially Catholics is the Church of the Infant Jesus or the Church of Our Lady Victorious where you can visit the famous statue of the infant Jesus (Pražské Jezulátko). Another tourist attraction is the Charles Bridge which crosses the Vltava River and is a historical landmark of Prague.

Tourists at the Charles Bridge
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Photographic guide to Prague

I met a friend in Austria who gave me this treasure of a book:

A Photographic Guide to Prague

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